| FINAL STANDINGS 1. Brazil 2. Argentina 3. CANADA 4. Cuba 5. Puerto Rico Mexico Colombia Jamaica Paraguay Chile | CANADIANS Chelsea Aubry (Kitchener, Ont.) Miranda Ayim (London, Ont.) Teresa Gabriele (Mission, B.C.) Kalisha Keane (Ajax, Ont.) Lizanne Murphy (Beaconsfield, Que.) Krista Phillips (Saskatoon, Sask.) Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ont.) Kadie Riverin (Ottawa, Ont.) Kim Smith (Mission, B.C.) Alisha Tatham (Brampton, Ont.) Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ont.) Shona Thorburn (Hamilton, Ont.) Allison McNeill – coach Lisa Thomaidis – assistant Mike McNeill – assistant Joan Mlynarczyk – physiotherapist Marcel Charland – therapist Anna Marie Thuss – manager Sarah Kim – team doctor Roger Friesen – psychologist Denise Dignard – head of delegation |
| POOL A | ARG | CUB | PUR | COL | CHI | Record | ||
| Argentina | —– | 65-59 | 66-61 | 66-45 | 80-50 | (4-0) | ||
| Cuba | 59-65 | —– | 67-50 | 75-65 | 62-42 | (3-1) | ||
| Puerto Rico | 61-66 | 50-67 | —– | 68-46 | 64-49 | (2-2) | ||
| Colombia | 45-66 | 65-75 | 46-68 | —– | 69-50 | (1-3) | ||
| Chile | 50-80 | 42-62 | 49-64 | 50-69 | —– | (0-4) | ||
| POOL B | BRA | CAN | MEX | JAM | PAR | Record | ||
| Brazil | —– | 56-39 | 88-61 | 73-50 | 117-34 | (4-0) | ||
| Canada | 39-56 | —– | 72-45 | 66-49 | 77-26 | (3-1) | ||
| Mexico | 61-88 | 45-72 | —– | 64-69 | 87-44 | (1-3) | ||
| Jamaica | 50-73 | 49-66 | 69-64 | —– | 69-71 | (1-3) | ||
| Paraguay | 34-117 | 26-77 | 44-87 | 71-69 | —– | (1-3) | ||
| —– |
| Semi | Argentina 61 Canada 59 | |
| Semi | Brazil 66 Cuba 53 | |
| Bronze | Canada 59 Cuba 46 | |
| Final | Brazil 74 Argentina 33 | |
In their opener, Canada clocked Mexico 72-45. “I’m really happy with our first half performance, we were outstanding defensively,” said Canadian coach Allison McNeill. “I think the start of the second half, we lost our concentration a little bit and certainly Mexico came back and played very well in the second half.” Teresa Gabriel added that “I think it was a good way to start the tournament. We came out strong and executed fairly well. Defensively, we were very good, holding Mexico to nine points in the first half. We shot the ball well and we all brought energy, which is something we’ve sometimes been lacking. It was a good first win.” McNeill said “it was a great game to get everybody some minutes. We got some good performances off the bench and we were able to rest a lot of players. It’s a long tournament and we want to make sure that people aren’t worn out in the first few games.” Canada got off to a hot start scoring the first 12 points of the game. Krista Phillips led the way, scoring six points in the first five minutes; while Courtnay Pilypaitis had five in the last five minutes of the quarter, en route to helping Canada jump out to a 19-4 lead after the opening 10 minutes. The scoring did not slow down in the second quarter for Canada as they continued to pour it on. Kim Smith, Lizanne Murphy and Keane led the attack, giving Canada a 35-9 halftime lead. Into the second half, Canada continued to maintain a comfortable lead, despite Mexico out-scoring Canada 16-12 in the third quarter. Phillips continued to lead the way offensively with five points in the quarter. Nearing the end of the third, Mexico cut the deficit to less than 20 points, but with 24 seconds left in the quarter, Chelsea Aubry hit a three-pointer to restore a healthy lead heading into the final frame. The scoring momentum continued into the fourth quarter led by Murphy and Keane, who combined for 15 of Canada’s 25 points. Kalisha Keane paced Canada with 15 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Krista Phillips added 11 on 4-7 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Courtnay Pilypaitis added 10 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Kim Smith notched 8 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Lizanne Murphy added 7 on 3-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 4 boards. Alisha Tatham added 5 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 2 assists. Teresa Gabriele added 5 on 0-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Kadie Riverin added 4 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and several unawarded assists. Chelsea Aubry notched 3 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 5 boards and 3 assists. Tamara Tatham scored 2 and Shona Thorburn 2, along with 3 assists. Miranda Ayim was scoreless. Canada hit 18-45 (.400) from the floor, 8-18 (.440) from the arc and 12-17 (.710) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 16 fouls, 14 turnovers, 7 steals and 2 blocks. Erika Gomez Lozada paced Mexico with 18 on 5-12 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 8 boards. Alexis Castro Estrada added 11 on 4-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 8 boards. Brisa Silva Rodriguez added 7, Monica Garcia Espino 4, Sofia Garcia Alvarado 3 and Lucia Sanchez Moreno 2, while Taine Ramirez Morales, Abril Garcia Alvarez, Sonia Ortega Cordova, Maylene Ornelas Aguire, Laura Nunez Guzman and Fernanda Gutierrez Torres Landa were scoreless. Mexico hit 13-26 (.360) from the floor, 3-15 (.200) from the arc and 10-14 (.710) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 16 fouls, 22 turnovers, 5 steals and 2 blocks.
Canada then got stomped 56-39 by Brazil. “I thought this was a great test for us,” said Canadian coach Allison McNeill. “Brazil is a team you have to play well against for 40 minutes and we didn’t. We played well for a good portion of the game, but we struggled offensively in the third quarter and then just lost our concentration.” Chelsea Aubry said “we had some breakdowns defensively. Offensively, we just could not find a way to put the ball in the hoop.” The game started off slow for both teams, as they each struggled from the field. Halfway through the first quarter, Canada and Brazil were knotted up at four. The two teams continued to struggle offensively until Brazil’s Damiris Dantas scored at the buzzer to tie the game at eight after the first 10 minutes. The offense began to pick up as Brazil went on a 9-2 run to start the second quarter. But a trey by Teresa Gabriele, followed by a steal and a three-pointer by Keane kept Canada within striking distance. Heading into halftime, Canada only trailed 23-20. Brazil came out on fire to start the second half, which allowed them to mount their lead. Smith scored timely points to keep the game from getting away from Canada, but Brazil still managed to take a 17-point lead after three quarters. Into the fourth quarter, despite Canada’s best efforts on both sides of the ball, they could not stage a comeback. Damiris Dantas Do Amaral paced Brazil with 13 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 11 boards. Palmira Marcal added 10 on 2-3 from the floor and 2-4 from the arc. Patricia De Oliveira Ferreira added 10 on 5-7 from the floor, 2 boards and 3 assists. Adriana Moises Pinto scored 8, Erika De Souza Machado 5, Franciele Nascimento 4, Gilmara Justino 2, Silvia Gustavo Rocha 2 and Madia Gomes Colhado 2, while Micaela Martins Jacintho, Barbara Generoso Honorio, Clarissa Dos Santos were scoreless. Brazil hit 19-46 (.410) from the floor, 5-14 (.360) from the arc and 3-4 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 17 fouls, 12 turnovers, 7 steals and 2 blocks. Miranda Ayim paced Canada with 10 on 3-9 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 3 boards and 2 blocks. Kim Smith added 6 on 3-6 from the floor and 2 boards. Kalisha Keane scored 4 on 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Alisha Tatham added 4 on 2-2 from the floor. Lizanne Murphy scored 4 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Teresa Gabriele added 3 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Krista Phillips added 2, along with 3 boards and 2 assists, Tamara Tatham 2, along with 5 boards, Shona Thorburn 2, along with 2 boards and 2 assists and Courtnay Pilypaitis 2. Kadie Riverin and Chelsea Aubry were scoreless. Canada hit 12-37 (.320) from the floor, 2-10 from the arc and 9-12 from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 7 fouls, 20 turnovers, 6 steals and 2 blocks.
