POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Sandra Garcia
Group A
Puerto Rico - Mexico 77-58
Puerto Rico earned the third consecutive victory at the tournament. They held off Mexico to win Group A. Sandra Garcia (190-C-90, college: Wake Forest) accounted for 23 points and 6 rebounds to lead the charge. Puerto Rico built a comfortable 44:25 halftime lead and never looked back en route to the victory. Yolanda Jones (184-F-84, college: La-Lafayette) connected for 12 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in the victory. Jazmin Valenzuela (187-C) responded with 16 points and 16 rebounds for Mexico. Puerto Rico will take on Dominican Republic, while Mexico will face Cuba in the semifinals on Saturday.
El Salvador - Costa Rica 70-50
El Salvador gained the opening victory in Veracruz. They toppled Costa Rica to finish the preliminary round in the third position in Group A. El Salvador will now take on Jamaica in the classification round. Hillary Martinez (172-SF-97) stepped up with 21 points, 5 boards and 5 assists to lead the winners. El Salvador gained a narrow 22:19 halftime lead. But they used a 25:13 run in the third period to secure the lead they would not give up. Monica Calderon (175-SF-91) chipped in 16 points for the winners. Natalia Galvez (170-G-85) topscored with 24 points for Costa Rica.
Group B
Cuba - Dominican Republic 84-24
Cuba stayed undefeated in Veracruz. They took care of Dominican Republic to enter the playoffs perfect. Clenia Noblet (190-C-87) notched 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists to lead Cuba to the third straight win. Cuba limited their opponents to just 6 points in the first half and secured a 45:6 halftime lead. They never looked back afterwards marching to the victory. Yamara Amargo (179-PF-85) had 14 points, while Arlenys Romero (176-PG-84) added 11 points in the win. Andreina Paniagua (191-F-78) responded with 10 points for Dominican Republic.
Jamaica - Trinidad and Tobago 50-59
Trinidad and Tobago celebrated the first win in Group B as they held off Jamaica on Friday. Trinidad and Tobago trailed by six points after the first frame. But they erased the deficit to level things up at 24 at the interval. Trinidad and Tobago spurred ahead for a 7-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. They limited Jamaica to just 12 points in the final stanza to seal the victory. Patrice Edwards (198-C-84, college: Texas Tech) delivered 23 points and 9 rebounds, while Rhea Codio and Afeisha Noel (191-C) contributed 11 points each for Trinidad and Tobago. Shenneika Smith (185-F/C-89, college: St.John's) and Sasha Dixon (167-G-87) responded with 13 points each for Jamaica.
