The Spanish women’s wheelchair basketball team, classified for the first time in its history by sporting merits for a Paralympic Games, debuted in Tokyo with a resounding defeat against the United States (34-68), in a duel in which the performance of Isabel López stood out with eleven points.
The presence in Tokyo of the women’s team is historical because this It is the first time that Spain has played a Games with direct qualification and not with an invitation as in Barcelona’92, which it did as the host country. They obtained the ticket after a creditable fourth place in the European Championship in Rotterdam 2019.
In his debut against the United States, the team led by Abraham Carrión was always below the scoreboard although during the first two quarters, despite the points disadvantage, there were sections in which they put the American players in trouble.
The trident formed by Natalie Scheneider, Rose Hollerman and Courtney Ryan was lethal for Spain, who could not stop the rival players in defense, who ended up adding, among the three, 51 of the 68 points of the United States.
The last quarter, with only three points, weighed heavily on Spain’s options of minimally trimming the result.
“Those nerves and perhaps that anxiety of the debut has been noticed. We have not made the best shooting decisions and the success in the outside shot and easy shots under the basket have not entered. We are a team that gets bigger, the competition advances and hopefully we can go to the round, “said Sara Revuelta, at the end of the match.
Spain is in Group B along with China, the Netherlands, the United States and Algeria. In A are Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Germany and Japan. The first four of each group go to the round to play the quarterfinals.
Data sheet:
68 – United States (18 + 14 + 21 + 15): Darlene Hunter (6), Natalie Schneider (13), Rose Hollerman (20), Lindsey Zurbrugg (7) and Courtney Ryan (18) – starting five – Alejandro Ibáñez, Abigail Bauleke, Zoe Voris, Josie Aslakson (2), Kaitlyn Eaton, Bailey Moody (2) and Ixheit González.
34 – Spain (11 + 9 + 11 + 3): Sonia Ruiz (7), Sara Revuelta, Vicky Pérez (8), Almudena Montiel and Isabel López (11) -initial quintet- Lourdes Ortega, Beatriz Zudaire (4), Judith Núñez, Vicky Alonso (4), Michell Navarro, Agurtzane Eguiluz and María Ruiz.