Wake Forest Athletics
Sandra Garcia and Puerto Rico Win First Centrobasket Title
7/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
July 15, 2010
Centrobasket Championship For Women Photo Gallery
PUERTO RICO - Wake Forest rising-sophomore Sandra Garcia and the Puerto Rican National Team claimed its first Centrobasket Championship for Women title Wednesday evening with a 72-48 victory over Jamaica.
Garcia played a total of 15 minutes in the championship game, scoring three points on 1-of-3 from the floor and grabbing two rebounds. She also recorded one of the team's two blocked shots.
Puerto Rico wasted little time in grabbing a lead as it raced out to a 24-12 advantage after the first quarter. Jamaica then closed to gap to 37-30 at the break but the Puerto Ricans won the third quarter 20-5 to take an insurmountable 57-35 with a quarter to go.
Puerto Rico finished the tournament a perfect 5-0 and outscored its opponents by a total of 190 points. Jamaica finished 4-1 while Mexico defeated Trinidad and Tobago in the third-place game to also finish 4-1. All three teams earned an invitation to the 2011 FIBA-Americas Championship (Pre-Olympic) as well as the 2011 Pan-American Games.
In the semifinals on Tuesday night, Mexico jumped out to a 23-17 lead after the first quarter and it marked the first time Puerto Rico had trailed at the end of a quarter all tournament. But a 15-2 spurt early in the second quarter erased the deficit and the Puerto Ricans would go on to a 78-64 victory. Garcia again played 15 minutes and was 4-of-6 from the floor for 10 points and also grabbed four rebounds.
For the tournament, the Hollywood, Fla., native scored 40 points and pulled down 17 rebounds in 66 minutes of action.
