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World Cup Day 1 September 22nd

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September 22, 2018

The tournament started on Saturday with all teams in action in two locations on the island of Tenerife.

Group A:

South Korea led after one period, but France controlled the rest of the game to win 89-58.  Canada started quickly against Greece, rolling to an 81-50 win.

South Korea vs. France 58-89 KOR Park JS 15/8r Kang 14 Kim DB 13 Lim 9 Park HJ 5 Kim JE 2 Roberson 0 Park HN 0 Choi 0 Park HJ DNP Sim DNP Baek DNP FRA Johannes 19 Gruda 12/8r Miyem 12/6r Chartereau 12 Ciak 9/10r Ayayi 6 Michel 5 Bernies 4 Duchet 4 Tchatchouang 4 Epoupa 2 Badiane 0

Greece vs. Canada 50-81 GRE Maltsi 14 Fasola 10 Pavlopoulou 8 Christinaki 6 Spanou 5/6r Kaltsidou 5 Kosma 2 Stamati 0 Nikolopoulou 0 Lymoura 0 Spyridopoulou 0 Sotiriou DNP CAN Gaucher 16 Fields 13 Nurse 12 Raincock-Ekunwe 11/8r Achonwa 8 Langlois 7 Hamblin 4/8r Ayim 4 Scott 3 Plouffe 2 Colley 1 Carleton 0

Group B:

This group started with a battle in the post as Evelyn Akhator led Nigeria, but Liz Cambage could not be contained as Australia won 86-68.  The other game saw Turkey’s defense put the clamps on Argentina in a 63-37 win.

Australia vs. Nigeria 86-68 AUS Cambage 34/12r Allen 9 Madgen 8 Whitcomb 8 Magbegor 8 Talbot 6/6a Smith 5 George 4/6a Ebzery 4 Lavey 0 Bunton 0 O’Hea DNP NGR Akhator 21 Kalu 15 Mohammed 8 Elonu 7/6a Amukamara 6 Edeferioka 6 Imovbioh 3 Ogoke 2 Nyingifa 0/6r Akashili DNP Akaraiwe DNP Okoye DNP

Turkey vs. Argentina 63-37 TUR Senyurek 13/8r Caglar 12/6r Hollingsworth 7 Canitez 6 Cora 5 Alben 4 Guner 4 Cakir 4 Ural 3 Yalcin 3 Koksal 2 Aydin 0 ARG Rosset 12 Boquete 10 Gonzalez 6 Gretter 3/6r Burani 2/8r Llorente 2 Santana 2 D’Urso 0 Fiorotto 0 Marchizotti 0 Leiva 0 Perez 0

Group C:

Hosts Spain had a tricky game against Japan, but a strong first half got them the 84-71 win.  An ever faster start came in the last game of the day as Belgium completely dismantled Puerto Rico in the first half to cruise to an 86-36 win.

Japan vs. Spain 71-84 JPN Miyazawa 12/6r Okoye 11 Fujitaka 11 Takada 10/6r Motohashi 10 Mawuli 9 Fujioka 4 Mizushima 4 Nagoka 0 Akaho 0 Machida 0 Nemoto 0 ESP Xargay 15 Ndour 12/7r Gil 12 Ouvina 12 Palau 9/8a Nicholls 7/8r Cruz 6 Torrens 5 Casas 4 Arrojo 2 Sanchez 0 Dominguez DNP

Puerto Rico vs. Belgium 36-86 PUR O’Neill 12 Rosado 9 Gwathmey 5/7r Jones 2 Quinones 2 Salaman 2 Gonzalez 2 Perez 2 Melendez 0 Maldonado 0 Placido 0 Gibson 0 BEL Vanloo 17 Meesseman 16/14r Linskens 15 Raman 10/9r Delaere 9 H. Mestdagh 9 K. Mestdagh 3 Carpreaux 2/7a Allemand 2 Nawezhi 2 Nauwelaers 1/6r Wauters 0

Group D:

The day started in this group and it was a good one as China edged Latvia 64-61.  Senegal gave the United States their best shot early, but the defending champions took care of business and won 87-67.

