| FINAL STANDINGS 1. United States 2. Puerto Rico 3. Brazil 4. CANADA 5. Venezeula Colombia Dominican Republic U.S. Virgin Islands 9. Argentina El Salvador | CANADIANS Kayla Alexander (Milton, Ont.) Laeticia Amihere (Mississauga, Ont.) Miranda Ayim (London, Ont.) Shay Colley (Brampton, Ont.) Aaliyah Edwards (Kingston, Ont.) Nirra Fields (Montreal, Que.) Sami Hill (Toronto, Ont.) Aislin Konig (Langley, B.C.) Shaina Pellington (Pickering, Ont.) Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (Toronto, Ont.) Merissah Russell (Ottawa, Ont.) Jamie Scott (Pasco, Wash.) Lisa Thomaidis – coach Carly Clarke – assistant Steve Baur – assistant |
| POOL A | CAN | BRZ | COL | VGI | ELS | Record | ||
| Canada | —– | 71-67 | 74-40 | 101-41 | 98-41 | (4-0) | ||
| Brazil | 67-71 | —– | 79-56 | 77-56 | 118-43 | (3-1) | ||
| Colombia | 40-74 | 56-79 | —– | 72-60 | 92-67 | (2-2) | ||
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 41-101 | 56-77 | 60-72 | —– | 85-44 | (1-3) | ||
| El Salvador | 41-98 | 43-118 | 67-92 | 44-85 | —– | (0-4) | ||
| USA | PUR | VEN | DOM | ARG | Record | |||
| United States | —– | 87-65 | 102-53 | 102-39 | 2-0 | (4-0) | ||
| Puerto Rico | 65-87 | —– | 88-50 | 79-54 | 79-56 | (3-1) | ||
| Venezeula | 53-102 | 50-88 | —– | 77-66 | 2-0 | (2-2) | ||
| Dominican Republic | 39-102 | 54-79 | 66-77 | —– | 46-64 | (0-4) | ||
| Argentina | 0-2 | 56-79 | 0-2 | 64-46 | —– | (1-3) | ||
| QFs | Canada 90 Dominican Republic 53 | |
| QFs | United States 97 U.S. Virgin Islands 46 | |
| QFs | Puerto Rico 77 Colombia 69 | |
| QFs | Brazil 90 Venezeula 59 | |
| Semi | Puerto Rico 65 Canada 61 | |
| Semi | United States 71 Brazil 60 | |
| Bronze | Canada Brazil | |
| Final | United States Puerto Rico | |
AmeriCup served as the first step in the revised FIBA qualification system for World Cups. The top four teams from the tournament qualified for one of 16 spots in four World Cup 2022 qualifying tournaments February 6-14, 2022. The top three teams from each of those qualifying tournaments advance to the 12-team World Cup in Sydney, Australia from September 22-October 1, 2022. Australia, as hosts, and the Olympic champ, automatically received berths in World Cup 2022, although they were also obliged to participate in the four world qualifying tournaments.