In the third match, Canada clocked Paraguay 77-26. “Today was a very tough game. Paraguay has a very different style than we see in North America,” said Canadian coach Allison McNeill. “I thought we did a good job in handling their penetration. They are very small, and sometimes it is difficult to play against small teams. Our defense outstanding, holding them to only nine points in the second half. We have a day off tomorrow that we will use to get ready for Jamaica.” Lizanne Murphy said “this was a really good win for us. Coming out of our loss to Brazil last night, we really wanted to work on our offensive execution. Our team can score and do a lot of great things on offence, so this was a good game to get our confidence up and show ourselves what we are capable of. Defensively, it was good for us to work on our penetration defense. They have a lot of quick guards, so it was good preparation for us moving forward.” Canada ended the first quarter with an 11-0 run, finishing the period with a 22-6 lead. They continued a steady attack in the second quarter, closing the first half with a 43-17 lead. With momentum in their favour, Canada sustained their aggressive play, attacking the basket and putting the clamps down on defence in the second half. Kalisha Keane scored seven of Canada’s 19 points in the third quarter to help propel Canada to a 61-22 lead. Tamara Tatham and Murphy combined for nine of Canada’s 16 points in the final quarter. Kalisha Keane paced Canada with 15 on 2-8 from the floor, 3-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Lizanne Murphy scored 11 on 5-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Kim Smith added 10 on 5-9 from the floor and 3 boards. Tamara Tatham notched 8 on 1-7 from the floor, 6-6 from the line and 8 boards. Krista Phillips scored 8 on 3-9 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 7 boards. Teresa Gabriele scored 8 on 0-3 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Chelsea Aubry added 7 on 2-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 6 boards and 4 assists. Shona Thorburn scored 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Alisha Tatham scored 3 on 0-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 2 boards. Kadie Riverin scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 4 boards and 2 steals. Courtnay Pilypaitis added 2 on 0-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 4 assists and 5 steals. Miranda Ayim did not play. Canada hit 20-60 (.333) from the floor, 7-12 (.580) from the arc and 16-17 (.940) from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 20 assists, 7 fouls, 16 turnovers, 14 steals and 2 blocks. Ilda Pena Valdez led Paraguay with 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Rocio Insfran Britez added 5, along with 7 boards and 3 steals, Maria Caraves Perez 4, along with 3 boards, Maria Mercado Bordon 4, along with 4 boards, Astrid Huttemann Herrera 3, Ana Escauriza Meilicke 2 and Tamara Insgran Gonzalez 1, while Johanna Ghiringhelli Perez, Marta Peralta Ibarrola, Melina Perez Lopez, Lida Fernandez Sanches and Gloria Zalazar Vazquez were scoreless. Paraguay hit 8-37 (.220) from the floor, 2-12 (.170) from the arc and 4-6 from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 4 assists, 20 fouls, 26 turnovers, 7 steals and 1 block.
Canada closed out round robin play by dusting Jamaica 66-49. “I’m really happy with our team’s performance tonight,” said Canadian coach Allison McNeill. “We talked about dominating the boards and using our depth to tire Jamaica out, and I think we did that. Our goal was to get to the semi-finals and we’re exactly where we want to be. We’re going to play our hearts out in these next games and see where it takes us, but we’re going to give it our best effort.” The game got off to a slow start with both teams trying to find their offense in the early going. Gabriele gave Canada their biggest lead at 13-9 in the quarter with a three-pointer with three minutes remaining. However, Jamaica was solid from the free throw line, which allowed them to stay within 15-13 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, both teams started to find their offense, led by Kalisha Keane and Kim Smith, who led Canada to a 7-2 scoring run midway through the quarter to push the lead to eight. Jamaica went on a run of their own, but just as time expired before halftime, Miranda Ayim finished off a no-look pass from Shona Thorburn to give Canada a 33-25 lead. To start the third quarter, Canada pushed their lead to double-digits with back-to-back lay-ups by Teresa Gabriele and Krista Phillips. The lead continued to grow halfway through the quarter with an 8-0 scoring run led by Ayim. The run propelled Canada to take a sizeable 50-34 lead heading into the fourth. In the final frame, Canada continued to extend their lead and cruised to victory. “We’re incredibly excited,” said Kim Smith. “Coming into the summer, we had a goal of reaching the semi-finals and giving ourselves a chance to go to London. We’re going to enjoy tonight and then get ready for the semis.” Kim Smith paced Canada with 13 on 5-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 3 boards. Miranda Ayim scored 11 on 3-6 from the floor, 5-8 from the line, 6 boards and 2 blocks. Kalisha Keane added 9 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Krista Phillips added 8 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Teresa