Latvia vs. China 61-64 LAT Steinberga 16/11r Dikaioulaku 14 Vitola 8/8r Laksa 7 Putnina 6/9r Pulvere 3 Strautmane 3 Brumermane 2 Kreslina 2 Basko 0 Rozenberga 0 Eglite DNP CHN Shao 15 Wang SY 10 Yang 10 Han 8/10r Sun 8/8r Li M 7 Li YR 6 Huang 0 Li Y 0 Ma 0 Liu 0 Wang XM 0

United States vs. Senegal 87-67 USA Delle Donne 19/6r Ogwumike 16 Wilson 15 Stewart 14/6r Charles 6/6r Bird 5 Taurasi 3/7a Loyd 4 Plum 3 Tuck 2 Clarendon 0 Griner DNP SEN Sarr 18 Traore 13 Sy-Diop 9/8r Dieme 9 Diarra 6 Diop 5 Thiam 5 Diouf 2 Sidibe 0 Dieng 0 Ndiaye 0 Fall DNP

Young Players to Watch at World Cup

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This year’s World Cup has a number of players who find themselves drafted next year or in the future.  While most countries tend to rely on their more experienced players, more young players than usual are going to be expected to contribute in this tournament.  Teams listed with players’ names are for the upcoming season and the year is the earliest in which the player can be eligible to be drafted.

Australia:

Ezi Magbegor, C, Melbourne Boomers (Australia), 2019: The clear favorite to be the top international player in this draft class, Magbegor had a difficult decision about whether or not to delay her WNBA dreams by attending college.  By opting not to do so, she immediately put herself in position to be drafted in the first round next year.  This will be the first big chance to see her on an international stage since then as she will be watched closely over the next few months before teams make a decision on where she stands relative to the older college players that she will be competing with for draft position.

Alanna Smith, PF, Stanford, 2019: A mildly surprising inclusion into the Opals roster that qualified for this event last year, she ended up putting up several big scoring outputs.  Smith was asked to play a bigger role in her last college season as she was able to better show off her versatility as a forward.  The team this year has a need for a forward and getting named ahead of more established players is worth noting again.

Canada:

Bridget Carleton, SG, Iowa State, 2019: Canada has relied on a number of veterans over the past few cycles, but with some of them hitting retirement, new faces are being called upon to step up in their place.  A contributor at the youth team level, Carleton has improved in each season in college and there is no reason to suggest that she will not be among the top scorers from power conference teams this year.  While she did not shoot particularly well last year in qualifying for this event, she may find herself coming off the bench with the task of dialing it up from distance again.

Shay Colley, SG, Michigan State, 2019: Colley is not likely to be in this year’s draft as a year sitting out due to transfer gives her two more college seasons, but she was given a prominent role off the bench last summer as they qualified for this tournament.  As a multi-dimensional guard, she fits well with her teammates here and at Michigan State, but she will has some development ahead of her to establish herself as a professional.

China:

Han Xu, C, Xinjiang (China), 2019: It has been clear for several years that there would be a Chinese player in consideration for the 2019 draft.  More recently, the emerging opinion is that there should be two.  Han has been more under the radar than her fellow young post player, playing at the school level last year, but her play this summer, starting with preseason games against WNBA teams, may lift her higher as a prospect.  Of the two, Han has better defensive tools, and while her offensive game is nowhere near as refined, has still shown some ability to knock down jumpers.  The big jump in competition will provide evaluators a better opportunity to see what she might be able to do in the future before the club season, when she will regularly be matched up against WNBA players.

Li Yuan, PG, Shandong (China), 2020: The youngest player in the tournament, Li has earned her spot with a solid summer for the team throughout the training process.  While she has been off the club radar since playing up an age group at the last U19 World Championship, she will have plenty of chances to be evaluated for future potential before anyone has to make a decision.  While she will not be the primary creator on the court with the team’s experienced wings, there could still be a role here for her with the guard mix still up in the air.

Li Yueru, C, Guangdong (China), 2019: Li has been considered a prospect for the upcoming draft since breaking out at the youth national team level and then making an early splash at the professional level.  Accustomed to getting her chances even with more experienced teammates, she will get the chance to show what she can do even with more experienced teammates contributing.  Her post game is fairly polished and she is not the type of player to back down from a challenge, but this will be the start of her needing to answer questions about her long term prospects on a global scale, especially if athleticism is a concern.

Greece:

Eleanna Christinaki, SG/SF, no club, 2019: Known for a turbulent college career at both Florida and Maryland, Christinaki was actually eligible for the last draft if she had decided to leave school sooner.  Teams taking late round chances on talent alone could do far worse.  Her exact professional destination is unknown at this point, making this tournament extra important for her if she wants to start out on a bigger stage, but she will have to pick her moments on a roster filled with veterans.

Mariella Fasoula, C, Vanderbilt, 2019: National team play is the only time that anyone has seen Fasoula in action recently after sitting out the last season to transfer.  While she is eligible for next year’s draft age-wise, it seems more likely that she plays out her college career at this point.  This will be another good chance to see what she can do, but how she plays for a new school will be a bigger factor in how teams see her in the future, especially since she is unlikely to contribute anything other than defense and rebounding with more established scorers on the roster.

Japan:

Monica Okoye, SF, Iris (Japan), 2019: Japan’s rise in basketball has led to a shift in development as young players are now hitting the professional ranks earlier instead of spending their time in the university league.  While that has exposed players to higher level play, most are not ready to contribute immediately and Okoye falls in that category.  Teams are unlikely to see anything soon that would make them pull the trigger next year, but sustained skills development as she shifts down positions and the faith shown in her by naming her to this team could see her be a notable player down the road.

Latvia:

Kitija Laksa, SF, South Florida, 2019: Latvia was finally able to call on a full strength squad again last summer and were rewarded with a place in this tournament.  Laksa’s shooting helped them at critical times as her role with this team is likely to be different than what evaluators see in her college games given the experienced playmakers on this roster.  College play will likely determine her WNBA potential, but this will be her opportunity to be a bigger name on an international level.

Digna Strautmane, SF, Syracuse, 2020: Having just finished her first year in college, it may be a while before anyone thinks about her pro potential, but Strautmane’s impact internationally before and after she arrived in school means that she will always be a player to watch.  A versatile forward, she will not be called on to score as she as she did at the youth national team level, but she could certainly fill in at a variety of roles when she is needed the most.  Three more years of college development could make her a totally different player by the time 2021 rolls around although she can be picked in 2020 based on age.

Puerto Rico:

Isalys Quinones, PF, Dartmouth, 2019: She is likely to be drafted higher than anyone else in this article in 2019, but that will probably come in the Puerto Rican League Draft.  A California native, Quinones has improved each season in college.  With the national team needing depth in the post to supplement their guard-oriented play, she helped them to reach this stage and make history.  While she may not be a WNBA prospect, she can certainly have a long career professionally if she chooses to pursue it as the Puerto Rican League will be waiting.

Senegal:

Yacine Diop, SF, Louisville, 2019: A key part of Pitt’s brief resurgence, Diop has opted to spend her last college season at Louisville, where evaluators will be able to see her alongside other prospects on a regular basis ahead of the draft.  It will be a good opportunity for her to show that she can continue to demonstrate her scoring prowess with improved efficiency.  While there are a number of established players on this team, there is a role for her here, which will help her become better known around the world after relative obscurity, something that should help her throughout her professional career.

South Korea:

Park Ji-Hyun, SF, no club, 2020: After a player was drafted from South Korea in the latest draft and played immediately, could there be another one soon?  Like the last young phenom in the country, Park has been fast-tracked to the senior national team, earning her spot with a productive summer.  There will be plenty of time to evaluate where she stands compared to other prospects, especially as she makes the jump from the scholastic level to the professional level at home.  The commitment to expanding her skillset beyond creating for herself bodes well for her future as one of the best Korean players and the opportunity to expand that globally.

Turkey:

Ilayda Guner, C, Istanbul University (Turkey), 2019: Coming off an excellent summer at the youth national team level, Guner earned a spot on this roster as she has been slowly integrated into the senior setup recently.  She may not get much time to show what she can do here, but the more youthful approach taken by Istanbul University recently should afford her the chance to play big minutes in the coming year.

South American Championship Final Day September 4th

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September 4, 2018

Final:

The championship game closed the week’s action.  Brazil had the early lead, but Argentina fought back in the second half, rallying late for the 65-64 win and momentum ahead of their aspirations on the global stage.

