The Bahamas defeated Argentina 82-75 in the FIBA Olympic pre-qualifying tournament game in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, on Sunday, advancing to the qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics next summer.

The three NBA players on the Bahamas' roster, Eric Gordon, Deandre Ayton and Buddy Hield, all made significant contributions to what's likely the biggest win in their team's history.

Gordon shot 6-for-7 from the 3-point line to drop a game-high of 27 points, including draining the triple to put the Bahamas in the lead (74-73) in the final three minutes of the game.

Ayton contributed a double-double of 10 points and 21 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. He didn't have the best shooting touch but did a lot of valuable work on other fronts, including setting screens for teammates and battling for second-chance attacks.

Hield had 17 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Bahamas, torching the opponents' perimeter defense together with Gordon.

"This is something that's been years in the making," Chris DeMarco, head coach of the Bahamas, told ESPN in a phone interview. "I'm so proud of our players for focusing on basketball and staying together and the sacrifices they made. I mean, this isn't easy. This is everyone's offseason. They're not coming home. Argentina hosted this thing. We had to beat them on their home court twice. The effort from everyone involved, players, staff, support staff ... it's incredible."

The Bahamas have never participated in the men's basketball event in the Olympic Games. By contrast, Argentina were the only team other than Team USA that won the event's gold medal at the Olympics between 1992 and 2021, having taken home the gold in 2004.

Facundo Campazzo dropped a double-double of 14 points and 17 assists for Argentina while Gabriel Deck got 21 points and six rebounds. However, their efforts couldn't keep their side from missing the Olympics for the first time since 2000.