Central American and Caribbean Games 2026: Panama crushes Costa Rica in women's basketball debut

Panama's U20 women's basketball team launched their campaign for the Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games with an overwhelming 70-29 victory over Costa Rica in Group A play.

The match, held Saturday, July 25, at the Arena Banreservas, highlighted a significant offensive disparity between the two teams. Panama dictated the pace from the outset, securing a 15-12 lead in the first quarter. Costa Rica's offense faltered dramatically in the following periods, managing only 5, 4, and 8 points, while Panama maintained a consistent scoring progression of 18, 17, and 20 points to seal the decisive win.

Panama's effectiveness was remarkable, boasting an 83% field goal percentage (30 of 36 attempts), including an exceptional 90% from two-point range. In stark contrast, Costa Rica struggled, hitting just 43% of their field goals and missing all five of their three-point attempts. Panama also converted 57% of their three-pointers.

Individually, Sofía Ponce was the top scorer for Panama with 20 points, followed by Lya González with 14. Panama's defense was also a key factor, forcing 7 turnovers from their opponents and limiting Costa Rica's inside game, despite being outrebounded 12-6.

With this dominant performance, Panama temporarily leads their group. Their next challenge will be against Puerto Rico on July 27. Costa Rica, meanwhile, must regroup and seek a win against Nicaragua in their upcoming match to keep their tournament aspirations alive.