Brazil vs. Argentina 64-65 BRA Dos Santos 19/15r De Paula 13 Paixao 10 De Souza 6 Honorio 4/7r Justino 4 Sangalli 0 Da Silva 2 Colhado 2 Monteiro 2 Pacheco DNP Soares DNP ARG Boquete 13 Rosset 13 Llorente 11/6r Gretter 11 Gonzalez 10 Santana 4 Burani 2 Marchizotti 1 Durso 0 Fiorotto 0 Leiva DNP Perez DNP

3rd Place:

The hosts fended off Paraguay’s late charge 83-78 for the last medal.  Colombia was led by Narlyn Mosquera and Jenifer Munoz while Maria Caraves helped Paola Ferrari pace the visitors.

Colombia vs. Paraguay 83-78 COL Mosquera 25 Munoz 20 Arias 14/10r/6a Prens 8 Martinez 7/8r Rios 5 Caicedo 4 Palacio 0 Vente 0 Cordoba 0 Paz DNP Lopez DNP PAR Ferrari 34/6r Caraves 20/8r Peralta 10/11r Gomez 5 T. Insfran 4/6r Mercado 3 Pena 2 Huttemann 0 Rojas 0 Quevedo DNP R. Insfran DNP Cardenas DNP

5th Place:

The consolation final could prove to still be important if another spot for next year opens up so Venezuela shook off lingering disappointment and took care of business with an 85-60 win over Ecuador behind Daniela Wallen.

Venezuela vs. Ecuador 85-60 VEN Wallen 23/12r/7a Betancourt 13 Renault 10/9r Marquez 10/6a Ortega 9 Garate 8 Perez 3 Duran 3 Corrales 3 Zapata 2 Zamaro 1 Rivera 0 ECU Yepez 14/6r Caicedo 13 Molina 10 Lasso 9 Calderon 6 Barahona 2 Zurita 2 Salcedo 2 Carpio 2 Patino 0 Mogollon 0 Olives 0

7th Place:

The day started with a pair of teams trying to avoid last place as Chile beat Peru 80-70 with a big game from Tatiana Gomez.

Peru vs. Chile 70-80 PER Farfan 19 De Lorenzi 9 Quiroz 8 Bellatin 6 Cueto 6 Guerrero 5 Garcia 4 Mansilla 4 Escudero 3 Vega 2/7r Parodi 2 Cosmopolis 2 CHI Gomez 20/8r Abuyeres 17 Novion 13 Morales 11 Morrison 7/6r Cousino 5 Pizarro 4 Fuentes 3 Troncoso 0/6r Moran 0 Koljanin 0 Colossi 0

South American Championship Semifinals September 3rd

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September 3, 2018

Semifinals:

After a day of rest, the teams started the semifinals.  Upset-minded Paraguay carried a lead into halftime, but Debora Gonzalez and Argentina dominated the third quarter to win 80-67.  It was a similar story to end the day as the home fans helped Colombia lead Brazil, but Clarissa Dos Santos was too much to handle after the break and the pre-tournament favorites advanced 67-58

Argentina vs. Paraguay 80-67 ARG Gonzalez 23 Rosset 18 Burani 14/9r Boquete 7 Llorente 6/6r Santana 6 Gretter 4 Perez 2 Durso 0 Fiorotto 0 Leiva 0 Marchizotti DNP PAR Peralta 17/9r Caraves 13/9r Mercado 13/6a T. Insfran 13 Ferrari 6 Quevedo 3 Rojas 2 Pena 0 Huttemann 0 Gomez DNP R. Insfran DNP Cardenas DNP

Brazil vs. Colombia 67-58 BRA Dos Santos 21/13r Paixao 14 De Souza 9/8r De Paula 7 Colhado 5/6r Honorio 4/8a Soares 2 Sangalli 2 Da Silva 2 Pacheco 1 Justino 0 Monteiro DNP COL Mosquera 18/6r Munoz 12/8r Arias 12 Martinez 8/7a Caicedo 3 Rios 2 Palacio 2 Vente 1 Prens 0 Cordoba 0 Paz DNP Lopez DNP

5th Place:

Monday’s games started with the consolation playoffs as 5th place could still be important.  Venezuela started fast to beat Peru 76-62.  Chile continued their slump after a solid opener, losing to Ecuador 68-61 despite a big bounceback game from Ziomara Morrison as Marjorie Caicedo led the way in the win.

