Argentina imposes its defense against Puerto Rico to reach Semi-Finals

    Game Report

    The Argentines held the Puerto Rican offense to just 24 percent shooting from the field. Melisa Gretter stepped up to lead her team to the Qualifying Tournaments for the 2026 Women's Basketball World Cup.

    SANTIAGO (Chile) – Argentina hit the court with intensity, giving everything on the defensive end and reaped the rewards by defeating Puerto Rico 53-51 to advance to the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025, where the team will face the South American archrival, Brazil. Melisa Gretter once again proved to be the leader of the squad coached by Gregorio Martínez. In the 34 minutes she spent on the court at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos in Santiago, she made the difference to help Argentina secure a spot in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments. Puerto Rico will now compete in the classification round against Mexico, fighting for one of the final two spots in the World Cup Qualifiers.

    Turning point

    In a game marked by poor shooting from both sides, Argentina entered the final stretch with more confidence. A three-pointer from Gretter, followed by a layup from Diana Cabrera, gave Argentina a 51-46 lead with 3:31 left on the clock. That margin proved to be enough, despite Puerto Rico’s push, allowing the South Americans to secure their fourth win in seven AmeriCup meetings against Puerto Rico.

    Player of the game

    Gretter orchestrated the Argentine offense and finished with an outstanding stat line: 15 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. In the second half, the point guard scored eight of her points, all of them at crucial moments, to steady her team. Florencia Chagas and Diana Cabrera also played key roles for Argentina, scoring 13 and 12 points respectively. For Puerto Rico, the trio of Arella Guirantes (16 points), Trinity San Antonio (13), and Mya Hollingshed (11) stood out once again, but it wasn't enough for the Caribbean side, which missed the top four for the first time in the last five editions of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup.

    Stats don’t lie

    Argentina’s mission was to bring defensive intensity to lower Puerto Rico’s shooting percentages and make up for its offensive struggles, and the team delivered. The Puerto Ricans shot just 24 percent from the field (15/62), while Argentina managed to improve slightly in that area with 32 percent (20/62).

    Bottom line

    Argentina reached the final four of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup for the tenth time in its history and is now one win away from securing a sixth podium finish in the tournament (runner-up in 2009, 2011, and 2017; third place in 2001 and 2015). The game featured the two top assist leaders in the modern era of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup (since 2003): Gretter, who extended her record to 134, and Pamela Rosado, who remains second all-time with 119. Agostina Burani, with 9 rebounds in this game, reached 210 in her AmeriCup career, placing her third on the all-time list (since 2003).

    They said

    Gretter was the offensive spark, but she knew everything came down to the effort she and her teammates put in on the defensive end. “The key was to defend and push the pace on offense, and we managed to do it. We didn’t play our best game, but this team never gives up— we left it all on the court, and in the final minutes, our defense made the difference,” said the point guard. Macarena D’Urso echoed Gretter’s words, emphasizing that the ticket to the Semi-Finals came from Argentina’s defensive strength. “We’re super proud of the work we did. We followed the game plan to the letter. We built a strong defensive wall together and managed to stop the powerful offense that Puerto Rico can bring,” added shooting guard D’Urso in an interview with FIBA ​​Americas.

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