Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Bahamas and Mexico celebrate wins on opening day

SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) - Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, and Mexico, celebrated wins on the first day of the Centrobasket U17 Women’s Championship 2019.

 
In Group B action, Puerto Rico dominated Guatemala to a 71-32 win in front of a jovial crowd at the historic Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan.

Puerto Rico capitalized on the opponents 30 turnovers to add 28 points. The Boricuas were commanded offensively by point guard Nina de León, who finished the game with 19 points.

The guard, that recently participated in the FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship in Aysen, Chile, added four three-pointers for the Caribbean team.

Silkiari Vásquez, another player that participated in the continental U16 championship, added nine points.

For Guatemala, Natalie Larrañaga was the best scorer with 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Dominican Republic defeated Costa Rica 62-36 in Group A action, with 20 points from center Ashley Báez.

The Dominicans complied in defense and although they summed 35 turnovers, they always stayed in front of the scoreboard due to the low effectiveness of their rivals, who shot for a 17 percent from the field (75-13).

Power-forward Ángela Jiménez had an 11-point and 13-rebound double-double for the Dominicans. Alison Torres led the Costa Rican attack with 15 goals.

In the other game of Group B for opening day, Bahamas celebrated by defeating El Salvador, 79-59.

The Bahamians had an effective defense and controlled the offensive board to take the distance in the scoreboard. A 23-9 second quarter allowed the team to go ahead 40-28, an advantage that was crucial to keep their opponent at bay in the second half.

The team from the Bahamas captured 23 offensive rebounds and scored 16 points on second chances.

Antonicia Moultrie with 14 points and nine rebounds, Rhema Collins with 11 points and 15 rebounds, and Michell Butler with 12 points and eight boards commanded the offensive for the Bahamian team. For El Salvador, Keylin Murcia stood out with 21 points.

In the opening game of the regional championship, Mexico dominated Barbados 99-18, in a duel of Group A.

The Aztec squad took the reins of the match from the initial jump and never looked back.

Power-forward Mariana Valenzuela, who was Mexico’s key player during the FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship, led the team with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Livier Burgueno added 17 points. Melisa Ruiz also shined with eight points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.

For Barbados, Zahra Ashby and Rebecca Simpson scored six and five, respectively.

On the second day of the regional championship, Costa Rica will face Mexico, Guatemala will face El Salvador, Barbados will face the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico will take-on the Bahamas.

The top three teams of the Centrobasket U17 Women’s Championship 2019 will qualify to the FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship 2020.

FIBA