Monday, November 20th, 2023.- With a dominance similar to what they showed on Saturday against Peru, whom they defeated 58-28 in their debut, Argentina surpassed Chile 60-21 to secure a spot in the female wheelchair basketball semifinals at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games. 

On the court of Polideportivo 1 at the Estadio Nacional, the Argentinian quintet never saw their victory threatened, as they displayed a level higher than that of the home team from the beginning. They went into halftime with a 36-10 lead. Although they experienced their only downturn in the third quarter, losing 6-5, they recovered to close the final quarter 19-5. 

Maria Pallares was the leading scorer with 21 points, while Noemi Alvarez stood out for Chile with seven points. 

The top scorer acknowledged that there were "some nerves playing in front of that crowd, which is equally exciting. We are happy with the game; tomorrow (Tuesday) we play against the United States, a very strong team. Our goal is to give our best as a team and achieve some medal." 

Meanwhile, Chilean player Belén Molina also highlighted the large presence of the audience in the gym. "It's super exciting that it's full, that people are cheering, even though we were behind on the scoreboard, that we fall, that we commit fouls." 

In Group B, the United States team also advanced to the semifinals, defeating Peru 80-12 in the early game. 

This group will complete its matches on Tuesday with the games between Chile and Peru at 4:00 p.m. local time, and the United States against Argentina at 8:30 p.m. 

In the meantime, in Group A, only Canada has secured its place in the final four, barring a major setback in the final matches. Colombia and Brazil will compete for the other spot: the Caribbean team faces the North Americans at 8:00 a.m, while the South American giant plays against the last-placed El Salvador at 10:15 a.m. 

Written by Patricio Hernández; translated by Rocio Rojas / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport 
Ph: Karin Pozo / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport