United States vs. Puerto Rico preview: Team USA looks to move to 2-0 in group play

The USA Basketball women’s national team plays Puerto Rico tonight! Here is the preview.

Gametime: Thursday, Sept. 22 9:30 p.m. ET (local time, it would be Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 11:30 a.m.)

Where: Sydney, Australia

How to watch: ESPN Plus

What’s in store: The Americans are coming off a bigger than expected 87-72 win over Belgium despite being short-handed. That said, the Americans made Emma Meesseman a non-factor, and the rest fell into place.

Puerto Rico was not expected to be one of the top teams in Group A, but had a big win yesterday over Bosnia and Herzegovina, who didn’t have Jonquel Jones due to travel from the WNBA Finals.

The Puerto Ricans have a roster with some recent WNBA players like Jennifer O’Neill and Arella Guirantes. They don’t have the star power like Belgium, but can pose a threat if the Americans let their guard down early after their big win against the Cats.

About Puerto Rico

• Capital: San Juan
• Population: 3.19 million
• National Anthem: La Borinqueña

• Why does Puerto Rico have its own national team though it is in the United States? The International Olympic Committee and FIBA can arbitrarily decide what a country is. Therefore, Puerto Rico has their own team.
• Official Languages: Spanish and English
• What is a popular song by Puerto Rican artists? There is no official chart for Puerto Rico. So since it’s part of the USA, the No. 2 song is “Me Porto Bonito” by Bad Bunny and Chencho Corelone.

Results from Day 1

• Puerto Rico 82. Bosnia and Herzegovina 58
• Canada 67, Serbia 60
• Japan 89, Mali 56
• China 107, Korea 44
• France 70, Australia 57

Other Day 2 games

All times are in ET. Keep in mind that ALL games are being played on Friday, Sept. 23 in Sydney time.

Thursday, Sept. 22

• 10 p.m.: Serbia vs. Japan
• 11 p.m.: Belgium vs. Korea

Friday, Sept. 23

• 12:30 a.m.: China vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
• 4 a.m.: France vs. Canada
• 6:30 a.m.: Australia vs. Mali