Solid fourth quarter pushes Puerto Rico ahead of Mexico for win

LEON (Mexico) – Mya Hollingshed’s strong play in the final minute helped Puerto Rico take the win in a back-and-forth close match with Mexico, with Puerto Rico victorious 70-64 at the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup at Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato, Mexico.

 

Puerto Rico has seen strong starts thanks to Arella Guirantes all tournament and Day 4 was no shortage of that as she tipped in 8 points early while Mexico’s Claudio Ramos added 7 of her own as Puerto Rico had a slim 17-15 lead after one quarter.

Mexico controlled the boards defensively early thanks to Jacqueline Luna, but also struggled with turnovers that Puerto Rico had no problem converting to points.

As Guirantes contributed on the boards Jazmon Gwathmey and Kaelynn Satterfield took on scoring responsibility for Puerto Rico in the second quarter, as did Sofia Payan and Paola Beltran for Mexico with both teams shooting over 42 percent from the floor.

At the half with Puerto Rico in front by just two points 34-32, Mexico adjusted their play by scoring in transition more often though Puerto Rico was able to get the better of the play in the paint.

The trio of Payan, Beltran and Ramos combined for 18 points in the third quarter as all three players had tallied at least 13 points in the match, enough to push Mexico ahead by 4 points to end the third frame 55-51.

Guirantes kept pushing for Puerto Rico scoring 7 of the team’s 17 points in the quarter, but Mexico’s ball movement and playmaking picked up that Puerto Rico struggled to defend while also losing battles on the boards on offense.

But in the final frame of action Puerto Rico’s defense was a lock, holding Mexico to just 9 points while Guirantes had one final flash of brilliance scoring 10 points in the final 10 minutes of play while Hollingshed added 9 points, including 4 in the final minute to help Puerto Rico secure the comeback win.

 

Guirantes led all scorers with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals, Hollingshed added 13 points and 5 rebounds and Gwathmey contributed 9 points and 5 rebounds for Puerto Rico in the win.

Ramos led Mexico with 18 points while Payan added 16 points and 5 rebounds and Beltran added 15 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in the losing effort.

FIBA