Saturday, November 18th, 2023.- The United States demonstrated significant superiority over Chile, winning 96-10 in a match valid for the Group B of female's Wheelchair basketball held at Polideportivo 1 of the Estadio Nacional.
From the first quarter, the North Americans made it clear they wouldn't encounter problems in securing the match, leading 28-5. They extended their dominance in the second quarter (30-5), while in the last two periods, they won by 18-0 and 2-0, respectively.
Although the winning team's scoring was evenly distributed, the standout player was Rose Hollerman with 18 points and 4 assists, followed by Ixhelt González (12 points and 2 assists).
The result was influenced by the solid defense and experience of the United States, effectively stopping Chile's attacks in three-quarters of the court (forcing several turnovers due to shot clock violations). Regarding offensive play, the North Americans had a field goal shooting efficiency of 75% compared to Chile's 11%.
The only scorer for the home team was Noemí Álvarez with 10 points, who emphasized, "It was an exciting match as we had never played in front of such a large crowd. Personally, despite the result, it was an achievement. I had never made a three-pointer, and doing it in front of the audience filled me with joy."
Regarding the development of the first match, the Chilean player commented, "We knew it wouldn't be easy, but our goal was to compete against the United States, and we did. It helped us shake off the nerves because now we face Argentina and Peru, which are the most important matches. We'll keep fighting because we're representing Chile at home."
Paralympic basketball is played with 12 players per team (five on the court and seven substitutes). It follows FIBA rules, with modifications for wheelchair use. The ball, court, and hoop are the same as in Olympic basketball.
Written by Marcelo López and Rodrigo Parragué; translated by Vicente Valdivia / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Felipe Poga / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
