BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Victor Mariscal scored 30 points, 22 in the first half, leading coach Nolan Richardson and Mexico to a 100-89 victory over Puerto Rico on Wednesday in the FIBA Americas tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mexico's strong defensive effort that held Puerto Rico star Carlos Arroyo without a field goal as it pulled away after the Puerto Ricans rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to grab a one-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
Richardson said he wasn't surprised that his team pulled off the upset.
"This group has worked extremely hard," Richardson said. "That was our 20th game since May 21. We went to El Salvador and played five games. We鈥檝e been in the hottest gyms and highest altitudes. When you have guys like that, that are that dedicated, you know you have a good team."
Mexico didn't show much of Richardson's famed "40 Minutes of Hell" pressure defense that sparked Arkansas to the 1994 NCAA title, but didn't need to because Puerto Rico was having enough trouble with the Mexicans鈥檃ctive zone.
Rick Apodaca had 15 points, and Reyes added 14 for Puerto Rico, which has struggled since upsetting the United States in the 2004 Olympics.
Puerto Rico got more bad news after the game when Dallas Mavericks guard Jose Juan Barea was suspended two games by FIBA for cursing at the referees and fouling out late in the third quarter. He won't be eligible to return until Puerto Rico's final game of pool play Saturday against Uruguay.
