Puerto Rico secured a knockout spot for the first time on Tuesday by defeating South Korea in a “fairytale” 92-73 victory, securing the final quarter-final spot at the women’s basketball World Cup.Mya Hollingshed had a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds in the decisive match on the ten-day tournament’s final day of group games in Sydney.The Koreans were eliminated early as a result of their loss, while 17th-ranked Puerto Rico advanced with two wins out of five in Group A. Puerto Rico seized the initiative early on to create an 18-point advantage after the first quarter.
The Koreans, who were without injured ace player Park Ji-su, fought back in the much closer second and third quarters and prevailed in the fourth, but their sluggish start proved to be fatal.
Coach Jerry Batista of Puerto Rico said, “Obviously very happy of our team, we have a mix of young players with senior guys.””Really for us who have been working and trying to improve Puerto Rico basketball for a couple of years, it is so fantastic.It is comparable to a fable and demonstrates that anything is possible with hard work, he continued.
