July 25, 2017

Division A:

The final day of group play was on Tuesday.  The teams all get a day of rest before the important quarterfinals on Thursday.  The winners of those four games will be the four qualifiers from this region for next summer’s World Championship with the losers leaving empty-handed.

Group A:

Taiwan started the day well against New Zealand in an important game for matchups in the next round.  Kalani Purcell helped the Tall Ferns seize control in the second half, taking second place with a 59-53 win.  Neither team’s place in the standings was at stake in the final game of the day, but China’s young phenom and 2019 WNBA draft prospect Li Yueru was given time to dominate Ro Suk-Yong and North Korea 110-53.

New Zealand vs. Taiwan 59-53 NZL Purcell 22/13r Harmon 15/15r Cocks 12 Taylor 4 Edmondson 2/8r Paalvast 2 Stockill 2 Agnew 0 Ott 0 Jilings DNP Bygate DNP Franklin DNP TPE Burke 12/6r Huang F-S 7/6a Wu 7 Wang 6 Lan 5 Huang P-J 4 Chen 4 Lin Y-T 3 Lo 3 Cheng 2 Lin C-W DNP Huang H-T DNP

North Korea vs. China 53-110 PRK Ro 20 Ri 11 Pak H-J 7 Jang 5 Kim U-J 3 Kim M-H 3 Kim R-J 2 Kim H-Y 2 Kim H-O 0 Ko DNP Kong DNP Pak J-A DNP CHN Li YR 33/11r Gao 14/6r Huang SJ 12/10r Shi 12 Zhao 8/6a Shao 12/6a Sun 6 Lu 5 Li M 5/8a Huang HP 4 Shen 3 Chen DNP

Standings: China 3-1, New Zealand 2-1, Taiwan 1-2, North Korea 0-3

Group B:

The game for first place in the group lived up to the billing as Australia fended off Japan 83-74.  After a tie game following the first frame, South Korea took command to beat the Philippines 91-63 to avoid last place and set up a more navigable path.

Japan vs. Australia 74-83 JPN Miyazawa 19/6r Fujioka 18/10a Takada 10/6r Osaki 10 Nagoka 6 Machida 5 Kondo 3 Mawuli 3 Yoshida 0 Kawamura 0 Mizushima DNP Akaho DNP AUS Tolo 17/8r Griffin 16/9r Blicavs 12 Ebzery 11 Cumming 9 Snell 8 Mansfield 5/7a Lavey 3 Hodges 2 Smith 0 Garrick DNP Kunek DNP

South Korea vs. Philippines 91-63 KOR Kim D-B 19/10r Park J-S 15/9r Lim 13/10r Roberson 11/9r Sim 10/7r Kwak 7 Park H-N 7/7a Kang 5/6r Bae 4 Kim S-D 0 Park H-J DNP Kang DNP PHI Lim 14/6r Almazan 12 Pontejos 10 Bernardino 8 Sambile 7 Cabinbin 4 Resultay 4 Miranda 2 Tongco 1 Dy 1 Animam 0 Castro 0

Standings: Australia 3-0, Japan 2-1, South Korea 1-2, Philippines 0-3

Quarterfinals:

New Zealand vs. South Korea
Australia vs. North Korea
China vs. Philippines
Japan vs. Taiwan

Division B:

Group A:

The day closed with India winning the group after beating Sri Lanka 88-42.

Sri Lanka vs. India 42-88 SRI Dapana Durage 9 Silva 8/8r Don Thalagala 8 Paiva 5 Gallage 4 Beruwalage 4 Ekayanake 4 K. Thewahettige 0 Iddamalgoda 0 Bollegala Arachchilage DNP J. Thewahettige DNP Jeevathasan Karthigesu DNP IND Varghese 19/10r Paul Durai 13 Sidhu 9 Limaye 8/10r Chaturvedi 8 Prasannan Geetha 6/9r Rajaganapathi 6/7r Pattemane Udayakumar 6/7r Akula 5 Kaur 4/7r Palanilkumkalay Il Skaria 4 Sonkar 0

Standings: India 2-0, Uzbekistan 1-1, Sri Lanka 0-2

Group B:

The group was already sewn up for Kazakhstan, but they did not take it easy on Fiji in a 71-48 win as Oxina Ossipenko led the way, although Miliakere Koyamainavure had a great game.  Lebanon beat Cheryl Poon and Singapore 74-64 to set up an easier path to stay in contention for promotion.

Kazakhstan vs. Fiji 71-48 KAZ Ossipenko 21 Yagodkina 16 Kondrakova 13/12r Kolesnikova 6 Kovalevskaya 5 Ivanova 4/7r Kurazova 2/7r Abikeyeva 2 Begun 2 Astapenko 0 Aldanysheva 0 FIJ Koyamainavure 28 Wise 7 Tawake 4 Kainamoli 4/6s Tora 3 Raluvenitoga 1 Sauta 1 Dobui 0 Boseiwaqa DNP Nainima DNP Korovou DNP Whippy DNP

Lebanon vs. Singapore 74-64 LBN Maalouf 16/6r El Charif 15/9r Akl 11 Bakhos 9 Moukaddem 8 Fares 6/8r Gyokchian 4 El Harake 3 Schoucair 2 Mokdad 0 Chammas DNP SGP Poon 20 J. Lim 12 Tan 11/7r Chu 7 Z. Lim 5 Tang 4 Yoshida 3 R. Lim 2 Koh 0 See 0 Loiter 0 Ang 0

Standings: Kazakhstan 3-0, Lebanon 2-1, Singapore 1-2, Fiji 0-3

Quarterfinals:

Kazakhstan (Bye)
Uzbekistan vs. Singapore
Lebanon vs. Sri Lanka
India vs. Fiji

July 24, 2017

Division A:

Group A:

New Zealand got their first win in the combined region by beating North Korea 71-50 as Jillian Harmon led the way.  Huang Sijing and China clinched the top spot in the group by closing the day with a 102-63 win over Taiwan.

North Korea vs. New Zealand 50-71 PRK Pak H-J 17 Ro 15/7r Ri 8 Jang 5/7r Kim U-J 3 Kim H-Y 2 Kim R-J 0 Kim M-H 0 Kim H-Y DNP Ko DNP Kong DNP Pak J-A DNP NZL Harmon 23/13r Cocks 16 Purcell 11/8r Edmondson 10/9r Paalvast 7 Ott 3 Agnew 1 Stockill 0 Taylor 0 Bygate 0 Jillings DNP Franklin DNP

China vs. Taiwan 102-63 CHN Huang SJ 25 Li YR 19/7r Huang HP 15/7r Shao 11 Shen 10 Gao 10 Li M 5/6r/7a Lu 3/7r Zhao 2/7r Shi 2 Chen DNP Sun DNP TPE Huang P-J 13 Lin Y-T 12 Cheng 7 Chen 7 Wu 7 Burke 6 Huang H-T 6 Lan 3 Huang F-S 2 Lo 0 Wang 0 Lin DNP

Group B:

It was the sisters-in-law show to start the day as Steph Cumming and Sara Blicavs led Australia past the Philippines 107-65.  The Opals will face Japan to decide the top team in the group as South Korea took the early lead, but struggled again in the second quarter to lose 70-56.

Australia vs. Philippines 107-65 AUS Cumming 18 Blicavs 17/8r/6a Smith 12/7r Mansfield 12 Ebzery 12 Hodges 10/6r Griffin 9 Kunek 6/6r Garrick 6 Lavey 3 Snell 2 Tolo DNP PHI Pontejos 18 Lim 11 Bernardino 8 Cabinbin 7 Resultay 6 Almazan 4 Sambile 4 Tongco 3 Miranda 2 Dy 2 Animam 0 Castro 0

Japan vs. South Korea 70-56 JPN Fujioka 14 Nagaoka 13 Takada 10 Osaki 6 Kawamura 6 Miyazawa 5 Kondo 5 Yoshida 4/8a/6s Mawuli 3 Machida 2 Akaho 2 Mizushima 0 KOR Lim 12 Kwak 12 Park H-N 10 Kim D-B 9/7r Kang L-S 5 Sim 4 Bae 2/6r Park J-S 2 Roberson 0 Park H-J DNP Kim S-D DNP Kang A-J DNP

Division B:

Group A:

Sri Lanka made their debut in the final game of the day, but they were doubled up by Uzbekistan 78-39.

Sri Lanka vs. Uzbekistan 39-78 SRI Dapana Durage 14 Silva 13/9r Don Thalagala 4 Paiva 3 Gallage 2 Iddamalgoda 2 Ekanayake 1 Beruwalage 0 J. Thewahettige 0 K. Thewahettige 0 Bollegala Arachchilage 0 Jeevathasan Karthigesu DNP UZB Koneva 19/7r Khusnitdinova 11 Asanova 9/12r Salavatova 9/7r Nauruzbaeva 8 Samatova 7/10r Sevastyanova 7 Kashuba 4 Averyanova 3/8r Ejova 1/6a

Group B:

Fiji struggled again with missing players as they lost to Nour Schoucair and Lebanon 90-48.  Kazakhstan secured the top spot in the group with a 73-52 win over Singapore.

