SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) - The first day of FIBA Women’s AmeriCup action kicked off on June 11 with a four-game slate at the historic Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From El Salvador playing in their first ever AmeriCup game to Puerto Rico finishing the day on home court, the action has only just begun for these teams.

Colombia 72 – Virgin Islands 60
Starting off their campaign to finish better than their 2019 5th place finish, Colombia used their efficient fast break offense to their advantage to edge Virgin Islands by 12 points. Leading by as much 21 points in the game, Colombia had four different players scoring in double digits, with both Yaneth Arias and Narlyn Mosquera recording double-doubles in the win. Both teams had over 50 rebounds in the match, showcasing the fast-paced play of both teams, favoring Colombia in transition during the game.

Virgin Islands continued to fight however, and Imani Tate brought a double-double of her own by crashing the boards and giving Virgin Islands every chance possible to get the ball back. Though Anisha George, the team’s leading scorer, had 18 points in the game – the same George/Tate dynamic duo seen in Centrobasket action earlier in the year, Virgin Islands as a whole shot less than 32.8 percent from all areas of the floor and only 40 percent from the free throw line.

Colombia pulled away in the end despite Virgin Islands outscoring their opponent 19-12 in the fourth quarter.

Both teams play again on Saturday, June 12, with Canada and Virgin Islands facing off at 12:10 local time, while Colombia will face Brazil at 15:10 local time.

Argentina 64 – Dominican Republic 46
The defensive pressure Argentina put on Dominican Republic was too much for their shooting arsenal to handle as Dominican Republic was held to just 21 first half points against Argentina, shooting only 24 percent from the floor.

Argentina’s ball movement was the key difference for the squad as they were able to continually find the open shooter from the 3-point line, allowing for 21 total points from the arc. Defensively, Argentina caused Dominican Republic to force turnovers and commit fouls trying to get the ball back that ultimately allowed Argentina to get ahead in scoring.

Argentina scored 20 points off turnovers alone, compared to just 8 for Dominican Republic despite each team having almost the same number of turnovers with 18 for Dominican Republic and 17 for Argentina. Keeping up defensively, Argentina kept Dominican Republic at bay while in transition, something Dominican Republic struggled to do in return after turning the ball over.

Macarena Rosset led Argentina with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in the win, while Elemy Colome was the only scorer from Dominican Republic to score in double digits, tallying 13 points shooting over 40 percent.

Both teams will play again on Saturday, June 12. Dominican Republic takes on defending champion USA at 18:10 local time, and Argentina will play the final game of the day against host nation Puerto Rico at 21:10 local time.

Brazil 118 - El Salvador 43
Going into this matchup, El Salvador knew they had a tough challenge ahead of them – ranked at third in the Americas zone and 15th in the world, Brazil finished the 2019 AmeriCup with a bronze medal, and are aiming for another top three finish to make the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.

Thayna Silva’s 22-point, 13 rebound performance was only the tip of Brazil’s dominance in the game, as Brazil moved the ball meticulously that allowed for consistent open shots against El Salvador’s defense, and shot over 50 percent from field goal range. Kamilla Silva also dominated in Brazil’s two-way play with 16 points and 12 rebounds of her own.

For El Salvador, despite the result in their first ever AmeriCup game was not what they had envisioned, the team remained gritty and stayed in the game for the entire 40 minutes. Kimberly Villalobos, a standout during the 2021 Centrobasket tournament, was El Salvador’s only scorer in double digits with 11 points.

El Salvador will have a rest day on Saturday, June 12, while Brazil faces off against Colombia at 15:10 local time.

Puerto Rico 87 – Venezuela 40

Closing out the night in front of a home crowd, Puerto Rico dominated Venezuela to get their first win of group play and get one step closer to making a World Cup for just the second time in program history.

Returning to the AmeriCup for the first time since 2017, Venezuela was met with a Puerto Rico team not only at home, but also coming off the momentum of a Centrobasket gold medal that helped them qualify for the AmeriCup. Rosado finished the game with 10 points and 8 assists, leading the team offensively, while Isalys Quinones and Ali Gibson combined for 14 defensive boards to keep Venezuela from cutting into Puerto Rico’s lead.

Puerto Rico’s Pamela Rosado hit a three-pointer to open the scoring just 16 seconds into the game, which set the tone for the pace Puerto Rico aimed to keep during the game. With 52 first half points while holding Venezuela to just 23, Puerto Rico also held Venezuela to just 7 points in the third quarter to lead by 49 at one point in the match.

Venezuela continued to stay in the game, fighting until the last second continuing to drive the basket despite the deficit and outscoring their opponent 20-14 in the fourth quarter. Venezuela even outrebounded Puerto Rico offensively, but allowing Puerto Rico to shoot 57.1 percent on field goals, almost double their own 27.7 percent, was the difference in the match. Daniela Wallen led the Venezuelan charge on both ends of the floor, scoring 11 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in the loss.

Puerto Rico will host another late night game on Saturday, June 12 against Argentina at 21:10 local time, while Venezuela has a rest day.

FIBA