Despite a 65-61 loss Thursday against the Dominican Republic, the USVI women’s team will still be moving to the semifinals of the Caribbean Basketball Conference tournament in Tortola, where they will face off against Jamaica for a bid in Saturday’s finals.
The USVI squad has had a good showing in the tournament so far, rounding out Group A with a 2-1 record. Teams from the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas have similar standings, but the Bahamas has been officially knocked out of contention for a medal, according to other sports news reports.
In Thursday’s game, the USVI team jumped on the board early with a three-pointer from Yamiel Abreau but didn’t make a play again until the last six minutes of the first quarter, when a Tanecka Carey two-pointer started a 6-0 run that allowed the team to pull within a point of the Dominican Republic, 7-6.
But the Dominican Republic fought back with a three-pointer from Jennifer Estrella, who scored 12 points in the first half alone. The USVI followed with a series of three-pointers that cut the deficit to 16-16, but the Dominican Republic opened the second quarter with a run that kept them in the lead. The team stayed ahead by as much as 12 points, and went into halftime with a 37-27 lead.
Team USVI moved to rebound in the fourth, outscoring the Dominican Republic 19-11 and pushing through their defense, but in the end, the Dominican Republic held on for the win. Despite the loss, USVI’s coach Tajama Abraham said she was proud of how her team played. Cleaning up a few of the errors, playing defense and staying aggressive could give the USVI a chance at a medal, she added.
