SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) – Between the 15 lead changes, a dramatic overtime period and a near brawl, this one had it all.

Puerto Rico notched an increasingly important 97-87 victory at home, defeating Mexico at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan to close out Group D play.

The game was a thriller through and through, with the boricuas leading comfortably for most of the night before Mexico roared back late in the fourth.

And just when it looked like Omar Quintero’s squad would upset the home team and stun the crowd, José Alvarado collected an offensive rebound and drilled this three-pointer to tie it all up:

The final minute of regulation had more tension than quality basketball, as both defenses left it all on the hardwood to ensure the extra five minutes of play.

But once there, Puerto Rico’s stars shined brightest. 

Guard Gian Clavell scored four of his 17 points in overtime with a pair of tough buckets, including a step back long deuce and hard-nosed drive going left to the rack where he changed hands mid-air:

That was followed by a tussle between Alvarado and Mexico’s Paul Stoll, which led to an altercation that also involved Pako Cruz and a security guard.

Once things calmed down, Alvarado made sure that the frenzied crowd went home happy.

The New Orleans Pelicans guard, who did it all with seven rebounds, seven assists and a pair of steals, scored a game-high 22 points – including the one that put the game away:

It wound up being a lot harder than expected for Puerto Rico, who led by as many as 18 points right before halftime.

But Mexico’s veteran squad never quits fighting.

Center Daniel Amigo scored 12 of his 20 points after halftime as the visiting team started to chip away at the deficit.

Then Pako Cruz got hot from outside, Gabriel Girón drained a key three and Mexico took the lead on a goaltending bucket from Amigo that had to be reviewed as Puerto Rico claimed it was a clean block.

Cruz shot 5/10 from beyond the arc and finished with 19 points and five assists. Girón added 14 while Fabián Jaimes notched another 11 and six boards. Amigo was one rebound short a double-double and helped Mexico to a 40-36 edge in points in the paint. 

However, his teammates’ lack of size was in display as Puerto Rico won the battle of the boards, 51-39. Ismael Romero was instrumental, finishing with a 13-points, 12-rebound double-double.

Defensively, it shouldn’t have been this close. Nelson Colon’s team held Mexico to 41.5 percent from the field and largely kept them out of the foul line. 

However, his own team missed 10 free throws and had 19 turnovers – with Mexico capitalizing on them to the tune of 20 points.

This was the perfect recipe for an exhilarating outcome and a crucial win for Puerto Rico, which finished in third place with a 3-3 record. Despite the loss, Mexico (4-2) finished in second place in Group D, with both countries advancing to the 2nd round of the 2023 FIBA Americas Qualifiers.

Puerto Rico, Mexico and group-winner United States will now be in Group E alongside Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia.