USA survives Puerto Rico in AmeriCup behind Norris Cole game-winner / News - Basketnews.com

Norris Cole hit a game-winning contested floater with just over one second to go to push the USA past Puerto Rico in the AmeriCup quarterfinals to set up a clash against Argentina in the semifinal.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

While EuroBasket 2022 is storming the European basketball arenas, AmeriCup is at the same time attracting basketball fans from North and South America.

Norris Cole

Position:PGAge:33Height:188 cmWeight:77 kgBirth place:Dayton, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

It was the quarterfinals day yesterday at the AmeriCup where one of the favorites of the tournament, the US national team, overcame Puerto Rico in the last seconds 85-84 (23-27, 19-15, 22-18, 21-24).

Although they were the underdogs in the matchup, the Puerto Ricans tied the game with just 31 seconds left (82-82). Norris Cole made just one free throw out of two in the ensuing possession and left the chance for his opponents to take the game.

It took only three seconds for Puerto Rico to take the lead as Tremont Waters made a driving layup with 6 seconds to go to put his team back on top (84-83). However, it was not enough.

Having previously missed a clutch shot, this time Norris Cole did not disappoint. The two-time NBA champion made a tough floater with just over one second to go to regain the lead (85-84).

Waters had one more opportunity to be the hero for Puerto Rico but his last-second attempt was no good, and the USA survived.

Cole finished the match with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Former Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv guard Jeremy Pargo added 15 points and 5 assists.

The USA will now square up against Argentina in the semifinal. Led by Facundo Campazzo and Gabriel Deck, the Argentinians comfortably defeated Venezuela.

After leading by just three after the first 10 minutes, Argentina dominated in the second quarter, allowing their opponents to score just 4 points (23-4), essentially sealing the match at halftime.

All 12 Argentina players appeared on the court with Campazzo leading the way with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists in almost 23 minutes of play.

The matchup between the US and Argentina is scheduled at 22:10 CET on Saturday.

Norris Cole's highlights:

Full game highlights:

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