Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic secured a gold double in 3×3 basketball after defeating Puerto Rico in the men’s category and Venezuela in the women’s category, at the 2026 Santo Domingo Central American and Caribbean Games.
In an intense clash in the men’s division, the Dominicans took the match 18-16, after holding off a late rally from the Puerto Ricans.
In the first few minutes, those from the ‘Island of Enchantment’ took a 5-0 lead, but the Dominicans reacted with consecutive baskets and closed the gap to 5-4, before the two-minute mark of the game.
Puerto Rico seemed to be heading toward victory as they had more ball possessions and more shots at the basket.
However, the Dominicans went from less to more and tied the game at 10 points, with 6 minutes left to play. The lead extended to 14-10, due to the push from Rayner Moquete, who finished with eight points and a shooting efficiency of 1.14.
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You can also read: Dominican Republic wins gold in women’s 3×3 basketball at the Central American and Caribbean Games | De Último Minuto | Today’s news in the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic dominated the rebounds and their rivals missed several two-point shots at key moments.
The experienced Gerardo Suero, who until recently was part of the Dominican national indoor basketball team, contributed four points, while Shamil Ballas scored six points.
Puerto Rico had in Jorge Matos its top scorer with seven points, plus 4 from Ángel Matías and three from Antonio Ralat.
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More gold for the women
The Dominican women’s team was more dominant than the Venezuelans, whom they defeated 21-11, in a somewhat erratic match, mainly for the South Americans.
The Venezuelan team began by dominating the scoreboard, supported by Bárbara Pico, who scored four of her six points in the first two minutes of the game.
The Dominican Republic never found their rhythm with long-range shooting, but they knew how to take advantage of their better ball control and height to keep adding points from the paint area.
Esmery Martínez, at 1.90 meters tall, was dominant under the rim and, along with Cesarina Capellán, scored seven points each, making the difference in the match.
María de la Rosa contributed four goals and Yadira Polanco three to complete the total for the Dominicans.
The matches were held at a crowded Sports Malecón located on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, in the Dominican capital.
