SANTIAGO (Chile) – The Dominican Republic came from behind and pulled off a narrow 61-59 win over El Salvador in its Group A debut of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025. The Caribbean squad rallied from an 11-point deficit (57-46) with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, thanks to the emergence of their star player, Cesarina Capellán, who shifted the momentum in her team’s favor.
Turning point
Just as the third quarter was coming to an end, Capellán knocked down back-to-back three-pointers — the second one right at the buzzer — and then opened the final period with a long two-pointer to single-handedly spark an 8-0 run and bring her team right back into the game (47-44). From that moment on, it was a close battle that would be decided at the free-throw line. Madelyn Batista made one of two free throws to put the Dominican Republic ahead 60-58 with 59 seconds left. Hillary Martínez had the chance to tie it for El Salvador but hit just one of two from the line (60-59), with only six seconds remaining. At the other end, Yenifer Jiménez also split a pair from the stripe (61-59), leaving the door open with four seconds on the clock. But with no timeouts left, El Salvador had to inbound from the baseline, and Martínez missed a running three-pointer at the buzzer.
Player of the game
In addition to being key in the comeback, Capellán led the Dominican offense with 24 points and 10 rebounds. She also added 2 steals and 1 block. Hellary De Los Santos followed with 17 points and another 10 boards.
Martínez did it a lot for El Salvador, finishing with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Kimberly Villalobos recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Gabriela Escobar chipped in 10 points.
Stats don’t lie
The Dominican Republic only led for 2:53 the entire game. Despite committing 18 turnovers that led to 24 points for the opposition, the team still came out on top. One of the keys was the bench production, with 21 points compared to just 10 from El Salvador’s reserves. The 55 rebounds grabbed by the Dominicans marked their second-highest total in any AmeriCup appearance (56 vs. PUR in 2019).
Bottom line
With the win, the Dominican Republic starts the tournament on the right foot. The victory already puts the players in a good position to reach the next round, as they beat what was arguably their main rival for a Quarter-Final berth. El Salvador, on the other hand, is still searching for its first-ever win at the continental level after six games played.
They said
Capellán, who turns 23 on July 3, took on a leadership role during the 2024 Centrobasket and confirmed that status again this Sunday. According to her, the team’s success came down to its ability to respond. "We knew how to react. At first, we were a bit asleep, maybe a little anxious because it was the first game. But our response on both defense and offense gave us the win," said the guard, who averaged 24.4 points in the last Centrobasket. "For the next game, we need to come out more focused and with a winning mindset. We have to compete at the highest level," she concluded.
FIBA