Beijing (China) - After the final game in Group A which featured a historic Venezuela win over host team China to qualify to the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 - both teams exited the court in tears.

The Venezuelans players cherished the win and emotionally celebrated their first-ever qualification to the Second Round of the World Cup.

"This is a big moment for us," shared a teary-eyed team captain Jose Vargas.

The emotions were pretty high and considering what Venezuela went through in their preparation for the World Cup, it makes their accomplishment even more remarkable.

The home stretch of their preparation offered a few bumps on the road as the wards of head coach Fernando Duro came up against non-basketball related troubles.

"We went through a lot of things during our preparation. But we blocked it all out and focused when the tournament started. And here we are we achieved history because we have never reached the Second Round before," Vargas shared through an interpreter.

It was a tale of two different teams for the Venezuelans over the course of their Group Phase campaign which saw them improve by leaps and bounds.

From a team that looked lost on the court in their loss to Poland to a squad  that turned into a cohesive unit against China and displayed their brand of basketball - a highly physical defensive squad that outworked their opponents with relentless energy.

"Our group has been together since 2012, we changed the way we play. We focus more on playing as a team. Winning as a collective rather than relying on one scoring option. We play hard and on defense and secure the rebounds," Vargas shared.

The man at the moment for Venezuela is 6ft 0in (1.83m) point guard Heissler Guillent who averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 assists and shot a scintillating 8-of-16, 50.0 percent shooting from the outside in their two wins against Cote d'Ivoire and China.

Despite his stellar individual play, Guillent commended Venezuela's team's effort and their historic run.

"THIS TEAM FOR ME, IT'S MY SECOND FAMILY. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER FOR A LOT OF YEARS."

"This win is very important for us. It's the first time for our country to advance to the Second Round. We fought with humility with a lot of heart and a lot of work."

Venezuela's core has been together for years and achieved remarkable results in their recent history including - gold at the FIBA Americas Championship 2015, the 2014 and 2016 editions of the South American Championship, a qualification to the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualification, after a 13-year absence.

"This team for me, it's my second family. We have been working together for a lot of years," said Guillent.

"We have qualified for the Olympics and now we are in the Second Round of the World Cup. I don't know what the future holds but nobody can take this away from us," he proudly added.

The countries waiting in the Second Round will be tough assignments for the undersized but gallant Venezuelans, but looking at their track record they might still have a few more upsets up their sleeve.

"Two powerhouses of the basketball world. We played Argentina many times in the past. Russia we played against them in a tournament in Italy. Both are very good games but now we are ready for them," Vargas shared, now with a determined smile.

FIBA