In their AmeriCup opener, Canada dusted the U.S. Virgin Islands 101-41. Canada broke to an 18-2 lead and led 27-7, 48-13 and 64-25 at the quarters. Coach Lisa Thomaidis said “I thought we moved the ball really well. We have some dynamic players, we got into the paint, there was a collapse and we were kicking the ball out for some nice open looks. We were able to get out in transition and get some quick attacks, cause some turnovers and get out for some run outs that way. That was really, I think, what led to the quick start.” Miranda Ayim said “offence wasn’t our primary objective. We wanted some good defensive stops, making sure that our foundation and our habits were really solid for the rest of the tournament. … I think whenever a team is attacking and able to get in the key and kick it out, we had some shooters knocking it down for us, that’s a good recipe for success. … On a zoomed out aspect, we know we’re lucky to even be doing our job right now. A lot of people aren’t as fortunate. The fact that we’re able to get together and play, that’s been pretty incredible. Whenever you put the Canada [jersey] on, it’s something else. It’s pretty nice. [Today was the] first game of a long summer. It was so awesome to see the players and staff back together after such a long hiatus,” Thomaidis said. “To finally be back on the court and play, from a coach’s perspective I was just so excited to see them out there. I’m sure the players were just raring to go. We’ve had enough of playing against one another.” Shaina Pellington paced Canada with 16 on 4-5 from the floor, 8-10 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Jamie Scott added 14 on 2-3 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 3 boards and 3 assists. Nirra Fields notched 14 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Aaliyah Edwards scored 13 on 6-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Aislinn Konig added 12 on 4-9 from the floor, 4 boards, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Laeticia Amihere notched 10 on 2-4 from the floor, 6-7 from the line, 8 boards and 3 blocks. Shay Colley added 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 3 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Merissah Russell scored 6 on 2-4 from the arc. Miranda Ayim added 4 on 2-3 from the floor and 4 boards. Kayla Alexander scored 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 10 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals, while Sami Hill and Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe were scoreless. Raincock-Ekunwe nabbed 3 boards. Canada hit 34-61 (.557) overall, 19-30 (.633) from the floor, 15-31 (.483) from the arc and 18-24 (.750) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 25 assists, 21 fouls, 20 turnovers, 12 steals and 6 blocks. Anisha Briana George paced the US Virgin Island with 11 on 4-11 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Molina Williams added 10 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Akeema Sherika Richards notched 7 on 2-4 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Brittney Kevia Matthew scored 6 on 2-6 from the arc and 2 assists. Naja Ngongba added 2 on 1-2 from the floor. Lanese Sanay Bough scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc 2, boards and 3 assists. Natalie Nicole Day added 2 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 steals. Taylor Dominique Jones scored 1 on 0-1 from the arc and 1-2 from the line, while Shomyra Francis, Kadasha Berry, Alexis Boston and Imani Tate were scoreless. Tate nabbed 7 boards and dished 2 assists. Berry had 2 boards and 2 assists. The U.S. Virgin Islands (coached by Tajama Ethia Ngongba, assisted the Clint Williams) hit 16-60 (.266) overall, 13-42 (.309) from the floor, 3-18 (.166) from the arc and 6-10 from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 26 fouls, 20 turnovers, 5 steals and 1 block.
In their second contest, Canada nipped Brazil 71-67. The score was knotted at 21 after one quarter. Canada led 45-37 at the half. Brazil led 59-58 after three quarters after Thayna Silva pilfered the ball for a runout to close out the frame. Canada held Brazil to eight points in fourth quarter and took a 69-64 lead on a trey by Nirra Fields with 2:15 to play. Fields and Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe each hit a critical free throw down the stretch to maintain Canada’s four-point lead as they held on for the win. “That was such a great game for us, to challenge ourselves against a tough Brazil team,” Coach Lisa Thomaidis said. “I thought they did a great job at taking us out of some of our things, so it really forced us to have to try to get to a plan B. … I think you saw this afternoon how important [our depth] was with a number of our players picking up early fouls and being in foul trouble. That was good for us as coaches, having to adjust and put different lineups out there. Full credit to the athletes. They responded to the challenge and did a great job when called upon. … We’re not at a place where it’s seamless right now when they take away our first option and we get right into our second one. I thought we ground to a halt [in the second half] and full credit to Brazil for that. This will be really good for us. We’ll learn from this and take it forward. We scored a lot in the first half and then they made some adjustments and slowed us down so this will be a great learning opportunity. … We really had to buckle down in today’s game to get this one in the win column. We held our composure, we made shots when we needed to and we got stops when we needed to. These are the ones we love to be in before we move on. These are the ones we’re going to learn the most from.” Kayla Alexander said “I think there’s a lot of excitement and joy there, to be back on the court competing. There’s also excitement about