Basketball: Canadian women get physical in loss to U.S.
United States 84 Canada 68
Canada wanted a stern test heading into the women’s world basketball championship and got one Saturday from the United States.
Despite dropping an 84-68 decision to the overwhelming gold-medal favourites, Canada’s willingness to mix it up right from the start impressed coach Lisa Thomaidis.
“I think when you play against the U.S., it’s an emotional game,” Thomaidis said after the contest in Antibes, France. “There’s a lot of history there between a lot of the players. I thought we played a tough game, and that is really going to help us moving forward for the World Cup.”
The Americans used a 9-0 run to start the second quarter and take command of what was a four-point game. Canada couldn’t close the gap much the rest of the way, but a willingness to bang with the Americans — the matchup between WNBAers Natalie Achonwa and Brittney Griner was particularly physical — was what stood out.
“The game got emotional early,” Thomaidis said. “It was a battle from start to finish. I was super proud of our team and our players and how they responded.”
Canada’s offence was led by 21 points from Brampton’s Shay Colley, the Michigan State junior who is one of two collegians on the roster along with Bridget Carleton, an Iowa State senior from Chatham.
Nirra Fields of Montreal had nine points and London’s Miranda Ayim eight for Canada, which shot just 30 per cent from the field.
“Coming in, we knew it was going to be very physical,” Colley said. “That’s how America plays. It’s going to be very fast and up-tempo.”
The United States, with a roster bolstered by the addition of WNBA all-stars Griner and Diana Taurasi, got 14 points from WNBA rookie of the year A’ja Wilson.
“They were more physical with us,” Wilson said. “The refs were letting us play, so the energy was definitely different. We came in with a mindset that we’re here to win, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to win.”
Canada played without veteran forward Kim Gaucher, who was at a weekend ceremony to mark her induction into the University of Utah Hall of Fame. She is expected to rejoin the team in France on Monday.
The Canadians will take on France on Sunday (1 p.m. ET) in a preview of a key world championship pool game, before finishing its preparation with a Monday game against Senegal.