Brazil and Canada finish Day 2 as Group leaders

SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) - Brazil and Canada emerged victorious for the second consecutive day and are now Group leaders of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2019.

The Brazilian squad took the top of Group B after defeating South American rival 76-49, Argentina, which made its continental debut on Monday.

Brazil’s defense allowed the opponent 12 points during the first half. Brazil went into half-time with a 27-12, and during the second half, the team coached by Neto maintained a safe distance on the scoreboard against an Argentinian team that couldn’t find answers on the court.

Brazil rotated the ball effectively and had a better shot selection; nevertheless, their defense was outstanding, keeping Argentina below 30 percent of effectiveness in its shots (51-15) and controlling the rebounds 47-32.

Patty Texeira scored 15 points for Brazil, while Clarissa Dos Santos added 13 points and captured 16 rebounds. For Argentina, Andrea Boquete scored 10 points.

For its part, the current champion, Canada, won his second conquest and remained as leader of Group A, after defeating Cuba 87-51.

Cuba gave tough battles during the first quarter, but the Canadians adjusted their defense and capitalized on the opponent’s mistakes, to take distance on the scoreboard.

Canada scored 30 points from Cuba’s 20 turnovers and also added 22 points in fastbreaks. In the painted area the domain was even greater; dominating the rebounding battle 50 - 31.

Kayla Alexander was unstoppable with 25 points and 15 rebounds, while Sami Hill and Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe added 12 points each.

Anisleidy Galindo and Yamara Amargo, culminated with 15 and 12 points, respectively, for Cuba.

Colombia leveled its mark in Group B after defeating Paraguay 74-51.

Colombia’s defense was key in limiting the opponent to just 25 percent effectiveness in field shots (from 59-15), while in attack they showed different alternatives (four players over 10 points).

Jenifer Múñoz guided Colombia with 16 points, followed by María Palacio (14), Yaneth Arias (13) and Mabel Martínez (12). The young pivot Yuliany Paz also stood out by capturing 15 boards.

Paola Ferrari was the top scorer for Paraguay with 20 points. María Cavarez contributed 14 points and nine rebounds.

In the other clash of the day, the Dominican Republic debuted in the tournament with a 67-52 win over Mexico, which added its second setback in the same number of Group A games.

After an even first half (29-26), the Dominicans played a solid second half on both sides of the court and relied on the offensive power of Julady Zapata, who finished with 20 points, including four three-pointers, and six steals.

The Dominicans controlled the rebounds (48-39), stole 14 balls and forced the Aztecs to commit 23 turnovers.

For Mexico, Jacqueline Luna-Castro scored 16 points and captured 10 boards, while Jazmín Valenzuela contributed 10 units and eight rebounds.

This Tuesday, the Group Phase will continue with the USA vs Colombia, Cuba vs the Dominican Republic, Paraguay vs Argentina and Puerto Rico vs Canada.

FIBA