Gabriele added 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 7 boards and 4 assists. Courtnay Pilypaitis added 6 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Shona Thorburn scored 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 3 boards. Lizanne Murphy added 4 on 1-1 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 assists. Tamara Tatham notched 3 on 3-6 from the line and 4 boards. Alisha Tatham and Chelsea Aubry were scoreless, while Kadie Riverin did not play. Aubry nabbed 6 boards. Canada hit 18-41 (.440) from the floor, 5-15 from the arc, and 15-22 (.680) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 17 fouls, 19 turnovers, 6 steals and 3 blocks. Nicole Louden paced Jamaica with 22 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 6-7 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Simone Edwards added 8, Vanessa Gidden 5, along with 5 boards, Christina Mitchell 4, along with 4 boards, Simone Jackson 4, along with 4 boards, Tajay Ashmeade 2, Kimberley Bennett 2 and Rhona Mckenzie 2, while Zandria Dell, Angelee Latouche and Danielle Moseley were scoreless. Jamaica hit 13-50 (.260) from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, and 17-21 (.810) from the line, while garnering 24 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 3 assists, 17 fouls, 12 turnovers, 9 steals and 1 block.
Canada finished (3-1) in round robin play, qualifying for the semi-finals, as well as the Olympic qualifying tournament in June 2012.
In the semis, Argentina nipped Canada 61-59 as Marina Cava pilfered the ball with two seconds to play and converted a layup. “I’m very proud of our team tonight; we battled very, very hard against a strong Argentinian team,” said Canadian coach Allison McNeill. “We hurt ourselves going 7-16 from the foul line and it’s unfortunate at the end of the game when they were trying to foul us and the referees didn’t realize they had two fouls to give, that’s disappointing but I’m really proud of our players and how well we competed. We’ll come ready to play tomorrow and then get excited about next summer’s World Qualifying Tournament.” A desperation heave from Shona Thorburn came up short as the final buzzer sounded. “I thought it was a very hard-fought game by both teams,” said centre Chelsea Aubry. “Unfortunately, the ball didn’t fall our way on the last possession and we didn’t get the call that we wanted. It’s a tough break but hopefully tomorrow we can come out and get a win and finish third. We have to look forward now to the future and prepare for next year as well as we can so from there, we can go onto the Olympics.” In the first quarter, early turnovers from Canada gave Argentina a quick lead. Canada was able to get under control as the quarter went on and Thorburn provided a spark, pacing the team with four points in the opening frame. In the second quarter, Canada tightened up their defence and started to get into a better rhythm offensively. Aubry provided a huge lift, contributing six points and grabbing three rebounds. Argentina made an offensive push to close out the first half with the lead 36-28. Canada came out strong to start the second half, Lizanne Murphy made her presence felt early, getting to the free throw line, distributing the ball and drawing an offensive foul while also knocking down two shots from behind the arc. In the final frame, Canada put the clamps down defensively, attacking a tired-looking Argentinian team. With their defensive intensity high, Ayim came up with a steal and Kim Smith finished the play with a layup, giving Canada a 51-50 lead with four minutes to play. An Aubrey three-pointer pushed the lead to four, 54-50 with just under three minutes remaining. A late three by Argentina tied the score at 59 and after Canada took a timeout, Marina Cava came up with the steal which provided the victory for Argentina. Paula Reggiardo paced Argentina with 18 on 3-5 from the flo04, 4-8 from the arc, 3 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Erica Sanchez added 13 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4-7 from the line and 10 boards. Debora Gonzalez added 9, Agostina Burani 8, Sandra Pavon 5, Stephany Thomas Diaz 3, Marina Cava 2, Melisa Pavicich 2 and Ornella Santana 1, while Diana Cabrera, Melisa Gretter and Melani Soriani were scoreless. Argentina hit 17-42 (.400) from the floor, 7-17 (.410) from the arc and 6-15 (.400) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 15 fouls, 13 turnovers and 7 steals. Chelsea Aubry paced Canada with 14 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 5 boards. Lizanne Murphy added 11 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 3-6 from the line and 7 boards. Miranda Ayim added 9 on 3-7 from the floor, 3-6 from the line, 3 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Kim Smith scored 8 on 2-2 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Shona Thorburn added 4 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 4 boards and 6 assists, Krista Phillips added 4, Tamara Tatham 4, along with 4 boards, Teresa Gabriele 3, along with 6 boards, and Kalisha Keane 2, while Courtnay Pilypaitis, Kadie Riverin and Alisha Tatham were scoreless. Canada hit 17-39 (.440) from the floor, 6-21 (.290) from the arc and 7-16 (.440) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 18 fouls, 12 turnovers, 6 steals and 2 blocks.