learning and growing throughout these games. We’re not where we want to be yet, but I think we’re continuously building to get to that point. To see the gradual growth and to keep improving, I feel excited and happy and I’m motivated to keep going hard, keep working and keep improving. … I’m thankful that we had this experience because it showed us areas we need to improve upon and it was a challenge. But challenges are fun, I feel like basketball is more exciting when you’re being challenged and forced to find new ways to create, make things happen.” Nirra Fields paced Canada with 17 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Laeticia Amihere added 11 on 5-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Kayla Alexander notched 10 on 5-9 from the floor and 7 boards. Shaina Pellington scored 8 on 2-4 from the floor, 4-7 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Aislinn Konig added 6 on 2-5 from the arc and 2 assists. Shay Colley scored 6 on 0-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Jamie Scott notched 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 2 boards. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe added 5 on 1-1 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc and 6 boards. Miranda Ayim scored 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Aaliyah Edwards added 1 on 0-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Sami Hill as scoreless and Merissah Russell did not play. Canada hit 25-56 (.446) overall, 18-37 (.486) from the floor, 7-19 (.368) from the arc and 14-24 (.583) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 22 fouls, 19 turnovers and 8 steals. Clarissa Dos Santos paced Brazil with 21 on 10-16 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 11 boards and 4 steals. Taina Paixao added 15 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 7-10 from the line and 2 assists. Patty Teixeira notched 10 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Erika De Souza added 8 on 4-8 from the floor, 12 boards and 2 assists. Alana Goncalo scored 7 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Nany Carvalho notched 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Rapha Monteiro added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 4 boards. Thayna Silva scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5 boards and 3 steals, while Debora Costa, Kamilla Silva and Tassia Carcavalli were scoreless and Mari Dias did not play. Costa had 4 boards and 2 assists. Silva nabbed 2 boards. Brazil (coached by José Neto, assisted by João Camargo and Virgil Lopez) hit 24-65 (.369) overall, 20-46 (.435) from the floor, 4-19 (.211) from the arc and 15-21 (.714) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 20 fouls, 17 turnovers, 11 steals and 2 blocks.
In pool B play, Argentina suffered two forfeits after several members of their delegation tested positive for covid-19.
Canada improved to (3-0) in pool play after clocking El Salvador 98-41. Canada led 20-10, 42-12 and 69-29 at the quarters. Coach Lisa Thomaidis said “we had a lot of open looks. We’re really working on getting open shots. Getting great shots. We’re committed to that process and I thought we did it at times and there were other times that we settled for earlier, contested shots. And so we’re just going to continue to be accountable to ourselves for getting those high-quality shots, regardless of the opponent.” Thomaidis added that Shaina Pellington continued to elevate her game. “She’s a great athlete. She’s explosive. She can get out and score in transition, I think you’re seeing a lot of that right now. We’re fortunate. She’s playing well. We’re really leaning on her heavily to create for others as well. As a point guard there’s a lot of room for growth in her game, but she’s certainly performing well right now and we’re happy for that.” Thomaidis said “we’re getting there. It’s going to take some time. We’re really trying to find a balance between playing with pace and yet still getting some touches with our forwards. I think we can sometimes get lulled into dribble drives and the ball not getting inside, but we really need to make sure we’re getting some touches inside. We have some great athletes that can score from there and can score in a one-on-one situation so it’s finding the right balance right now. … [These games are] huge. We haven’t played together in 16 months so any game is such an opportunity for us. Definitely much needed. We need to find our groove again, we need to get into our rhythm. We have some new players [on our roster]. So they’re very, very valuable games for us.” Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe said “at times, it’s hard to find where I fit in this offence because it is, at the moment, I know this is going to change, but it is very guard-dominated. So it’s just finding the areas where I can score, where I can get the ball. And it’s a similar situation for Miranda (Ayim), Kayla (Alexander), Laeticia (Amihere). So we’re just learning, just finding where we fit into this offence and how we can be effective.” Shaina Pellington paced Canada with 21 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 9-10 from the line, 4 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Aislin Konig added 14 on 1-1 from the floor and 4-10 from the arc. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe added 11 on 4-5 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Sami Hill notched 10 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 6-8 from the line and 5 assists. Merissah Russell scored 9 on 0-1 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc and 2 steals. Kayla Alexander added 8 on 4-5 from the floor, 6 boards and 2 assists. Laeticia Amihere notched 8 on 3-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards and 3 assists. Jamie Scott scored 6 on 2-4 from the arc, 5 boards and 3 assists. Aaliyah Edwards added 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Nirra Fields scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 6 boards and 3 assists. Miranda Ayim added 2 on 0-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards, while Shay Colley did not play. Canada hit 32-62 (.516) overall, 21-35 (.600) from the floor, 11-27 (.407) from the arc and 23-29 (.793) from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 26 assists, 7 fouls, 16 turnovers, 7 steals and 3 blocks. Aida Elizabeth Funes Gonzalez led El Salvador with 14 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Kimberly Villalobos added 12 on 5-13 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Liliana Gabriela Alvarado Vasquez notched 4 on 2-2 from the floor. Keylin Murcia scored 4 on 2-2 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 3 steals. Maria Eugenia Mendez Galvez scored 3 on 0-1 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 3 assists. Claudia Alejandra Hernandez Gamero added 2 on 0-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Silva Vega scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Monica Xiomara Calderon Aparicio, Emily Michelle Tevez Moran, Veronica Lisbeth Sosa Quintanilla, Katherine Marielos Cubias Ramos and Carmen Maria Noyola Palucha were scoreless. Calderon Aparicio nabbed 2 boards and dished 2 assists. Tevez Moran nabbed 2 boards and blocked two shots. Cubias Ramos nabbed 2 boards. El Salvador (coached by Jose Raimundo Santana Cruz) hit 16-63 (.254) overall, 13-44 (.295) from the floor, 3-19 (.158) from the arc and 6-6 from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 21 fouls, 18 turnovers, 7 steals and 2 blocks.
Canada closed out pool play with an undefeated (4-0) record by clubbing Colombia 74-40 after leading 17-9, 34-21 and 53-33 at the quarters. Coach Lisa Thomaidis said “I thought tonight we probably had some of the best movement on offence that we had [during the tournament], getting a little bit deeper and sharing the ball. That was a real positive. I think our defence is still a work in progress that’s coming along. Our communication is getting there again. We’re still working to get back to our Canadian standard, but each game we’re growing a little bit and that’s nice to see.” Thomaidis said the team’s ability to get the ball inside to the posts was “getting better. We definitely need to continue to go in that direction and involve them. They are a strength of our team for sure. It sometimes takes a little bit longer to include them in what we’re doing and for us to be able to recognize when and where we can get them some touches, it’s coming along for sure.” Shay Colley said “it’s very good, just to get some competition against other teams instead of ourselves. [We are] really working on what we need to do for more games to come in the next round and [we’re] trying to really focus on our style of play and jell together as a team.” Thomaidis said “the last time we played at the Olympic qualifier we had some real positive results. I thought we had a lot of great momentum that had been generated up until then. Now we’re just trying to get back into that groove. We were playing some real good basketball up until that time, team-first basketball. We have to hang our hat on that, how we share the ball and how we create great shots.” Kayla Alexander paced Canada with 14 on 6-8 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards and 3 steals. Shaina Pellington added 10 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-3 from the line and 2 assists. Laeticia Amihere notched 10 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 6 boards and 2 blocks. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe scored 8 on 4-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Nirra Fields added 6 on 2-7 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Aislin Konig notched 6 on 0-1 from the floor and 2-5 from the arc. Miranda Ayim added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 2 boards and 4 assists. Shay Colley scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor and 2 steals. Jamie Scott added 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Aaliyah Edwards notched 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Sami Hill added 3 on 1-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Merissah Russell scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 3 boards. Canada hit 29-67 (.432) overall, 23-50 (.460) from the floor, 6-17 (.352) from the arc and 10-17 (.588) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 13 fouls, 11 turnovers, 12 steals and 4 blocks. Yaneth Arias paced Colombia with 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards and 2 blocks. Mabel Martinez added 6 on 3-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2 assists. Narlyn Moquera notched 6 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 9 boards and 3 assists. Manuela Rios scored 5 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the line and 4 boards. Mayra Caicedo added 4 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2-3 from the line. Maria Palacio scored 3 on 0-2 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Juliany Paz added 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 4 boards. Carolina Lopez notched 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Daniela Gonzalez added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 5 boards. Luz Asprilla scored 1 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards, while Marlyn Vente was scoreless. Colombia (coached by Luis Cuenca, assisted by Sandra Carvajal and Ricardo Pinzon) hit 16-56 (.286) overall, 15-46 (.326) from the floor, 1-10 from the arc and 7-11 (.636) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 16 fouls, 22 turnovers, 3 steals and 4 blocks.
