August 13, 2017
The first game was for the bronze medal and the last spot in the World Championships from this zone. Brazil had a solid start, but it was Puerto Rico that pushed ahead for good in the final quarter to get the 75-68 win. Ali Gibson was the only roster change between Centrobasket and this tournament and she delivered several key performances to help this team reach its goal. Kelly Santos was the key player for Brazil, which never quite found its rhythm after being put back in the competition. That set the stage for the championship game, where Argentina led throughout the first half to the delight of the home fans. Canada used a big third quarter to overturn the deficit and take a lead, but a long drought in the fourth quarter opened up the opportunity for the hosts to recover. Kia Nurse ended that drought to regain the lead and then Melisa Gretter, who had done so much to drive her team on, could not quite generate the right play to send the fans home happy. Canada is closer to cementing its status as the second strongest team in the Americas as both teams will be looking forward to proving themselves next summer.
First Place:
Argentina vs. Canada 65-67 ARG Gretter 23 Rosset 18 Gonzalez 11 Burani 4 Boquete 4 Durso 3 Santana 2 Fiorotto 0 Marchizotti 0 Aispurua DNP Armesto DNP Perez DNP CAN Nurse 12 Ayim 10/6r Langlois 10 Hamblin 9/7r K. Plouffe 7/11r Fields 7/6r M. Plouffe 5/6r Colley 4 Scott 3 Hill 0 Dally DNP Carleton DNP
Third Place:
Puerto Rico vs. Brazil 75-68 PUR Gibson 19 Gonzalez 16 Placido 11 Perez 7 Salaman 5 Santos 4 Rosado 4 Melendez 4 Jones 3/6r Bermudez 2 Crespo 0 Quinones 0 BRA Santos 20/9r Da Silva 16 Macedo 14/6a J. Rodrigues 12 De Paula 3 Pacheco 2 L. Rodrigues 1 Justino 0 Honorio 0 Nicoletti 0 Teixeira DNP Zakrzeski DNP
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