Brazil Secures Place In Quarterfinals

Brazil 71 - Spain 68

Brazil put themselves in front after tour minutes in the first, 10-6. In that moment Spain scored an 8-0 run to lead 14-10 with five minutes remaining. Brazil fought back and had a 6-0 run and Paulo Fossul’s team put back in front, 16-14. From that moment on both teams traded baskets until the end of the first, finishing Spain in front after a jumper from Anna Montañana

In the second quarter Brazil improved in defense and put in front and World reach the interval leading 40-35. Evaristo Pérez moved the bench and the Caribbean also took advantage of that, and also of the bad day in shooting from Spain to put themselves up by 8 points with 2:38 remaining for the interval. Spain left scoreless Brazil for that last minutes and managed to reach the interval 40-35 down.

There was a stretch in the quarter in which Spain played with Silvia Domínguez, Isa Sánchez, Laura Nicholls, Alba Torrens y Tamara Abalde on the court.

The best defense from the brasilians plus the slow shooting from Spain resulted in a 7-0 run from Paulo Fossul’s team that put them 47-35 ahead, leaving Spain scoreless during the first three minutes of the third. Laia Palau kept Spain in the game in the last minutes and a trey from Anna Montañana would put them into a one point deficit with 1:30 remaining in the third. Closing Jucimara Dantas the quarter for Brazil scoring a layup to make it 53-49 entering the fourth

Laia Palau scored another threepointer in the very first seconds of the fourth, closing tha gap to one point again, 53-52, but Spain inmediately received a 9-2 run in the next four minutes to make it 61-54 with 4:49 remaining. The show shooting average (4-for-23 in threepointers) of Spain during the game made them struggle when they were trying to comeback, but Laia Palau would score again from the perimeter to put Spain down, 63-60 with 2:31 remaining and leading to a timeout from Paulo Fassul, after which Amaya Valdemoro stole the ball and executed to make it 62-63 but once again the rush in Spain’s offense, the bad shooting percentage and Brazil’s good defense made impossible the combeback since Brazil held on the game in one point deficit in that last minutes and closed the game with two free throws from Claudia Das Neves that made it 71-68

Iziane Castro was Brazil’s leading scorer with 18 puntos, joined by Micaela Martins’ 17 and Kelly Da Silva’s 10

For Spain Anna Montañana had 20 pts and 6 rebounds, Laia Palau scored 17 pts and Amaya Valdemoro 16.

BOX SCORE

BRAZIL: Micaela (17), Castro (18), Claudinha (7), Ega (4), Santos (10) , Mares (-), Martins (1), Silvestre (-), Jucimara (4), De Oliveira (3), Franciele (-), Graziane (7).

SPAIN: Pascua (1), Palau (17), Aguilar (4), Montañana (20), Valdemoro (16) , Nicholls (2), Lima (1), Abalde (2), Sánchez (5), Domínguez (-), Torrens (-), Revuelto (-)