SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) – The Puerto Rican players went out full steam ahead in their FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2019 debut and gave no space for the Cuban team, overpowering them 80-55. This is the third time in a row that Puerto Rico defeats Cuba in this type of tournament after losing in the ‘97, ‘05 and ‘11 editions.

It was a joyous game for the locals that achieved 52% of their three-point field goals. Of the 30 shots achieved, 26 were assisted and they also dominated in the rebounds (54), fast break points (28) and in points from the bench (32). Five Puerto Rican players scored in the double digits – Pamela Rosado, Ali Gibson, India Pagán, Isalys Quiñones and Tayra Meléndez.

“I think that we're a little bit better than that,” said Coach Jerry Batista to the press about Puerto Rico’s dominance of the game. “Because when games are over, not only are we dominating, but we also have five players in the double digits, and nine of 12 players scored. This team is a very selfless team. We play an altruistic game style, of personal sacrifice for the common good. And we do that well. We've been showing that no matter the rival, they need to play basketball against us, and this is an indication of what this team has become. This is a good team.”

For the coach of “Las 12 Guerreras” (The 12 Warriors), the success of his national team has been based on an attitude shift that has allowed them to compete in equal conditions against Cuba and other countries of the Caribbean and the world.

“The fear is gone. That's the first thing,” said Batista. “We lost our fear against Cuba years ago, but we still respect them. There's a difference. When we started, we said that if we wanted to be the best in the region, we had to defeat the best in the region. And it's not about winning once, it's about dominating them. We went little by little closing that gap and in recent years we've been convincingly dominating.”

All the same, the time together and the chemistry that the players have developed is evident, even when the local team was not complete two days before the inauguration of the regional championship. “We know each other. The team has been working together for a long time,” Batista explained. “Because we know each other so well, it's been very easy to get to the level where we want to be.”

Puerto Rico will face another crucial test on Tuesday when they face the Canadian team in the continuation of the Group phase. After using all his players in the game against Cuba, Batista pointed out that this will be a recurring strategy for this tournament where six games are played in eight days.

"We want to wear down the other teams. In a tournament like this where you play so many games and they're so physical, it's important that we control the number of minutes of each player.”

Emmanuel Márquez
FIBA