Portugal storm back from 27 down, win in overtime

ALMADA (FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers) - In one of the most impressive comebacks ever seen in international basketball, Portugal came back from 27 down to defeat Luxembourg 91-85 in overtime.

Turning point: When Philippe Gutenkauf scored to make it a 42-15 Luxembourg lead with 4:30 left in the half, nobody thought there would be another breaking point in this one. But Portugal made it a 47-24 game at the half, then erased 12 more points in the third quarter. In the fourth, it was a Tomas Barroso show - the shooting guard scored the last 9 Portuguese points to force overtime, then added 6 more in the additional period to keep the home team in front. Joao Gomes stabbed the dagger from beyond the arc with 30 seconds left, making this a two-possession game and getting Portugal their first win of the campaign.

Game hero: Tomas Barroso, take a bow! The shooting guard was just 1-of-4 from deep in the first three quarters, but was unstoppable in the fourth and overtime, scoring 18 of his game-high 26 points over those 15 minutes.

Stats don't lie: Even a 27-point lead isn't a safe one when you are not controlling the rebounds. Portugal outrebounded Luxembourg 54-41, with 19 Portuguese rebounds coming on the offensive end, giving them numerous second-chance options and points.

They said: "We had a different attitude in the second half. We we started scoring from outside, we had more confidence and they were uncomfortable" - Portugal player Tomas Barroso.

Game notes: Alex Laurent (117) and Joao Gomes (116) scored the most points during the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers. Laurent struggled from the field tonight, shooting just 1-of-10 for his 9 points, but Gomes was on target for Portugal with 20 points and 11 rebounds, helping them to a 1-1 record after the first qualifying window.

FIBA