Brazil floor Cuba 66-53; Book a date with Argentina in the finals of FIBA Americas C’Ship for Women
Erika De Souza Machado scored a game-high 20 points as Brazil beat Cuba 66-53 in the semi-finals of the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for women on Friday, September 30, 2011. In doing so, the Brazilians not only maintained their
clean sheet, but also ensured a duel against arch rivals Argentina, who beat Canada in the first semi-final.
The Cubans will take on Canada for the third position in the tournament.
De Souza Machado, who plays for Atlanta Dream in WNBA, also grabbed six rebounds and ended the game on an impressive 10 for 13 shooting from the field. Damiris Dantas also posted 11 points and pulled down six rebounds. She was
shooting 4 for 8 from the floor and 3 for 4 from free throw line while guard Adriana Pinto spread the floor with 12 assists and game high 13 rebounds.
The Cubans were led by their small forward, Yamara Amargo. She scored 16 points on 7 for 13 shooting from the field, grabbed four rebounds and stole the ball three times. However, no other Cuban player reached double figures on
the night. Shooting guard Oyanaisy Gelis had nine points and five rebounds while small forward Leidys Oquendo contributed eight points and four rebounds in the loss.
Brazil dominated the Cubans in nearly every department of the game. They shot at 43.1 percent (28 for 65) from the field and 66.7 percent (6 for 9) from free throw line as compared to only 33.3 percent (20 for 60) from the floor
by the Cubans. The Brazilians also out-rebounded Cuba 47-30 and dished out 20 assists against 8 by the Islanders.
The Brazilians were the favourites coming into the game and they certainly started like it, carving out a 24-16 after the first ten minutes. Brazil’s supremacy, especially in the paint, was evident in the second quarter again as
they limited Cuba to 10 points and stretched their lead to 38-26 at halftime.
In the third period, the Cubans tried to pull back, but could not deter a resilient defense from Brazil, which took a 52-41 lead into the fourth. The South Americans were never troubled in the fourth and they cruised to the finals.
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