Venezuela vs. Peru 76-62 VEN Wallen 13/6r Betancourt 12 Marquez 10 Renault 10 Corrales 10 Perez 6/10a Duran 5 Ortega 3 Zapata 3 Rivera 2/7r Zamaro 2 Garate 0/10r PER Guerrero 18 Farfan 14 Mansilla 7 Vega 6/12r Cosmopolis 5 Escudero 5 Bellatin 3 Parodi 2/6r Quiroz 2 Garcia 0 De Lorenzi 0 Cueto 0

Chile vs. Ecuador 61-68 CHI Morrison 23/9r Gomez 12/12r Novion 10 Abuyeres 5 Fuentes 5 Cousino 2 Moran 2 Troncoso 2 Colossi 0 Morales 0 Koljanin 0 Pizarro DNP ECU Caicedo 22/7r Salcedo 12 Barahona 12 Yepez 7/6r Calderon 7 Lasso 5/6a Patino 2 Mogollon 1 Zurita 0 Olives 0 Molina DNP Carpio DNP

South American Championship Day 3 September 1st

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September 1, 2018

Group A:

Saturday started with the most important game as the winner would take the last spot in the semifinals.  Paola Ferrari fueled Paraguay’s fast start and Ivaney Marquez’s strong game for Venezuela was not enough to keep up as they lost 81-73.  Brazil did not take it easy despite already winning the group, rolling past last place Chile 99-66 with another solid game from Jacqueline De Paula.

Paraguay vs. Venezuela 81-73 PAR Ferrari 29/8r T. Insfran 16 Mercado 9/6a Caraves 8/9r Peralta 7 Rojas 6 Pena 4/7r Huttemann 2/8r Quevedo DNP Gomez DNP R. Insfran DNP Cardenas DNP VEN Marquez 21/7a Corrales 19/10r Wallen 14/7r Ortega 8 Perez 5 Renault 2/6r Rivera 2 Betancourt 2 Zapata 0 Duran 0 Garate 0 Zamaro DNP

Brazil vs. Chile 99-66 BRA De Paula 20 Sangalli 16/9r Paixao 15 Dos Santos 11/8r Da Silva 10 Colhado 8 Soares 4 Monteiro 4 Honorio 3/7a Justino 3 Pacheco 3 De Souza 2 CHI Gomez 16/9r Novion 12 Cousino 11 Troncoso 10 Morales 8 Abuyeres 4 Fuentes 3 Moran 2 Colossi 0 Koljanin 0 Pizarro 0 Morrison DNP

Standings: Brazil 3-0, Paraguay 2-1, Venezuela 1-2, Chile 0-3

Group B:

The first game in this group was for placement in the consolation playoffs.  Ana Farfan was excellent for Peru, but did not get enough help as they lost to Ecuador 58-51.  The two teams competing for the top spot faced off to close the day and Colombia was in position to take that place in front of their home fans, but Argentina stormed back late to win 67-61.  The teams now all get a day of rest before the knockout games.

Ecuador vs. Peru 58-51 ECU Salcedo 15 Caicedo 13/7r Lasso 12 Barahona 7/10r Calderon 7 Patino 2 Yepez 1 Zurita 1 Mogollon 0 Olives 0 Molina DNP Carpio DNP PER Farfan 27 Mansilla 8/7r Bellatin 6/7r Escudero 5 Guerrero 3 Garcia 2 Vega 0/12r De Lorenzi 0 Quiroz 0 Parodi 0 Cueto 0 Cosmopolis 0

Colombia vs. Argentina 61-67 COL Martinez 14 Mosquera 10 Caicedo 9 Prens 7/7r Arias 6/6r Rios 5 Palacio 4 Vente 4 Cordoba 2 Munoz 0 Lopez DNP Paz DNP ARG Burani 17 Rosset 15 Gonzalez 10 Gretter 9/11r/8a Llorente 8 Boquete 4/9r Marchizotti 2 Durso 2 Santana 0 Fiorotto 0 Perez 0 Leiva DNP

Standings: Argentina 3-0, Colombia 2-1, Ecuador 1-2, Peru 0-3

South American Championship Day 2 August 31st

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August 31, 2018

Group A:

Friday’s games started in this group.  Brazil used a strong second half to beat Paraguay 100-75, getting efficient shooting from Jacqueline De Paula and excellent post play from Clarissa Dos Santos.  The other game was also close after the first half, but Daniela Wallen helped Venezuela pull away for a 77-60 win.  That sets up a pretty simple picture for the final day.  Brazil has advanced and will play Chile, which will head to the consolation bracket.  The final semifinal and automatic qualification spot will go to the winner of the Paraguay-Venezuela game.

