Puerto Rico’s women’s national basketball team, coached by Jerry Batista, rose one spot in the FIBA world rankings, now standing 12th, above Italy, following its performance at the 2026 World Cup in Berlin, Germany. This marked Puerto Rico’s third consecutive World Cup appearance, after 2018 and 2022. The team opened with losses to Australia (70-54) and Belgium (76-64), both top-five ranked squads.
Puerto Rico then beat Turkey 75-71, its first-ever win over Turkey in women’s play, advancing to an elimination game against China, which it lost 75-72 in a close finish decided in the final seconds. Standout individual performances came from Trinity San Antonio, 22, who averaged 5.0 steals and 12.7 points per game in group play and had 24 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals against China, and Imani McGee-Stafford, who averaged 13.0 rebounds per game and scored 25 points with 13 rebounds in the win over Turkey.