Lebanon vs. Fiji 90-48 LBN Schouchair 21 Mokdad 14/10r/7a El Charif 13 Chammas 9/8r Fares 9 Maalouf 7 Gyokchian 7 Moukaddem 6 El Harake 2/6a Bakhos 2 Akl DNP FIJ Koyamainavure 13/7r Dobui 12 Tawake 6 Tora 6 Wise 5 Kainamoli 4/7r Sauta 2 Raluvenitoga 0 Boseiwaqa DNP Nainima DNP Korovou DNP Whippy DNP

Singapore vs. Kazakhstan 52-73 SGP Poon 15/6r Chu 13 Tan 6 Z. Lim 5 See 5 J. Lim 2 Yoshida 2 Ang 2 R. Lim 1/12r Tang 1 Koh 0 Loiter 0 KAZ Yagodkina 16/7r Kurazova 15/8r Ossipenko 14 Ivanova 10/8r Begun 8 Kondrakova 6/12r Astapenko 2/7r Kovalevskaya 2 Kolesnikova 0 Abikeyeva 0 Aldanysheva 0

July 23, 2017

Division A:

Competition started in Bengaluru in India with eight teams battling for four spots in next summer’s World Championship.  For the first time, teams from the Asia and Oceania regions will compete together.

Group A:

This group featured the closest game of the day as Taiwan’s depth helped them withstand big games from Ro Suk-Yong and Kim Hyang-Ok to beat North Korea 77-76.  New Zealand may have an increased chance of qualifying compared to the past format in Oceania, but they got a rude welcome from China to close the day, losing 77-48.

Taiwan vs. North Korea 77-76 TPE Burke 17/10r Lan 16 Huang P-J 11 Cheng 11 Wang 8 Huang F-S 6 Wu 4 Lo 2 Lin Y-T 2 Huang H-T 0 Chen 0 Lin C-W DNP PRK Ro 32 Kim H-O 23 Pak H-J 9 Kim M-H 8 Kim R-J 2/6r Jang 2 Kim U-J 0 Ri 0 Kim H-Y DNP Ko DNP Kong DNP Pak J-A DNP

New Zealand vs. China 48-77 NZL Harmon 14 Cocks 11 Edmondson 6 Paalvast 5 Purcell 4/6r Stockill 4 Agnew 2 Ott 2 Taylor 0 Bygate 0 Jillings 0 Franklin 0 CHN Li M 15 Zhao 14 Shen 12 Gao 6/8r Lu 6 Shao 6 Li YR 5/11r Huang HP 5 Huang SJ 5 Shi 3 Chen DNP Sun DNP [Read more…]

July 16, 2017

Sunday started with a game between the two winless teams playing for pride.  Alma Lopez had a good game for Guatemala, but it was the Bahamas that got the 68-65 win.  Jamaica needed a win to have any chance of advancing, but Shenneika Smith did not get enough help as Mexico avoided needing any tiebreakers or depending on the final game to advance as they ran away 74-43 winners.  That result made the last game meaningless, but the US Virgin Islands did want to entertain the home fans.  Puerto Rico needed some momentum themselves in preparation for the AmeriCup, coming back at the end to win 60-58.

Bahamas vs. Guatemala 68-65 BAH Grant 14/21r Nesbitt 12 Neely 10/6r Kelly 8 Poitier 6/6r Bethel 6 Lewis 5 Rolle 4 Fernander 2 Delancy 1 Pierre 0 Gilbert DNP GUA Lopez 20/6r Rosales 16/7a Vasquez 15/6r Aldana 7 Cardenas 4 Chavarria 2 Gonzalez 1 Garcia 0 Del Valle 0 Juarez 0 Cano DNP Rivas DNP

Jamaica vs. Mexico 43-74 JAM Smith 22 Y. Gordon 10 Dixon 5 L. Gordon 4 T. Gordon 2 Bannister 0 Dias 0 Latouche 0 Lamonth 0 A. Gordon 0 Dell 0 Draggon 0 MEX Luna 18/6r Orozco 12 Silva 11 Castro 9 Nunez 6/6r Pardo 5 Lara 4 Martinez 4 Saad 3 Avila 2 Beltran 0 Valenzuela DNP