Brazil vs. Paraguay 100-75 BRA De Paula 27 Dos Santos 25/15r Pacheco 10 Colhado 10 De Souza 7/9r Paixao 7 Justino 4 Sangalli 4 Monteiro 3 Soares 2 Honorio 1/6r/6a Da Silva 0 PAR T. Insfran 17 Ferrari 15 Mercado 10 Huttemann 7 Peralta 6 Rojas 6 Gomez 6 Pena 5 Quevedo 3 Caraves 0 R. Insfran 0 Cardenas 0

Chile vs. Venezuela 60-77 CHI Gomez 18/6r Cousino 13 Morrison 9/10r Novion 9/9a Troncoso 6 Fuentes 3 Abuyeres 2 Morales 0 Pizarro DNP Colossi DNP Moran DNP Koljanin DNP VEN Wallen 27 Perez 14/7a Corrales 10 Marquez 9/8r/7a Duran 7 Betancourt 6 Renault 2/6r Ortega 2 Garate 0 Rivera 0 Zapata DNP Zamaro DNP

Group B:

Peru managed to hang with Argentina for a half, but could not compete after the break, falling 78-33.  The hosts used another fast start, beating Ecuador 75-39 to close the day.  The teams advancing from this group are now decided and the games on Saturday will only be for placement as Ecuador and Peru head to the consolation bracket while Colombia and Argentina will play for the top spot in the group already having qualified for the semifinals.

Argentina vs. Peru 78-33 ARG Boquete 14/10r Perez 8 Marchizotti 8 Gretter 8 Gonzalez 8 Llorente 7/8r Santan 7 Durso 7 Rosset 6 Burani 2/6r Fiorotto 2 Leiva 1 PER Farfan 15 Bellatin 6/6r Quiroz 4 Guerrero 4 Escudero 3 Vega 1 Garcia 0 Mansilla 0 Parodi 0 Cueto 0 Cosmopolis 0 De Lorenzi 0

Ecuador vs. Colombia 39-75 ECU Caicedo 11 Salcedo 9 Barahona 4/8r Mogollon 4/8r Yepez 2 Patino 2 Olives 2 Lasso 2 Molina 2 Calderon 1 Carpio 0 Zurita 0 COL Caicedo 19 Munoz 14 Arias 11/8r Mosquera 11 Martinez 6 Prens 4 Palacio 3 Cordoba 2/10r Vente 2 Lopez 2 Rios 1 Paz 0

South American Championship Day 1 August 30th

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August 30, 2018

Eight of the ten countries sent a team to this year’s South American Championship as Olympic dreams continue.  There are three days of group play in Tunja that will be even more important than the championship because all four teams that finish in the top two of their group will automatically qualify for next year’s Americas-wide tournament.  Those who do not make it will be battling for the possibility that they get an extra spot next year.

Group A:

Thursday started in this group with a terrific matchup of stars with different approaches.  Chile started well with Tatiana Gomez offering another option alongside their main star Ziomara Morrison.  Paraguay stormed back after halftime as Paola Ferrari, perhaps the most dangerous perimeter scorer on the continent, helped them win 73-66.  Brazil is looking forward to recovering from a poor campaign last year and started with a 77-42 win.

Paraguay vs. Chile 73-66 PAR Ferrari 33/6r Caraves 15/6r Peralta 9/6r Mercado 8 Rojas 4/8r T. Insfran 3 Quevedo 1 Huttemann 0 Pena 0 Gomez 0 R. Insfran DNP Cardenas DNP CHI Morrison 25/14r Gomez 22/7r Cousino 8/8r/6a Novion 8/6r Fuentes 2 Troncoso 1 Morales 0 Colossi 0 Abuyeres 0 Moran 0 Pizarro DNP Koljanin DNP

