SANTIAGO (Chile) – Puerto Rico overcame a tough challenge on Saturday in its FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025 debut. The Boricuas came from behind to edge Colombia 65-68 at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos, earning its first win of the tournament. Puerto Rico struggled until the midway point of the third quarter, trailing by as many as eight points. From that moment on, the team implemented a zone defense that abruptly stalled Colombia’s offense, and three-pointers began to fall on the other end. Puerto Rico could finally breathe a sigh of relief when Colombia’s Manuela Ríos missed a game-tying three at the buzzer that would’ve forced overtime.
Turning point
A 17-0 run between the third and fourth quarters proved to be the turning point in a tough matchup. The surge came just after Colombia had built its largest lead of the night at 50-42. However, the 2-3 zone called by head coach Gerardo Batista completely changed the course of the game. Under that defensive scheme, Manuela Ríos could no longer attack the lane effectively, and the Colombian perimeter shooting also cooled off. That allowed Puerto Rico to gain confidence on offense, knocking down 7 three-pointers in the second half to pull away.
Player of the game
Pamela Rosado earned top honors by scoring 10 of her 14 points in the second half. The veteran guard hit three triples and led Puerto Rico’s bench, which accounted for 33 total points. She also grabbed 4 rebounds, recorded 3 steals, and dished out 2 assists. Her teammate, Arella Guirantes, also made a strong case with 15 points and 5 rebounds.
For Colombia, Jenifer Muñoz stood out with 23 points, including 5 three-pointers, and 7 rebounds. Manuela Ríos followed with 20 points—16 of them in the first half.
Stats don’t lie
Puerto Rico’s bench stepped up offensively when it mattered most. The team outscored Colombia’s reserves 33-7, with Rosado (14) and Jacqueline Benítez—who hit three triples for 9 points—leading the way.
Bottom line
The reigning Centrobasket champions improved their head-to-head record to 4-1 against Colombia in women’s AmeriCup history. After opening the tournament with a win, Puerto Rico will now face tournament favorites USA on Monday. Colombia, meanwhile, will take USA too in a Group B clash on Sunday.
They said
Power forward Mya Hollingshed, Puerto Rico’s third-leading scorer with 11 points, shared her thoughts after the win. “It was much tougher than it should have been, but it’s good to get that first game out of the way so we can see what we need to adjust and be better for the upcoming games overall,” said the forward, who also pulled down 7 rebounds. “The important thing is we got the win. We need to come out with more energy, because that held us back in the first half. We weren’t moving, we weren’t rotating, and they were getting easy baskets.”
FIBA