Puerto Rico advances to the quarterfinal

Larry Ayuso of Puerto Rico (Photo credit: FIBA)Photo Gallery>>(BEIJING, July 16) -- Puerto Rico nabbed their second consecutive win and will advance to the quarterfinals after beating Cameroon 81-72 on July 16 in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men in Athens, Greece.

Ranked 12th in the world, Puerto Rico was poised to easily beat 50th-ranked Cameroon, but Cameroon put up a good fight reminiscent of their opening game against Croatia.

Puerto Rico was ahead throughout the game, once by as much as 21 points, but they had a hard time fending off Cameroon power forward Harding Nana, who made an impressive 22 points and 14 rebounds.

Cameroon shooting guard Parfait Bitee helped his team to narrow the gap with two consecutive baskets, including a three-pointer, bringing Cameroon within 6 points of Puerto Rico with 6:45 left on the clock.

At 1:40 remaining, a jump-shot by Nana had his whole bench cheering as the score went up to 70-67.

In response, Puerto Rico's guard Larry Ayuso sank one of his three three-pointers of the day, securing Puerto Rico's spot at the quarterfinals.

Puerto Rico will face Croatia on Wednesday to determine who will be the winner of group D.