PR steps closer to Olympics berth

In Group A, Puerto Rico defeated Jordan 93-52 with 20 points from center Peter John Ramos.

The Puerto Rico squad faces Greece on Saturday.

Jordan lost to Greece on Monday 107-63, putting Jordan out of the quarterfinals with two losses. Jordan’s second loss means Greece is into the quarterfinals.

Al Horford scored 30 points to lead the Dominican Republic to a 95-85 victory over South Korea.

South Korea lost to Russia 91-56 on Monday. The two losses in Group C eliminate South Korea from the quarterfinals and mean Russia also advances.

Lee Seung-jun led South Korea with 21.

In Group D, Macedonia defeated New Zealand 84-62. Lester Mekkaleb scored 23 for Macedonia, and Alex Pledger led New Zealand with 11.

In Group B, Lithuania defeated Venezuela 100-82. Linas Kleiza had 28 for Lithuania, and Greivis Vasquez added 24 for Venezuela.

The four quarterfinalists from Groups D and B will be determined on Wednesday, the final day of group play. It’s New Zealand vs. Angola (D), Dominican Republic vs. Russia (C), Lithuania vs. Nigeria (B), and Puerto Rico vs. Greece (A).

The qualifying tournament decides the last three berths for the London Olympics. The quarterfinals are Friday. Two berths will be determined in Saturday’s semifinals with the last berth decided on Sunday.

Nine teams have already advanced to London: Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, Britain, China, Australia, Tunisia and the United States.