Puerto Rico secured its first victory in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas Qualifiers on Sunday, defeating Bahamas 71-66 at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan.
The win improves Puerto Rico’s record to 1-3 in Group B as the second qualifying window closes. They now sit in third place, while Bahamas also holds a 1-3 record and is in fourth position based on point differential, which could be a tiebreaker.
“We needed this win. It was very important to maintain our aspiration to qualify for the second round,” Puerto Rico head coach Carlos González said after the game.
Ismael Romero led the Puerto Rican offense with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Chris Ortiz added 12 points. For Bahamas, Franco Miller and Kai Jones each scored 19 points.
“We were in a tough spot. We absolutely had to acquire this win at home against a team that had just beaten Jamaica. We were in a difficult position. If we lost, it was over,” the coach added. “So the guys understood the urgency and came out with intensity.”
Bahamas opened the scoring before the first minute of play with a basket from Isaiah Mobley. Stephen Thompson Jr. Quickly responded with a field goal to tie the game at two. Mobley scored the first six points for his team.
With six minutes remaining in the first quarter, Puerto Rico went on a 12-3 run to take a 17-9 lead. The run included a dunk by Ramses Meléndez following a defensive rebound from Tjader Fernández with 5:11 left on the clock. Although Bahamas attempted to respond with a three-pointer from Garvin Clarke, Alfonso Plummer answered with a long-distance shot of his own to extend the lead to 20-9. Puerto Rico closed the first period leading 22-11.
Bahamas started the second quarter with some difficulty, and Puerto Rico capitalized to extend their lead to 25-18. Though, a three-pointer from Ortiz restored a double-digit advantage (28-18). After a basket from Fernández, Ortiz struck again from beyond the arc to make it 33-18.
Miller and Kentwan Smith hit consecutive three-pointers to reduce the deficit to 35-30. However, with less than 1:30 remaining in the period, Romero scored four straight points to extend the lead back to 39-30. Puerto Rico, which missed 10 shots during this quarter, went into halftime with a nine-point advantage.
In the third quarter, Bahamas closed the gap to 41-36 with two consecutive three-pointers – one from Miller and one from Mobley – with 6:45 remaining. Arnaldo Toro added two points for Puerto Rico, but then committed a foul on Miller, who converted both free throws to make it 43-38.
Following a foul by Miller on Ortiz, he hit two free throws to extend the lead to 45-38. Later, after a strong defensive play by Toro, Plummer grabbed the ball and hit a three-pointer to pull Puerto Rico ahead 48-38 with 4:04 left.
Isaiah Piñeiro and Alexander Kappos each added a three-pointer to increase the difference to 54-41. Samuel Hunter responded for Bahamas with another long-range shot to close the gap to 54-44. In the final second of the third quarter, Thompson Jr. Hit a basket to end the period with Puerto Rico leading 58-44.
Bahamas put together an 8-2 run in the fourth quarter to reduce the deficit to 62-54 with six minutes remaining. Fernández responded with a three-pointer to extend the lead to 65-54.
The Bahamas team increased their intensity in the final minutes and, with two consecutive three-pointers from Miller, came dangerously close at 69-66 with just 50 seconds left to play. After a missed long-distance shot from Ortiz, Bahamas called a timeout with 33 seconds on the clock. Puerto Rico sealed the victory with two free throws from Ortiz, after a foul on Hunter, for the final score of 71-66. Miller missed a three-pointer with two seconds remaining, ending Bahamas’ hopes.
Puerto Rico will face Bahamas again on July 1 and then visit Canada on July 3 in the third qualifying window. Puerto Rico must finish among the top three teams in Group B to advance to the second round of qualifying for the World Cup.