US Virgin Islands vs. Puerto Rico 58-60 ISV Day 17/12r Tate 16 Hamilton 12/9r Jones 6 Wallace 3 Bough 2/10r/7a George 2 Barry 0 Carey 0 Claxton DNP Matthew DNP PUR Perez 15 Salaman 12 Rosado 11 Melendez 7/8r Gonzalez 4 Santos 3 Jones 2/6r Martucci 2 Bermudez 2 Placido 2 Quinones 0 Crespo DNP

Standings:

1. US Virgin Islands 4-1
2. Mexico 4-1
3. Puerto Rico 4-1
4. Jamaica 2-3
5. Bahamas 1-4
6. Guatemala 0-5

July 15, 2017

Mexico opened the day with a slow start, but they eventually got the 61-44 win over Guatemala.  Puerto Rico then took care of business against the Bahamas and won 69-42.  Victoria Hamilton helped the hosts become the first team to clinch a spot at the AmeriCup with a 60-40 win over Jamaica.  The final day will start with the two eliminated teams playing.  If Mexico beats Jamaica in the second game, they will qualify and bring Puerto Rico along with them.  A Jamaica win would mean the US Virgin Islands will help determine the qualifier in the last game.

Guatemala vs. Mexico 44-61 GUA Rosales 13/7r Cardenas 13 Vasquez 6/8r Gonzalez 6 Aldana 3/6r Juarez 3 Lopez 0 Rivas 0 Garcia 0 Del Valle 0 Chavarria 0 Cano 0 MEX Castro 9/9r Pardo 9/6r Silva 9 Orozco 8 Saad 7 Luna 7 Nunez 6/9r Beltran 2 Valenzuela 2 Lara 2 Avila 0 Martinez 0

Puerto Rico vs. Bahamas 69-42 PUR Salaman 14 Santos 9 Melendez 8/7r Gonzalez 8 Quinones 8 Rosado 7 Jones 5 Placido 4 Bermudez 2 Crespo 2 Perez 2 Martucci 0 BAH Grant 15/11r Neely 11/11r Kelly 11 Nesbitt 2 Bethel 2 Gilbert 1 Fernander 0 Pierre 0 Poitier 0 Delancy 0 Lewis 0 Rolle 0

Jamaica vs. US Virgin Islands 40-60 JAM Smith 15 T. Gordon 8 Dixon 7 Y. Gordon 4/8r Bannister 3 A. Gordon 2 Latouche 1 Dias 0 L. Gordon 0 Dell DNP Draggon DNP Lamonth DNP ISV Hamilton 21/8r Day 14/9r Tate 8 Bough 7/6r/7a Carey 6 Claxton 2 George 1/8r Jones 1/7r Barry 0 Wallace 0 Matthew DNP

Standings:

1. US Virgin Islands 4-0
2. Puerto Rico 3-1
3. Mexico 3-1
4. Jamaica 2-2
5. Bahamas 0-4
6. Guatemala 0-4

July 14, 2017

The day started with Jamaica using a second half surge to win 66-48.  Sonia Vasquez continues to be one of the more impressive individuals in the tournament, but it was not enough to get Guatemala the win.   The next game shook up the standings as Mexico used a strong second half to escape with a 64-58 win over previous favorites Puerto Rico.  The day closed with the hosts starting well to make sure that they were the only undefeated team after a 63-56 win over the Bahamas.  The duo of Natalie Day and Imani Tate powered the US Virgin Islands.

Jamaica vs. Guatemala 66-48 JAM T. Gordon 16/7r Bannister 13 Smith 12/6r Y. Gordon 7/8r A. Gordon 6 Dixon 5/11r Latouche 4/11r L. Gordon 3 Lamonth 0 Dias 0 Draggon 0 Dell 0 GUA Vasquez 20/7r Lopez 9 Aldana 7 Rosales 4 Juarez 3 Del Valle 2 Cardenas 2 Gonzalez 1 Garcia 0 Rivas 0 Cano DNP Chavarria DNP

Puerto Rico vs. Mexico 58-64 PUR Rosado 17 Jones 9/9r Salaman 9 Santos 6 Perez 6 Bermudez 4 Placido 3 Melendez 2/6r Quinones 2 Gonzalez 0 Martucci 0 Crespo DNP MEX Luna 17/6r Castro 10 Orozco 8 Pardo 8 Nunez 6/11r Martinez 4 Avila 4 Saad 4 Silva 3 Lara 0 Valenzuela 0 Beltran DNP

US Virgin Islands vs. Bahamas 63-56 ISV Day 22/9r Tate 20/6r Hamilton 7/10r George 4/7r Bough 4/6a Barry 2 Jones 2 Claxton 2 Carey 0 Wallace DNP Matthew DNP BAH Kelly 14 Nesbitt 13 Neely 8/6r Grant 8 Fernander 6 Bethel 2 Gilbert 2 Lewis 2 Pierre 1 Poitier 0 Rolle 0 Delancy 0

