Mexico denied Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jordan a win in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, emerging victorious, 93-80, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Saturday.
The 12 Guerreros ended their campaign with two straight wins for a 2-3 win-loss record, tied with New Zealand and Egypt in Group N in the classification round.
On the other hand, the Falcons finished the tournament winless in five outings.
“I’m so proud of my players. They showed character, passion, the love for the game, and it’s 120 million back in Mexico, and we never lost faith. We kept working, kept believing in our project, and we finished on the right note with two wins,” said Mexico head coach Omar Quintero.
It was just a three-point lead for the 12 Guerreros with 2:34 left in the game, 81-78, when they unleashed the run that clinched the match for them.
Joshua Ibarra, Gabriel Giron, Pako Cruz, and Paul Stoll delivered a 12-2 finishing kick that ended the hopes of Jordan.
Giron led the Mexicans’ balanced offense with 21 points.
Stoll registered 19 points, four rebounds, and four assists, while Cruz and Ibarra made 17 and 16 points, respectively.
Fabian Jaimes had another double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds to go with six assists to round out the double-digit scorers for Mexico as they became the first team since 1994 to have five players with 15 or more points in a single World Cup game.
Hollis-Jefferson played his second-straight no-relief game, playing all 40 minutes against Egypt on Thursday and the 12 Guerreros today, both on a bad ankle.
The Falcons’ naturalized player tallied 26 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds. Ahmad Dwairi and Amin Abu Hawwas added 15 points apiece.
The Scores:
Mexico 93 – Giron 21, Stoll 19, Cruz 17, Ibarra 16, Jaimes 15, J. Gutierrez 3, I. Gutierrez 2, Bonilla 0, Mendez 0.
Jordan 80 – Hollis-Jefferson 26, Abu Hawwas 15, Dwairi 15, Abbas 6, Bzai 6, Hussein 5, Hamarsheh 4, Kanaan 3, Alnajdawi 0, Hammouri 0.
Quarterscores: 24-24, 43-43, 68-65, 93-80.
