SANTIAGO (Chile) – Brazil got off to a strong start in its FIBA Women’s AmeriCup title defense by defeating Argentina 71-50 in the second game of the opening day at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos. The defending champions built upon a solid start and sealed the win with a strong finish to secure their first victory and get revenge against their regional rivals, who had beaten them twice during the 2024 South American Championship.
Led by American head coach Pokey Chatman, Brazil came out firing with a 15-0 run and took the first quarter 22-4. That early lead allowed them to control the scoreboard throughout the game, even as Argentina raised its level starting in the second quarter. La Albiceleste closed the gap to five points (48-43) in the first minute of the final quarter, but Damiris Dantas took over offensively and Kamilla Cardoso controlled the boards as Brazil closed the game on a 23-7 run.
WNBA standout Damiris Dantas (Indiana Fever) led the way with 24 points (including 3 three-pointers) and 7 rebounds. Vitoria Marcelino, playing in her second tournament with Brazil’s senior national team, also impressed with 13 points and 6 boards. Alana Gonçalo added 10 points, while Cardoso nearly posted a double-double with 8 points and 11 rebounds. The Chicago Sky center also dished out 4 assists and recorded 2 blocks.
For Argentina, point guards Amaiquen Siciliano and Melisa Gretter were the top scorers with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Gretter also handed out 4 assists, bringing her career total to 109 in the AmeriCup—just 7 short of Cuba’s Ineidis Casanova, who leads the all-time list with 116 since 2003.
Brazil’s defense held Argentina to just 24 percent shooting from the field (16-68). They also dominated the boards, 56 to 33, and scored 32 points in the paint compared to just 10 from Argentina. Of Argentina’s 68 field goal attempts, 45 came from beyond the arc — the most three-point attempts by any team in AmeriCup history.
With the win, Brazil tied Canada at the top of Group A, both with a 1-0 record after the opening day. The defending champs will have Sunday off. In Group A, the matchups will be Dominican Republic vs. El Salvador and Canada vs. Argentina.
Forward Catarina Ferreira, who is representing Brazil for the first time, shared her thoughts after the team’s debut win. “I feel good, everybody played good. We set the tone in the first, then they came out, but we finished strong,” said Ferreira, who grabbed 4 rebounds in her debut. “We learned that we need to play hard and not wait for the calls. Just play hard the whole game,” she added.
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