South Sudan’s Olympic basketball debut began with an awkward anthem glitch, but ended with the men’s team pulling off a stunning upset of Puerto Rico.
Prior to start of Sunday’s matchup against Puerto Rico the national anthem of the African nation was abruptly cut off about 20 seconds into the playing of the recorded track. Various online posts claim it was Sudan’s anthem – and not South Sudan’s – that was played over the arena speakers. South Sudan qualified for the Paris Games for the first time last year after emerging from civil war with Sudan to become an independent nation in 2011.
The Sudanese players and their fans first stood confused, prompting fans of both teams inside Lille’s Pierre Mauroy Stadium to boo. They then started clapping as Sudan’s players stood in unison with their hands over their hearts watching for the issue to be reconciled.
Puerto Rican players did the same in solidarity.
The audio track was restarted about three minutes later to an ovation from fans. When it concluded, South Sudan’s players embraced and promptly pulled off the first major upset of the ongoing Olympics.
South Sudan’s Olympic basketball debut began with an awkward anthem glitch on Sunday
South Sudan fans react as the wrong national anthem was played before Sunday’s game
Various online posts claim it was Sudan’s anthem – and not South Sudan’s
Carlik Jones scored 19 points and South Sudan rallied in the second half to beat Puerto Rico 90-79 in the Paris Olympics opener for both teams on Sunday.
It is the first Olympic basketball victory for South Sudan, which is playing in its first Olympics games after qualifying as Africa´s top finisher in last year´s World Cup. Marial Shayok added 15 points for South Sudan, which will next meet the U.S. on Tuesday.
Puerto Rico led throughout the first half of the Group C matchup but was disrupted late in the second quarter after top scorer Jose Alvarado left late with an apparent sprained ankle. He returned early in the third quarter and finished with 26 points and five assists. Tremont Waters added 18 points.
But South Sudan took control down the stretch, building as much as a 13-point lead with just over three minutes to play.
Wenyen Gabriel #9 of Team South Sudan dunks the ball during the Men’s Group Phas
A confused South Sudan fan stands during the playing of another national anthem
South Sudan, which nearly pulled off a stunning exhibition upset of the U.S. leading into the start of the Olympics, showed that same scrappiness Sunday against a Puerto Rico team it lost to in last year´s World Cup.
Alvarado was helped off the court by two trainers with 3.5 seconds left in the second quarter after he landed awkwardly following a basket by teammate Carlik Jones. Alvarado immediately grabbed his ankle.
When play was stopped seconds later, he continued writing in pain before being attended to and helped to the locker room. He was the most dominant player on the court for either side in the opening half, leading Puerto Rico with 19 points.
Alvarado emerged from the locker room shortly after the start of the third quarter, then returned to action with 7:52 remaining in period.
But he wasn’t able to save his team.
Omot knocked through a 3-pointer from the wing as part of an 11-0 run to put his team in front for the first time, 56-54.
The lead quickly grew to eight points. Puerto Rico, fueled by seven points in the quarter by Alvarado, trimmed the deficit to 71-69 entering the fourth.
But the South Sudan outscored Puerto Rico 19-10 over the final 10 minutes.
Sunday’s win marked just the second time an African team won a men’s Olympic basketball game since 1996.
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