BUCARAMANGA (Colombia) – United States and Canada won for the second consecutive day and remain the only unbeaten squads at the FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup, currently being played at Coliseo Bicentenario Alejandro Galvis Ramírez in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Brazil and Argentina recovered from their Day 1 losses and got back on track in their respective zones. Take a look at the group standings here. These were the results from Day 2 of the competition: BRA 75 – 65 MEX Ayla McDowell, Micaela Cavalcanti, Alexia Araujo and Manuella Alves carried the offense throughout the game as Brazil (1-1) finally pulled away in the 4th quarter behind some stout defense to beat Mexico (2-0) in a tough Group B game.
Brazil had a strong start (leading 44-37 at the half), but Mexico recovered in the third quarter to get within a basket at 61-58. But when it seemed like Mexico was on the brink of a comeback, Brazil tightened their defense, allowing just 7 points in the final period to come away with the victory. McDowell shined on both ends of the floor with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Cavalcanti followed with 16 points (on 4 three-pointers), Araujo added 15 with 16 rebounds and Alves produced 12 points and 7 boards. The quartet combined for 62 of their team’s 75 points.
Valeria Mora and Mariana Medivil finished with 17 and 16 points, respectively, for the Mexican cause. PUR 22 – 102 USA Joyce Edwards (16 points and 10 rebounds) and Sienna Betts (14 and 11) both notched double-doubles to pace an explosive United States (2-0) offense in their win over Puerto Rico (1-1) in Group B.
The American squad got everything they wanted, and their second-half dominance was so extreme that they only allowed 2 points from the third quarter on (on a bucket that came with about 5 minutes left in the game). Kayleigh Heckel contributed 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the U.S., while Jasmine Davidson had 13 points and 6 boards and Arianna Roberson added 10 with 7 rebounds. All 12 American players scored.
Desirek Nieves had 9 points for Puerto Rico and Adriana Robles added 5. DOM 35 – 81 ARG Nerea Lagowski (9 rebounds) and Milagros Morell scored 13 points each to lead the offense for Argentina (1-1) in their comfortable win over Dominican Republic (0-2) in Group A.
After their loss on Monday, the South Americans jumped to a better start and quickly imposed their will. They started the game on a 20-2 run and were up 25-5 at the end of the first quarter. That margin allowed them to play freely and execute their game plan, while the Dominicans never managed to get back in it. Dominican Republic shot just 20 percent from the field (12/61) and after having 33 turnovers during their first game, this time they had 28 miscues to get their tally to 61 across 2 days of action.
For Argentina, Alma Bourgarel (11 points) also scored in double digits. Sol Depetris and Malena Maggi added 9 points apiece. Anny De Jesús (8 points and 13 rebounds) was the Caribbeans’ best performer. Leila Nuñez added 8 points. CAN 86 – 38 COL The last game of the day also finished with a blowout win for Canada over host country Colombia. The North Americans were vastly superior from beginning to end, especially on the offensive glass where they grabbed 43 rebounds to get a 33-4 edge in second-chance points. Divine Tumba (15 points and 12 rebounds) was the Canadians’ leading scorer in a game where all 12 of their players scored points. Kamora Morgan had 14 points, while Ifeoma Nwaobi collected a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. Olivia Leung added 10 points.
Colombia failed to make a three-pointer in 15 attempts and only Marta Moscarella (11 points and 7 rebounds) scored in double digits. María Pérez and Jaeslyn Pineda added 6 points apiece. Check Wednesday’s schedule of play here. Daily statistical leaders Minutes: Ayla McDowell (BRA) - 37:25 Points: Ayla McDowell (BRA) - 19 Three-pointers: Micaela Cavalcanti (BRA) - 4 Two-pointers: Multiple players - 6 Free throws: Valeria Mora (MEX) - 9 Rebounds: Anny De Jesús (DOM) - 13 Assists: Múltiples jugadoras - 4 Steals: Mariana Medivil (MEX) - 5 Blocks: Múltiples jugadoras - 3 Efficiency: Nerea Lagowski (ARG) - 24 FIBA