Canada finished (4-0) in pool A play and advanced to a quarterfinal match against 4th-place pool B finisher Dominican Republic.
In the quarterfinals, Canada qualified for a World Cup 2022 qualifying tournament by thrashing the Dominican Republic 90-53 after leading 22-15, 50-35 and 77-44 at the quarters, while draining 14 treys. “That three-point shot is such a valuable one in the game today,” coach Lisa Thomaidis said. “To be able to knock down some threes at a pretty good clip has been a great sign for us and [we had] a number of people knocking them down. It’s certainly allowing us to spread the floor and then identify when to get the ball inside with some single coverage. We’re happy with that, certainly. … Sharing the ball, getting good ball movement, lots of different people touching it and then taking advantage when we get a close out. They were playing a lot of zone today, [which meant] a lot of wide-open looks for our shooters, credit to them for knocking them down and credit to the team for finding them. … We’re really emphasizing those wide-open shots. Those are the ones that we value the highest. It’s a matter of finding them and generating them. I thought we did a good job of that today.” Aaliyah Edwards said “coming to training camp we had a lot of missing pieces that we had to kind of put together and [try to get to] know one another’s strengths and weaknesses. I think as we’ve moved from training camp into this tournament we’re getting a feel for our teammates and offence and defence that we’re trying to run so that we can be more successful down the road, later in the summer.” Thomaidis said “we’re a confident group. I think we believe in each other and what our team is doing. Our focus is just on us getting better each game. We’re feeling good going into the semifinal and we’re looking forward to a tough game. It’s certainly allowing us to spread the floor and then identify when to get the ball inside with some single coverage. We’re happy with that, certainly.” Aislinn Konig paced Canada with 23 on 1-1 from the floor, 7-9 from the arc and 2 assists. Laeticia Amihere added 17 on 7-11 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 11 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Shaina Pellington notched 8 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 assists. Jamie Scott scored 8 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Shae Colley added 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Kayla Alexander notched 6 on 3-6 from the floor and 6 boards. Sami Hill scored 6 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 assists. Nirra Fields added 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 6 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Aaliyah Edwards scored 4 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 6 boards. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe added 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Miranda Ayim scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 5 boards, while Merissah Russell was scoreless. Canada hit 35-82 (.427) overall, 21-48 (.438) from the floor, 14-34 (.412) from the arc and 6-11 (.545) from the line, while garnering 54 boards, including 24 on the offensive glass, 25 assists, 12 fouls, 12 turnovers, 10 steals and 4 blocks. Yohanna Morton paced the Dominican Republic with 18 on 7-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Elemy Caridad Colome added 12 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Giocelis Reynoso notched 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 3 blocks. Sugeiry Monsac scored 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 assists. Solmilena Arias Herrera added 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 2 boards. Genesis Evangelista scored 3 on 0-1 from the arc, 1-3 from the line and 4 boards. Yamel Vanessa Breu Alvarez added 2 on 1-1 from the floor, 3 boards and 2 assists, while Flor Jones, Ashley Virginia Rojas Pena and Julady Zapata were scoreless and Marian Ines Soto Nunez did not play. Rojas Pena nabbed 3 boards and dished 3 assists. The Dominican Republic (coached by Ariel Portuondo, assisted by Gleni Altagracia Peralta Lopez and Miguel Angel Antonio Reyes Severino) hit 22-54 (.407) overall, 17-38 (.447) from the floor, 5-16 (.312) from the arc and 4-8 from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 3 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 11 fouls, 19 turnovers, 5 steals and 6 blocks.