Venezuela vs. Brazil 42-77 VEN Marquez 11 Wallen 10 Corrales 10 Rivera 4 Garate 2 Zapata 2 Betancourt 2 Ortega 1 Perez 0 Renault 0 Duran 0 Zamaro 0 BRA Dos Santos 15/7r Monteiro 12 De Souza 11/10r Paixao 11 Colhado 8/6r De Paula 5 Honorio 4/6r Pacheco 4 Justino 4 Sangalli 3 Soares 0 Da Silva 0

Group B:

Argentina is expected to be a heavy favorite in this group and they started with a 74-41 win over Ecuador as they also prepare for the world stage in a month.  Hosts Colombia closed the day with some momentum from a productive summer and raced out of the starting gates against Peru, rolling to an 84-28 win.

Argentina vs. Ecuador 74-41 ARG Boquete 12 Santana 11 Llorente 8 Rosset 7 Fiorotto 6 Burani 6 Marchizotti 6 Gonzalez 5 Perez 5 Gretter 3/6r Durso 3 Leiva 2/9r ECU Mogollon 7 Salcedo 6 Caicedo 5/7r Barahona 5 Olives 5 Zurita 5 Molina 2 Patino 2 Yepez 2 Lasso 2 Carpio 0 Calderon DNP

Peru vs. Colombia 28-84 PER Escudero 7 Farfan 6 Garcia 4 Quiroz 3 Bellatin 2 Mansilla 2 Guerrero 2 Vega 1/10r Cosmopolis 1 De Lorenzi 0 Cueto 0 Parodi 0 COL Caicedo 17 Rios 10/7r/6a Mosquera 10 Cordoba 9/10r Munoz 7 Prens 6 Lopez 6 Arias 4/6r Martinez 4/6r Paz 4 Vente 4 Palacio 3

Centrobasket Finals August 24th

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August 24, 2018

1st Place:

The Final closed a week of basketball in Puerto Rico.  The hosts started the game well against Cuba, completely blowing it wide open in the second half as Jennifer O’Neill was too much to handle for the last winners of the full competition in this region.  Puerto Rico will now be hoping to carry the momentum from this week into next month.

Cuba vs. Puerto Rico 54-83 CUB Amargo 18 Galindo 13 Avila 8 Tornell 6 Martinez 5 Oquendo 4 Cepeda 0 Becquer 0 Perez 0 Bouly 0 Ochoa DNP PUR O’Neill 34 Jones 14/8r Rosado 12/6a Gwathmey 10/11r Salaman 9 Gibson 2 Quinones 2 Melendez 0 Maldonado 0 Placido 0 Perez 0 Gonzalez 0

3rd Place:

In the race for the last medal, Sugeiry Monsac and the Dominican Republic surged into halftime with a lead, but Mexico had a better second half to win 85-81.

Mexico vs. Dominican Republic 85-81 MEX Valenzuela 18/7r Avila 16/8a Luna 16 Pardo 15/6a Beltran 12 Silva 8 Asencio 0 Ramos 0 Taylor 0 Moreno 0 Arellano DNP DOM Monsac 27/10r Reynoso 15/7r Morton 15/7a Paniagua 12 Zapata 6/8r Frias 6/6a Jimenez 0 Jones 0 Evangelista 0 Estrella 0 Rodriguez DNP Soto DNP

5th Place:

The day started with a rematch of a close group stage game for the consolation championship.  Costa Rica kept it close again, but the Bahamas did enough late to win 55-49.

Bahamas vs. Costa Rica 55-49 BAH Forbes 16 Lewis 13 Grant 10/8r Fernander 4 Greene 4 Dean 2/6r Neely 2 Moss 2 Thompson 2 Harrison 0 Demeritte 0 CRC Sanchez 13 Galvez 11 Matamoros 9/16r P. Mora 9 Jimenez 2 Pinnock 2 Quesada 2 Malavassi 1 M. Mora 0 Miller 0 Reyna 0 Alfaro DNP

Centrobasket Semifinals August 23rd

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August 23, 2018

Semifinals:

The hosts had a nervy start against their big rivals, but took control in the second half.  Cuba was expected to roll against Mexico, but Jacqueline Luna-Castro helped them fight back late before Yamara Amargo and Suchitel Avila could team up to help get an 86-80 win.  Cuba will now face Puerto Rico for the championship and Mexico and the Dominican Republic will compete for the last medal.

Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic 72-56 PUR O’Neill 16 Jones 14/12r Gwathmey 13 Rosado 9/7r Gibson 8/8r Melendez 8 Gonzalez 2 Salaman 2 Perez 0 Placido 0 Maldonado 0 Quinones 0 DOM Frias 15 Morton 11/7r/7a Paniagua 8 Reynoso 6/12r Monsac 6/10r Jones 5/7r Evangelista 4 Jimenez 1 Zapata 0 Estrella 0 Soto 0 Rodriguez DNP

Cuba vs. Mexico 86-80 CUB Amargo 20/8r Avila 20/7r/8a Galindo 16/10r Cepeda 10 Martinez 8/6a Becquer 7 Oquendo 5 Tornell 0 Perez 0 Bouly 0 Ochoa 0 MEX Castro 22/8r Beltran 14 Pardo 13 Avila 13 Taylor 7 Ramos 7 Asencio 2 Moreno 0 Valenzuela 0 Silva 0 Arellano DNP

5th Place Playoffs:

Guatemala looked to cruising to their first win as the consolation playoffs started the day, but Natalia Galvez and Costa Rica had other ideas as a late rally led to a 62-60 win.  Costa Rica will now play the Bahamas for fifth place and Guatemala’s tournament is done.

Guatemala vs. Costa Rica 60-62 GUA Vasquez 15/8r E. Rosales 14 Lopez 9 Rivera 6/6r Gonzalez 5/7r Garcia 5 Cano 2 Larranaga 2 A. Rosales 2 Rivas 0 Juarez 0 Camacho DNP CRC Galvez 23 Matamoros 15/14r Sanchez 6 Jimenez 5/6r P. Mora 4 Quesada 4 Pinnock 2 Miller 2 Malavassi 1 M. Mora 0 Alfaro 0 Reyna 0

Centrobasket Day 3 August 22nd

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August 22, 2018

Group A:

The last game of this group started Wednesday’s action as Cuba took care of business to win 99-39 and take the top spot and move on with the Dominican Republic.  Guatemala moved into the consolation bracket with the loss.

Guatemala vs. Cuba 39-99 GUA Gonzalez 14 Cano 7 E. Rosales 6 Rivera 4 Rivas 4 Camacho 2 Garcia 2 Lopez 0 Vasquez 0 Larranaga 0 A. Rosales 0 Juarez 0 CUB Avila 18/6r/6a Galindo 16 Oquendo 11/6r Becquer 11/6r Cepeda 10/7r Amargo 10 Tornell 8 Perez 6 Martinez 6/6a Ochoa 3 Bouly 0

Standings: Cuba 2-0, Dominican Republic 1-1, Guatemala 0-2

Group B:

The two teams that were already advancing faced off to have an easier semifinal matchup and it was an excellent game.  Hosts Puerto Rico built a lead in the first half, but Mexico closed the gap in the second half before falling 71-66 as Jennifer O’Neill was the difference.  The other two teams were looking to get a bye in the consolation bracket.  Costa Rica shook off a poor performance yesterday to nearly spring a surprise on the Bahamas, but came up short 60-57.

Puerto Rico vs. Mexico 71-66 PUR O’Neill 21/12r Gwathmey 9 Melendez 7/10r Salaman 7 Maldonado 6 Jones 5/10r Gibson 4 Quinones 4 Rosado 3 Gonzalez 3 Perez 2 Placido 0 MEX Silva 16/9r Avila 16 Luna 13/8r Pardo 10 Ramos 9 Beltran 2 Moreno 0 Taylor 0 Valenzuela 0 Arellano DNP Asencio DNP

Costa Rica vs. Bahamas 57-60 CRC Galvez 16/6r Jimenez 15 Matamoros 13/8r Pinnock 4/6r Malavassi 3 Quesada 2 Sanchez 2 M. Mora 2 Reyna 0 P. Mora 0 Miller 0 Alfaro DNP BAH Lewis 15 Neely 14 Forbes 13 Harrison 6 Dean 5/7r Grant 3 Moss 2 Demeritte 2 Fernander 0/8a Greene 0 Thompson 0

Standings: Puerto Rico 3-0, Mexico 2-1, Bahamas 1-2, Costa Rica 0-3

Semifinals: Cuba vs. Mexico and Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic