Wenyen Gabriel Olympic stats (July 28): How did former Lakers center fare against Puerto Rico?

Wenyen Gabriel and South Sudan made history by debuting in the Olympics on Sunday against Puerto Rico. The Bright Stars look to prove that they’re more than an inspiring presence in the quadrennial games. They were probably overlooked until they gave Team USA a big scare before eventually losing 101-100 in an exhibition game.

In the first half against the Puerto Ricans, the former LA Lakers took just two shots. He went 1-for-2 to finish the opening 20 minutes with two points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.

Carlik Jones carried the scoring cudgels for the East Africans with 12 first-half points. Nuni Omot and Peter Jok ably supported him by combining for 17 points. Wenyen Gabriel was content to anchor the defense and rebound.

Gabriel and South Sudan’s frontline kept the Puerto Ricans from running away. “Los Gallos” shot 10-for-15 from deep while the Bright Stars managed a 4-for-15 clip. If not for the East Africans’ interior dominance, they would have faced a bigger deficit than the 54-48 advantage Puerto Rico built at halftime.

Tremont Waters, Jose Alvarado and Gian Clavell, Puerto Rico's top guards ran the show in the first half. They combined for 42 points, five assists and four rebounds. South Sudan's Wenyel Gabriel-anchored defense needs to step up in the second half.

The Bright Stars opened the third quarter with a 14-2 blast behind Nuni Omot and Bul Kuol's hot hands. Omot's 3-point shot off a Carlik Jones assist gave them a 56-54 lead, their first in Olympic history. Wenyen Gabriel wasn't involved much in the offense except to set screens and to muck up the paint. It was on the other end that he was asked to do more.

The Puerto Ricans struck back behind another superb quarter from New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado. "GTA" already had 26 points after three quarters of play to get back into the game. South Sudan took a slim 71-69 lead after the third quarter.

Wenyen Gabriel wasn't asked to do much on offense but also struggled against the bigger and taller George Conditt IV. Bright Stars coach Royal Ivey, though, has complete trust in Gabriel. Ivey might not have taken him out in the fourth quarter if had not been hit with an inadvertent elbow.

Puerto Rico's mini-run late in the game forced Ivey to bring Wenyen Gabriel back. The undersized center immediately delivered by helping South Sudan execute a well-designed play. His emphatic dunk pushed his team to an 88-77 lead with 54 seconds to go.

The former LA Lakers big man helped give the Bright Stars a historic 90-79 win in the Olympics. He tallied six points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Gabriel's rebounds and blocks were both the highest from both teams.

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Wenyen Gabriel and South Sudan will face Team USA next

After a monumental win against Puerto Rico to open their 2024 Olympics campaign, South Sudan will face a familiar opponent. Wenyen Gabriel and Co. will take on Team USA on Sunday.

The Bright Stars likely surprised the Americans in their exhibition game roughly a week ago. That will not likely be the case after the NBA superstars were given a big scare before LeBron James' heroics saved them. The East Africans, like always, will be raring to prove their mettle.

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