In the semis, Puerto Rico dispatched Canada 65-61. Puerto Rico led 17-13 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 34 at the half. Puerto Rico led 50-48 after three quarters. “We certainly had our shooting woes tonight,” coach Lisa Thomaidis said. “It’s unfortunate. We had a number of people just kind of go cold after a number of great performances throughout the tournament. I thought we had a lot of open looks, certainly from the free throw line, they’re open looks, but we just couldn’t get them to go down tonight, unfortunately.” Kayla Alexander said playing host Puerto Rico and its raucus crows “gives you energy. It’s exciting to have people back in the stands, whether they’re cheering for you or against you. I don’t want to say the crowd affected our game or our performance. I feel like we let a lot of points go at the foul line. And also we have to give credit to Puerto Rico. They played great today. They got it done.” Thomaidis said “any time we get a chance to play in a close game against a team that is going to be at the Olympics it’s a tremendous gift for us. This is exactly what we want. We need close games to evaluate where we are and what we need to continue to improve. So as disappointing as it is [right now], in the long run it’s going to be a very good thing for us. Everyone pays a lot more attention after a loss than after a close win. We’re going to learn some great lessons from this game tonight. … We’ve been working a lot on playing together as a team, sharing the basketball, working hard to get great shots. That’s what we have to continue to strive towards and that’s going to be the same goal tomorrow as it was today as it was from the beginning of the tournament. We’ve got to get back together again and perform against a very tough Brazil squad tomorrow and get back to playing Canadian Basketball.” Jazmon Gwathmey paced Puerto Rico with 17 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 6-6 from the line and 3 boards. Jennifer O’Neill added 15 on 5-14 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 5 boards and 4 assists. Ali Gibson notched 11 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Pamela Rosado added 7 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 7 boards and 4 assists. Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage notched 5 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 3 boards. Tayra Melendez added 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 blocks. Isalys Quinones scored 2 on 0-2 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Dayshalee Salaman added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 4 assists. Jacqueline Mary Hop Benitez added 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc, while India Pagan, Jada Shanice Stinson and Michelle Gonzalez were scoreless. Puerto Rico (coached by Gerardo Batista, assisted by Daniel Ortiz and Carlos Calcano) hit 23-62 (.371) overall, 18-39 (.461) from the floor, 5-23 (.217) from the arc and 14-18 (.777) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 18 fouls, 9 turnovers, 5 steals and 4 blocks. Nirra Fields paced Canada with 14 on 6-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 2 boards and 2 blocks. Laeticia Amihere added 12 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-8 from the line and 11 boards. Kayla Alexander notched 11 on 4-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 8 boards. Shaina Pellington scored 8 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 5 boards. Aislinn Konig added 5 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc and 3 assists. Aaliyah Edwards notched 3 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe scored 3 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Shay Colley added 3 on 0-3 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 assists. Sami Hill scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, while Miranda Ayim, Merissah Russell and Jamie Scott were scoreless. Ayim nabbed 5 boards. Scott nabbed 3 boards and dished 2 assists. Canada hit 24-67 (.358) overall, 22-49 (.449) from the floor, 2-18 (.111) from the arc and 11-22 from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 17 fouls, 15 turnovers, 5 steals and 6 blocks.
