KIA COMES UP BIG
Hamilton hoops star Nurse had 20 of her 29 points in a 10-minute second-quarter outburst
TORONTO — If she’d been Michael Jordan she would have looked at the television broadcasters and shrugged.
If she’d been Reggie Miller, she’d have found a way to trash talk the Korean version of Spike Lee in a courtside seat.
Given her university pedigree, it was as if she was channelling the legendary Ray Allen.
As it was, Kia Nurse got one of those three-point shooting binges that are as wonderful to watch as they are impossible to explain, a “zone” few can comprehend and fewer still can pull off.
An astonishing second quarter — back-to-back three-pointers punctuated by a four-point play — led Nurse to a wondrous performance on Sunday as Canada rolled past South Korea 82-63 for its second straight win at the women’s world basketball championships in Tenerife, Spain.
It wasn’t precisely like the great shooting displays in NBA history, but it was something to behold as Nurse had 20 of her 29 points in a 10-minute secondquarter outburst that basically put the game away.
“My teammates are pretty incredible, they remind me each and every day to keep shooting, keep letting it fly,” Nurse told reporters after the game.
“Then, when I have enough space and time it’s usually more accurate for me and they do a great job of trying to find ways to allow me to do that.”
Nurse’s barrage led Canada to a 27-14 second-quarter blitz that gave them a comfortable 21-point halftime lead that they easily rode home to the win.
As in their first-game triumph over Greece on Saturday, Canada was able to get some important rest for key players down the stretch; they got some experience for all 12 women on the roster and weren’t too hard-pressed at any time in the game.
“I think we came out with the right energy, the right intensity and focus that allowed us to get out early in transition and score a lot of points and defensively be disruptive,” Nurse, a Hamilton native and University of Connecticut product coming off her rookie WNBA season with the New York Liberty, said.
London’s Miranda Ayim had 13 points and five rebounds; Canada shot 42 per cent from the floor and made 10 three-pointers in the comfortable victory.
The only blip was a minor ankle injury that limited Natalie Achonwa to less than 12 minutes, but team officials are confident she’ll be fine for Tuesday’s pivotal first-round finale against France.
“Nice to have the rest of the day off,” coach Lisa Thomaidis said after the morning game.
“That’s the benefit to playing early today, we get the rest of this day to watch games, a rest day tomorrow to prepare and get ready for France.”
The winner of Canada-France will finish first in Group A at the 16-team tournament and get a bye through Wednesday’s round of 16 games.
A loss to France won’t decimate Canada’s chances of playing for the country’s first FIBA women’s medal since 1986, but given the grind of the tournament and the stern tests the medal round will present, an extra day will be most welcome.