Ruben Rodriguez is numero uno for Team Puerto Rico

Ruben Rodriguez wears No. 1 for Team Puerto Rico, and for good reason.

The Reading High guard was the driving force Tuesday as Puerto Rico rallied from a halftime deficit to beat the Dominican Republic 65-61 in overtime in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship tournament in Tijuana, Mexico.

The rising senior was the fastest and most instinctual player on the court, and pushed the ball past the bigger Dominican team to set up open-court scoring opportunities.

Puerto Rico (2-0) trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter and by 27-19 at halftime.

The Berks Player of the year finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, a team-high five steals and a team-high three assists.

He finished with a plus-21 efficiency rating, the highest of any player in the game.

Muhlenberg grad Edwin Suarez had a strong game for the Dominican Republic (0-2), scoring a team-high 12 points before fouling out with 2:35 left in regulation.

He shot 5-for-11 from the field, hit both his free throws, had seven rebounds and a team-high three steals.

Puerto Rico led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, and was leading 52-49 when Rodriguez was pulled from the game with 4:12 left.

He returned briefly in the final minute and had a chance to win the game in regulation but missed a runner in the lane with about three seconds left.

The teams were tied at 59-59 at the end of regulation.

Rodriguez threw down a breakaway dunk with 49 seconds left to give Puerto Rico a 65-61 lead.

After two games, Rodriguez has the second-highest efficiency rating on his team, is second in rebounding, averaging nine per game, and tied for second in assists.

Team Puerto Rico faces its biggest challenge of the tournament Wednesday when it plays the United States at 6:30 EST. The Dominican Republic plays Ecuador at 4 EST.

The games can be viewed via livestream.

Both teams are off Thursday; the top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals on Friday.