Chile edged out by Argentina in basketball opener

An excellent display from Catalina Abuyeres wasn’t enough to help Chile overcome Argentina in their opening match in the FIBA Américas U18 Championships in Colorado Springs.
Abuyeres topped the list for Chile in points (12) and rebounds (10), but it was Argentina who ran out 45-40 victors in the Group B clash.
Ornella Casiccia was the only other Chilean to reach double figures with 11 points, while captain Bárbara Cousiño couldn’t find her usual consistency and had to settle for just three.
For Argentina, Julieta Albuerne top scored with 12 points.
The defeat means Chile’s chances of reaching the semi-finals and booking one of the four places on offer to the World Championships are hanging by a thread.
In all likelihood, Chile are going to need to beat Puerto Rico in their next outing tomorrow and Brazil in their final group match on Friday to make the semis.

But coach Ricardo González remains confident that his players will prove their worth.

Speaking in the aftermath of the Argentina reverse, the Spaniard said: “I´m very proud of the team, they gave it their all.

“We’ll give everything against Puerto Rico tomorrow. We stay dreaming about qualifying for the World Championships.”
Group A is made up of Mexico, Canada, El Salvador and the USA.

Tags: Bárbara Cousiño, basketball, Catalina Abuyeres, Ornella Casiccia, Ricardo González