In the bronze medal match, Brazil topped Canada 87-82 in double-overtime. The score was knotted at 16 after one quarter. Canada led 34-29 at the half. Brazil led 58-43 after three quarters. But they opened the final frame with a 6-0 run and then notched a 7-0 run to draw within three with 3:29 to play before Laticia Amihere banked a trey with 27 seconds to play to knot the score at 68 and force overtime. The score was knotted at 77 after the first extra session. “These close games are really a gift for us to be in, to be honest,” coach Lisa Thomaidis said. “We’re certainly disappointed we didn’t come out on the winning end, but it shows a lot about our team. They fought hard, hard, hard. They showed a lot of passion, a lot of grit today. We were down 15 going into the fourth and fought all the way back to send it to overtime and we had a couple of chances to win it. I’m really proud of them. They played hard. We’re only two and a half weeks into training camp and then coming to a competition like this, we’re really early on in our preparation and this is going to really identify some gaps and really help us get better because of this.” Thomaidis called Amihere “such a competitor. Like a number of these players, she’s just tough and she competes and again, she hit the three-point shot that tied the game to send it into overtime. [She’s] fearless. And she’s so young and certainly doesn’t play like she’s a young one. We’re certainly happy with how she did in this tournament.” Canada was again plagued by poor shooting from the foul-line and inconsistent marksmanship from beyond the arc. Jamie Scott said “obviously it’s disappointing losing two in a row but we learned a lot and there’s a lot to look forward to. Obviously, the Olympics this summer, but also the next step in our journey at Worlds in Australia. I think the future is very bright and I’m definitely excited for it.” Taina Paixao paced Brazil with 19 on 4-10 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc and 2-2 from the line, while garnering 2 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals. Clarissa Dos Santos added 19 on 6-13 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 8 boards. Patty Teixeira notched 10 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 assists. Erika De Souza added 10 on 5-6 from the floor, 10 boards and 3 assists. Debora Costa scored 10 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 5 boards and 6 assists. Kamilla Silva notched 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Thayna Silva added 6 on 3-5 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 steals. Alana Goncalo scored 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 5 assists, while Tassia Carcavalli and Rapha Monteiro were scoreless and Mari Dias and Nany Carvalho did not play. Carcavalli nabbed 2 boards. Brazil (coached by José Neto, assisted by João Camargo and Virgil Lopez) hit 35-77 (.455) overall, 26-50 (.520) from the floor, 9-27 (.333) from the arc and 8-11 (.727) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 24 assists, 17 fouls, 22 turnovers, 5 steals and 4 blocks. Laeticia Amihere paced Canada with 22 on 7-18 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2-5 from the line, 11 boards and 2 steals. Kayla Alexander added 13 on 6-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Shaina Pellington notched 12 on 5-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Aislinn Konig scored 11 on 1-4 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 5 boards and 8 assists. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe added 9 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Jamie Scott scored 9 on 3-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 9 boards. Shay Colley added 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Aaliyah Edwards scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 3 boards, while Sami Hill and Miranda Ayim were scoreless, and Nirra Fields and Merissah Russell did not play. Hill had 2 assists. Canada hit 34-86 (.395) overall, 28-66 (.424) from the floor, 6-20 (.300) from the arc and 8-17 (.471) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 17 fouls, 17 turnovers, 9 steals and 3 blocks.
The all-tournament team featured MVP Rhyne Howard (United States); Clarissa Dos Santos (Brazil); Elissa Cunane (United States); Manuela Rios (Colombia); and Jennifer O’Neill (Puerto Rico).