In the bronze medal match, Canada thumped Cuba 59-46. “I’m extremely proud of our effort tonight to win the bronze medal,” said Canadian coach Allison McNeill. “After the disappointment of last night’s loss to Argentina, our players showed incredible character and mental toughness to come back and play a great game against Cuba. I thought our defence was outstanding and we got contributions from everyone that played. I’m very proud of our team tonight and so happy for them to get a medal and also for the journey ahead to get ready for the World Olympic Qualifier next summer.” Canada got out to an early lead and never looked back, playing together with a balanced attack offensively and on the boards. Teresa Gabriele provided the spark to start the game, leading all scorers with seven points in the first quarter. In the second frame Canada continued to play strong defence, limiting Cuba’s offensive chances in the opening minutes of the quarter. Cuba battled hard and were able to go on a five-point run to end the first half but Canada entered half-time leading 24-19. “I’m proud of the way that we battled back tonight, third place is a huge accomplishment and we are very happy with a bronze medal,” said Kim Smith. “We showed a lot of adversary at heart after being pretty disappointed and coming off very few hours of sleep. But in true Canadian basketball fashion we fought hard right to the end and we’re coming home with a bronze medal.” In the second half, Canada continued to pound the glass, battling for loose balls and limiting Cuba’s chances for offensive rebounds. In the final frame Canada continued their balanced attack and closed the game out strong, going on a four-point scoring run in the final minute. Kim Smith paced Canada with 13 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Teresa Gabriele added 13 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Krista Phillips added 8 on 4-7 from the floor and 3 boards. Miranda Ayim notched 7 on 2-3 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 4 boards. Shona Thorburn scored 6 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 5 boards and 4 assists. Tamara Tatham added 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 6 boards. Lizanne Murphy scored 4 on 0-1 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 2 boards. Chelsea Aubry added 4 on 2-2 from the floor and 7 boards, while Courtnay Pilypaitis, Kadie Riverin, Alisha Tatham and Kalisha Keane were scoreless. Canada hit 15-29 (.520) from the floor, 4-7 (.570) from the arc and 17-19 (.890) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 4 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 15 fouls, 25 turnovers, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Clenia Noblet Salazar paced Cuba with 12 on 4-13 from the floor, 4-5 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Oyanaisy Geliz Gonzalez added 7, Ineidis Casanova Gonzalez 5, Marlene Cepeda Valle 4, Suchitel Avila Cosanas 5, Yamara Amargo Delgado 4, Taimy Fernandez Martinez 4, Leidys Oquendo Valdes 2 and Edith Thompson Zulueta 2, while Islen Carbonelle Veranes, Lisdeyviz Martinez Valdes and Lazara Moises Dominguez were scoreless. Cuba hit 12-46 (.260) from the floor, 3-22 (.140) from the arc and 13-16 (.810) from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 3 assists, 18 fouls, 10 turnovers, 11 steals and 1 block.
Brazil’s Erika de Souza was chosen tournament MVP. Joining her on the all-tournament team were Oyanaisy Gelis Gonzalez (Cuba); Kim Smith (Canada); Erica Sanchez (Argentina) and Adriana Moises Pinto (Brazil).