Standings:

1. US Virgin Islands 3-0
2. Puerto Rico 2-1
3. Mexico 2-1
4. Jamaica 2-1
5. Bahamas 0-3
6. Guatemala 0-3

July 13, 2017

The day started with a battle between teams thinking that they should have a shot at the top three places.  Jamaica started the second half well to beat the Bahamas 64-48.  Sonia Vasquez and Guatemala started well against Puerto Rico, but could not match the balance of the tournament favorites in an 87-55 loss.  A battle of undefeated teams closed the day and it was the US Virgin Islands fending off Mexico 63-55 at home.

Bahamas vs. Jamaica 48-64 BAH Grant 12/10r Bethel 9 Kelly 8 Neely 6 Lewis 4 Nesbitt 3 Poitier 2 Gilbert 2 Fernander 2 Delancy 0 Pierre 0 Rolle 0 JAM Y. Gordon 16/10r Dixon 16/6r Smith 10/7r T. Gordon 10 Latouche 4 Bannister 3 Dell 3 L. Gordon 2 Lamonth 0 A. Gordon 0 Draggon DNP Dias DNP

Guatemala vs. Puerto Rico 55-87 GUA Vasquez 22/11r Garcia 6 Juarez 6 Lopez 4 Aldana 4 Gonzalez 4 Chavarria 3 Del Valle 2 Cardenas 2 Cano 2 Rivas 0 Rosales 0 PUR Perez 17 Salaman 14 Rosado 13 Placido 13 Melendez 8/8r Santos 8 Martucci 5 Jones 4 Gonzalez 3/6a Quinones 2 Bermudez 0 Crespo 0

US Virgin Islands vs. Mexico 63-55 ISV Day 19/8r Hamilton 18/7r Tate 13/9r Carey 7 Jones 4 George 2 Bough 0 Barry 0 Claxton 0 Wallace DNP Matthew DNP MEX Castro 11/6r Nunez 8/6r Luna 8 Silva 8 Martinez 6 Saad 5 Avila 5/6a Pardo 4 Orozco 0 Beltran DNP Lara DNP Valenzuela DNP

July 12, 2017

After not being played last summer as originally planned, this tournament finally started on Wednesday on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.  The six teams are competing for three spots in the AmeriCup this summer that will qualify teams for next year’s world championship.  With a smaller than usual field, the teams will play a five game round robin to determine standings as teams will feel like they all have a chance at grabbing one of the three places.  The day started with Mexico jetting off to a solid lead against the Bahamas before needing to hang for the rest of the game to escape 61-56.  A balanced effort helped get the victory as Leashja Grant’s great game was not enough as she was finally able to return to the court.  Puerto Rico entered as one of the favorites even sending a team without some of their biggest names and a 90-44 win over Jamaica proved that estimation to be correct.  The hosts closed the day, eventually pulling away from Guatemala to win 82-58 behind their star Natalie Day.

Mexico vs. Bahamas 61-56 MEX Pardo 14 Luna 10/9r Orozco 10 Castro 10 Silva 8 Nunez 4 Martinez 4 Saad 1 Lara 0 Valenzuela 0 Avila 0 Beltran 0 BAH Grant 29/7r Kelly 7 Neely 7 Nesbitt 6 Bethel 2/6r Rolle 2 Pierre 2 Poitier 1 Fernander 0 Delancy 0 Gilbert 0 Lewis 0

Puerto Rico vs. Jamaica 90-44 PUR Rosado 18/7r Gonzalez 15 Salaman 12 Quinones 12 Santos 9/6r Jones 6 Placido 5 Melendez 4 Martucci 4 Perez 4 Bermudez 1 Crespo 0 JAM Y. Gordon 14/6r Smith 11 Dixon 6 T. Gordon 3 Lamonth 2/9r Latouche 2 Dell 2 L. Gordon 2 A. Gordon 0 Bannister 0 Dias 0 Draggon 0

Guatemala vs. US Virgin Islands 58-82 GUA Vasquez 16/8r Lopez 10 Aldana 10 Rosales 9/7r Garcia 5 Cardenas 4 Gonzalez 2 Rivas 2 Chavarria 0 Del Valle 0 Cano 0 Juarez 0 ISV Day 21/17r Tate 18/7r/6a Jones 18 Hamilton 12 Bough 4/11a Carey 4 George 3/9r Barry 2 Wallace 0 Claxton 0 Matthew DNP