Nurse leads Canada to AmeriCup title

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UConn senior guard Kia Nurse added to her growing collection of gold medals after scoring 12 points to help Canada defeat host Argentina 67-65 to win the FIBA AmeriCup for the second straight time.

Nurse struggled with her shot for most of the tournament, but she put Canada in front with a layup with 1:26 to play.

Miranda Ayim and Miah-Marie Langlois added 10 points each for Canada.

Canada trailed by seven points at halftime but outscored Argentina 29-13 in the third quarter before having to hold on for the victory.

Nurse had three points and a steal in the first quarter and six points in the first half, but she was also one of four Canadian players with two fouls in the first half.

Melisa Gretter had 12 points, three rebounds and an assist in the first quarter and had 15 points by halftime as host Argentina led 34-27. Gretter finished with 23 points but after making five of her first seven field-goal attempts, she missed nine of her final 13 shots many of them coming with Nurse defending her. Gretter’s final shot was a 30-footer than would have won the game and barely missed.

Canada and Argentina already clinched spots in the 2018 FIBA World Cup by advancing to the title game. Puerto Rico picked up the final berth with a 75-68 win over Brazil. Manchester’s Ashley Perez had seven points for Puerto Rico.