Big first half helps Colombia nab win over Dominican Republic

LEON (Mexico) – Colombia grabbed their first win of the competition as they defeated Dominican Republic 70-56 on Monday evening at the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup at Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Daniela Gonzalez and Manuela Rios got Colombia’s offense going early but a full team effort defensively kept Dominican Republic to just 14 percent shooting. Colombia however did not have an answer for Cesarina Capellan, who has been one of Dominican Republic’s strongest scorers all competition.

Despite winning the battles on the boards, Dominican Republic’s inability to hit shots saw them score just 7 points in the first quarter while committing 8 turnovers that resulted in 8 points for Colombia.

Jenifer Muñoz captained Colombia’s offense in the second quarter with 7 points with while Yuliany Paz added 6 points and 7 rebounds by halftime as Colombia now led by 19 points with a 39-20 advantage.

With Capellan held to just two points in the quarter, Yenifer Jimenez and Sugeiry Monsac stepped up to generate offense for Dominican Republic as they worked on crashing the boards and capitalizing on second chances.

Gonzalez and Muñoz continued to roll into the second half as Mabel Martinez also added in the full team effort for Colombia, leading 52-34 despite Yohanna Morton picking up speed in the third quarter for Dominican Republic scoring 6 points.

Even with shots still not falling for Dominican Republic they stayed in the game by controlling the boards on both sides of the ball and even outscored their opponent 14-13, though they could not stop Colombia from scoring off turnovers as Dominican Republic committed 22 by the end of the quarter.

The final frame of action was led by Dominican Republic as Capellan found one final burst to add 5 points and the bench contributed with Maira Andrade adding 6 points and Angela Jimenez finishing with 5 points and 8 rebounds, but Colombia’s top scorers kept the gap wide enough to claim their first win of the Women’s AmeriCup.

Muñoz finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, Martinez added 15 points and 4 assists, and Gonzalez finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds.

Capellan led Dominican Republic with 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Yohanna Morton added 10 points and 4 rebounds in the loss.

FIBA