September/2021
In the wake of Canada’s disappointing ninth-place finish at the Olympics, Canada Basketball essentially turfed senior women’s coach Lisa Thomaidis, saying that had “mutually agreed to part ways.” Canada Basketball executive vice-president, women’s high performance, Denise Dignard said in a statement that “after careful consideration and discussion with Lisa, we both recognize that this is a necessary step that out program must make in our continued pursuit of a place on the podium at the highest level of international competitions, as well as for Lisa, both personally and professionally. There is no doubt that Lisa has been instrumental in the long-term growth and success of this team, including leading us a program-best fourth in the FIBA World rankings.” Thomaidis said “leading our Canadian Senior Women’s National Team over the last nine years has been the highest honour and an absolute privilege. Our accomplishments have been historic and ones that took working with a true team to achieve.” Thomaidis assumed the women’s helm in 2013, after serving 12 years as an assistant to Allison McNeill. Thomaidis coached Canada to two consecutive Olympic appearances at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, as well as a fifth-place finish at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women, the country’s highest ever finish at the tournament. Thomaidis-led teams also earned gold medals at the 2015 Pan American Games, the 2015 FIBA Americas Women’s Championship and the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2017. Her record at the national team helm was 83-44.
January/2022
Canada Basketball appoints 46-year-old Spanish assistant coach Victor Lapena as head coach of the national team and Seattle Storm (WNBA) coach Noelle Quinn as lead assistant. Lapena received a multi-year contract through the 2024 Paris Olympics. “I’m not a wizard, for sure,” Lapena told Canadian Press. “It’s not possible to say ‘Hey, come on, let’s go to play Victor Lapena basketball. No, this is very difficult.” Lapena called his appointment “a new adventure. … I will do my best to push the national team to the next level. … To know the players in one or two days is very difficult, but the information I’m going to receive about them is as a player, as a person, as a teammate. So, I will try to mix all the information I have to create good correlation between them, to play simple basketball, and to try to *have the best game plan to give problems to our rivals. In one month, we will see the result. It is very difficult, but I love it, this is what I love to enjoy and to live.” Lapena told CBC that “our challenge will be [to] give confidence to the stars of the future, while not forgetting all the good that has been done to get the team to this point. That to me is the cornerstone of building a winning team and culture.” Canada Basketball high performance director Denise Dignard said “post-Tokyo we did get some feedback from the athletes, and some valuable feedback. The priority was to find a head coach with top-level professional and international women’s basketball coaching experience and success, so we found a candidate in Victor that exceeds our expectations in both that pro and FIBA experience and success.” President and CEO Michael Bartlett said in making the selections, Canada Basketball “certainly, as we refined the criteria for our head coaching search, the pro and international women’s head coaching experience was really at the top of the list. And the reality of that situation is that the Canadian coaching tree right now isn’t deep with that experience.” That, of course, begged the question as to how Canadians could obtain such international experience if they weren’t being selected to coach the national program. Bartlett told CBC that ‘We’re going to double-down on our investment to make sure that we’re developing that next generation of Canadian coaches so that many years down the line when we’re doing another search like this, Canadians have international and pro head coaching jobs [and] are part of that candidate pool for us. … That’s on us as a federation to make sure of that, We can’t just expect people to achieve it. We have to invest in them to be able to do so.” Lapena, a native of Zaragoza, Spain, was head coach of the 2007 Spanish U17 team that finished 8th at the world championships and coached the U17 team to silver medals in 2012 and 2014. He was an assistant with the Spanish senior team that won silvers at the worlds in 2014 and 2016, and bronze in 2018. He also was an assistant with squad that won silver at the 2016 Olympic, and was head coach of the U17 that finished 7th at the worlds in 2016. Upon appointment to the helm of the Canadian senior women’s team, he was coach of Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Super League. Quinn, a native of Los Angeles, retired from the WNBA in 2018, joining the Storm as an assistant in 2019 and then as an associate in 2020. Quinn said Canada’s future success will rest on chemistry. “Everyone is in different areas playing on different clubs, and the biggest thing that I’ve learned coming in as a player and even as a young coach, sometimes as coaches you try to over analyze and think a lot, but simplicity is key. We have a lot of great people, a lot of great players, and that’s the easy part, bringing them all together, but strategically you can’t overdo it, you have to simplify things, play hard and be competitive and just go all out.”