South Sudan Stuns Puerto Rico for First-Ever Olympic Hoops Win

Carlik Jones Leads Second-Half Comeback

Full Stats from 2024 Olympic Men's Basketball Game

Carlik Jones scored 19 points as South Sudan rallied in the second half to beat Puerto Rico 90-79 in the Paris Olympics opener for both teams. The win is South Sudan's first-ever in Olympic basketball, and it comes after the team qualified for the Games for the first time. Puerto Rico, meanwhile, has now lost its first two games in Pool A. South Sudan trailed by 10 points at halftime, but they came out firing in the second half, outscoring Puerto Rico 51-36. Jones was a key part of the comeback, scoring 11 of his points in the third quarter. In addition to Jones, Mathiang Muo and Kuany Ngor both scored 15 points for South Sudan. Tremont Waters led Puerto Rico with 22 points, and George Conditt IV added 14 points. South Sudan will now face Serbia in their next game on Saturday, while Puerto Rico will take on the United States. The win is a major upset for South Sudan, who were not expected to be competitive in the Olympics. However, they have shown that they are a team to be reckoned with, and they will be looking to make a deep run in the tournament.