It was not an upset for the South Sudan men’s basketball team in its first Olympic Games.
The South Sudanese fell 86-103 to the United States of America, a team of National Basketball Association (NBA) stars, in Group C of the men’s basketball competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Pierre Moreau Stadium in Paris, France, on Monday (Aug. 1).
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war.
While South Sudan was no match for the U.S. in terms of objective strength, they put on a scary performance in an exhibition game on July 21 in London, England, before the Olympics.
In that game, South Sudan played fast and relentless and pushed the Americans to the brink. The Americans were able to pull out a 101-100 victory on a LeBron James layup with eight seconds left in regulation.
But it was not to be on the Olympic stage.
The South Sudanese, who took the court to a raucous crowd, briefly took the lead early in the game but had to settle for a 21-point halftime deficit and a 17-point lead in the second half.
Despite strong performances from Nui Omot (24 points) and Khaliq Jones (18 points), South Sudan, who had beaten Puerto Rico (2 losses) for their first win of the Games, also suffered their first loss.
South Sudan’s Olympic journey is far from over.
If South Sudan defeats Serbia (1-1) in their final group game on April 4, they will advance to the quarterfinals in a single-elimination match.
Meanwhile, the United States, which is looking to win its fifth straight Olympic title, advanced to the quarterfinals with its second straight win, led by Bam Adebayo (18 points) and Kevin Durant (14 points).
At the Olympics, the second-place finisher in each group advances to the quarterfinals, with the two best-performing nations in the third place group joining the quarterfinals. 메이저사이트