Puerto Rico and Canada punch their tickets to the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments

MEDELLIN (Colombia) – Puerto Rico and Canada both moved to 2-0 at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament after defeating Venezuela and Colombia respectively on Friday at Iván de Bedout Coliseum.

And in doing, both countries earned their berths in next year's FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, where they will join Brazil and the United States in representing the Americas.

Here’s a look at the action from Matchday 2:

Venezuela 57 – 65 Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico earned their second win in 2 days after defeating Venezuela, 65-57, on Tuesday’s early game to reach their objective.

 

The boricuas trailed during most of the first half, but stormed back in the third quarter just like they did on Thursday against Colombia.

This time, however, it wasn’t Arella Guirantes going off. The honors were for sharpshooter Mya Hollingshed, who exploded for 16 points in the third to erase Puerto Rico’s deficit and put them on the path to victory.

Hollingshed drained four three-pointers and added four free throws in the period as Puerto Rico opened the stanza on a 10-1 run. She completed her stat line with 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists and a block.

“The key was staying together and protecting the ball,” Hollingshed said. “I think in the first half we tried to get it done quicker than we did instead of taking our time.”

Venezuela lost steam in the second half after a great start led by Aguehil Fajardo and Daniela Wallen. The team’s outside shooting went cold and the South Americans finished 7/35 from beyond the arc.

Fajardo led the way with a game-high 17 points and 8 rebounds, while Wallen added 16 points and 9 boards.

Meanwhile, Hollingshed and Guirantes (14 points and 10 rebounds) got going and Briana Jones and Pamela Rosado provided enough outside shooting to lead their team to the win, despite shooting 29.3 percent overall from the field and committing 19 turnovers.

The difference was a 57-44 edge on the boards and defending without fouling, as Venezuela only went to the charity stripe 6 times all night.

“Second half we came out with more energy on defense,” said Hollingshed.

Colombia 53 – 70 Canada

On a night where their outside shots weren’t falling, Canada protected the paint and attacked the rim to get past Colombia, 70-53 and achieve their goal for the tournament.

 

Led by Kayla Alexander, the North Americans scored 30 points in the paint and outrebounded their opponent 50-37. They also had 16 offensive rebounds and a 16-9 edge in second chance points to prevail in a tough battle.

“We fought against a really strong and relentless Colombia team, but I’m really proud of us,” Alexander said. “We stuck it out until the end and got the (win).”

Alexander had 20 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in an explosive performance. She was also instrumental in keeping Colombia to just 31.9 percent from the field.

“Colombia are so aggressive going downhill with the top pick and roll, so we tried to adjust our scheme that way to keep them up front and not let them get so many easy baskets,” she added.

Colombia was only down by 3 points at halftime despite heavy legs. Most of their starters played most of the game against Puerto Rico on Thursday and that took its toll.

Yuliany Paz pulled down 12 rebounds but only managed 3 points. Jenifer Muñoz scored 14 points but on 6/20 from the field.

Manuela Ríos led the way with 16 points and 7 assists, but she also shot 6/20 from the field.

Colombia settled for too many jump shots, evidenced by their 4/22 from downtown and only 10 free throws. Conversely, Canada went 18/24 at the charity stripe to compensate for their lack of long-range accuracy.

Bridget Carleton also had a double-double (21 points and 12 rebounds) for a Canadian team that didn’t even feature Nirra Fields or Syla Swords and only got 3 points from Kia Nurse.

Having now qualified for next year’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Canada and Puerto Rico will play each other on Sunday to determine the tournament’s winner.

Colombia and Venezuela will round out the action looking to avoid being swept.

FIBA