July 17, 2015
TORONTO — USA Basketball and South Carolina center Alaina Coates enjoyed a much more comfortable margin in the second game of group play at the 2015 Pan American Games with a 94-55 win over the Dominican Republic at the Ryerson Athletic Centre Friday night. Coates drew her second start in as many games and poured in 14 points on perfect shooting from the field while pulling down four rebounds as well.
The U.S. dominated the Dominican Republic right out of the gate, opening an 8-0 lead before letting its opponent on the board. The Americans quickly turned an 8-4 lead with 7:32 to go in the period into a 32-6 advantage by the end of the first 10 minutes of the game. The Dominican Republic faired better on both sides of the ball in the second quarter, trailing the U.S. by just 16-15 in the period, but the Americans’ early surge left them enjoying a 48-21 lead at the half.
Coates provided the offensive spark in the third quarter, netting 10 of her 14 points in the third stanza. Seven of those points came in the first four minutes as the U.S. stretched its advantage to 55-27 and did not allow the Dominican Republic any closer.
As a team, the Americans shot 55.2 percent from the field, buoyed by Coates’ perfect 6-of-6 effort. The Gamecocks’ center’s 14 points trailed only team leader Breanna Stewart’s 16.
The U.S. is back in action on Saturday night against Puerto Rico with tipoff scheduled for 9 p.m. (ET). The game will air live on ESPN3.
