| FINAL STANDINGS 1. Brazil 2. Cuba 3. CANADA 4. Mexico 5. Argentina 6. Chile 7. Dominican Republic | CANADIANS Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ont.) Leighann Doan (Halkirk, Alta.) Tamara Sutton Brown (Markham, Ont.) Shona Thorburn (Hamilton, Ont.) Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl (Kuala Lampur, Malaysia) Teresa Kleindienst (Mission, B.C.) Kimberly Smith (Mission, B.C.) Dianne Norman (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) Caroline Bouchard (Richmond, B.C.) Nicole Johnson (Niagara Falls, Ont.) Michelle Hendry-Carpay (Terrace, B.C.) Susan Murray (Mississauga, Ont.) Allison McNeill – coach Linda Marquis – assistant Mike McNeill – assistant Lisa Thomaidis – apprentice coach Anne Marie Thuss – manager Joan Mlynarczyk – physiotherapist Ira Smith – doctor |
| POOL A | CUB | CAN | ARG | DOM | Record | ||
| Cuba | —– | 77-63 | 79-58 | 102-50 | (3-0) | ||
| Canada | 63-77 | —– | 57-56 | 92-35 | (2-1) | ||
| Argentina | 58-79 | 56-57 | —– | 104-73 | (1-2) | ||
| Dominican Republic | 50-102 | 35-92 | 73-104 | —– | (0-3) | ||
| POOL B | BRZ | MEX | CHI | Record | |||
| Brazil | —– | 114-53 | 102-45 | (2-0) | |||
| Mexico | 53-114 | —– | 54-53 | (1-1) | |||
| Chile | 45-102 | 53-54 | —– | (0-2) | |||
| 5-7th | Chile 81 Dominican Republic 60 | |
| Semi | Cuba 76 Mexico 49 | |
| Semi | Brazil 71 Canada 65 | |
| 5th | Argentina 85 Chile 46 | |
| Bronze | Canada 71 Mexico 34 | |
| Final | Brazil 90 Cuba 81 | |
In their opener, Canada nipped Argentina 57-56 in overtime after leading 18-6, 29-20 at the first quarters and being tied 35-35 at the three-quarter mark. With Canada leading 57-53 in the final minute, Argentina converted on a three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining to cut the lead to one. Despite pressure from the Argentinean side in the game’s final seconds, Canada was able to hold on for the victory. The Canadians, who trailed by two points late in the fourth quarter, were able to force an extra period when Claudia Brassard’s put back with 11 seconds remaining tied the game at 48-48. In the opening half, Canada played some phenomenal defence, limiting Argentina to just 1-for-18 (5.5%) from two-point range while holding their opponents to only 6-for-35 (17.1%) shooting. Team Canada also controlled the boards in the first two quarters, outrebounding the South Americans by a total of 24-10. To start the third period, the Argentineans began to come alive offensively as a pair of three-pointers cut Canada’s lead to 31-28 midway through the quarter. Another late surge to close the period enabled Argentina to tie the score at 35-35 heading into the final frame. “This was our first international game with the whole team together”, said coach Allison McNeill. “We played with courage and gutsy defensive play in the fourth quarter and in overtime. With this win we are still on track with our objective to rank first in our pool”. Stacey Dales led Canada with 12 points on, 0-4 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards, 2 steals and 2 assists. Michelle Carpay added 10 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Kim Smith scored 10 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Carolin Bouchard scored 8 on 1-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Teresa Kliendienst scored 6 on 3-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2 boards and 4 assists. Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl scored 4 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 steals. Leighann Doan notched 4 on 0-4 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 6 boards. Tamara Sutton-Brown added 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 9 boards. Dianne Norman notched 1, along with 2 boards and 2 steals, while Shona Thorburn and Nicole Johnson were scoreless. Canada shot 9-34 (.260) from the floor, 8-17 (.470) from the arc and 15-20 (.750) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 18 fouls, 31 turnovers, 13 steals and 2 blocks. Marcela Paoletta led Argentina with 22 points on 3-6 from the floor, 5-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards and 4 assists. Erica Sanchez scored 18 on 2-8 from the floor, 4-10 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Alejandra Chesta scored 8 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-10 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Veronica Soberon added 4 on 1-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-6 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Noelia Mendoza added 4 while Natalia Rios, Sandra Pavon, Paula Garri, Maria Fernandez and Florencia Fernandez were scoreless. Argentina shot 7-33 (.210) from the floor, 12-32 (.380) from the arc and 6-13 (.460) from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 22 fouls, 23 turnovers, 8 steals and 1 block.
In game two, Cuba defeated Canada 77-63 after leading 19-18, 43-33, and 63-51 after the quarters. “We are obviously disappointed with tonight’s loss,” said coach Allison McNeill. “Having said that, we know that with a win tomorrow we can achieve our preliminary goal of qualifying for the medal round.” To begin the game, Team Canada displayed some deft scoring touch as McNeill’s squad connected on their opening five shots. Despite an excellent offensive first period that saw the national side miss only three field goals, Cuba matched Canada shot-for-shot and took a 19-18 lead after 10 minutes of play. Tied at 24-24 in the second quarter, Cuba began to pull away in the closing minutes as the 2003 Pan American Games gold medalists knocked down several clutch baskets to open up a 43-33 lead at the break. In the third quarter, Cuba continued their hot shooting while holding Canadian scorers at bay with an effective zone defence. Canada trailed 63-51 after 30 minutes and was unable to make a serious charge in the final frame. Yulizenia Soria led Cuba with 25 points on 4-6 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 4 boards. Suchitel Avila added 15 on 3-4 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 steals. Yakelin Plutin notched 14 on 7-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5 boards and 3 steals. Yamile Martinez scored 13 6-15 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 steals. Yaima Boulet added 4, Licet Castillo 3, along with 3 boards, Milaisis Duany 2, along with 4 boards and Oyanaisis Gelis 1, while Lisdeivis Victores and Judith Aguila were scoreless. Cuba shot 23-46 (.500) from the floor, 8-20 (.400) from the arc and 7-10 from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 17 fouls, 9 turnovers and 11 steals. Stacey Dales and Tamara Sutton-Brown each scored 11 for Canada. Dales notched 11 on 1-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 3 boards and 3 assists. Sutton-Brown scored 22 on 4-7 from the floor, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Kim Smith scored 10 on 5-6 from the floor, 04 from the arc and 6 boards. Michelle Carpay scored 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 3 boards. Carolin Bouchard scored 9 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Teresa Kleindienst scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 3 assists. Dianne Norman scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 7 boards. Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl added 2 and Leighann Doan 2, while Shona Thorburn, Nicole Johnson and Susan Murray were scoreless. Johnson nabbed 3 boards. Canada shot 20-35 (.570) from the floor, 5-16 (.310) from the arc and 8-8 from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 14 fouls, 23 turnovers, 1 steal and 3 blocks.
Canada throttled the Dominican Republic 92-35, leading 26-14, 54-21 and 90-30 at the quarters. The Canadians jumped on the Dominican Republic early and then blew things wide open in the second period, outscoring the Dominican Republic 28-7 to lead 54-21 at the break. Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl led Canada with 17 points on 8-12 from the floor, 1-3 from the line and 6 boards. Michelle Carpay scored 12 on 5-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Leighann Doan scored 12 on 5-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Stacey Dales scored 10 on 2-2 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 5 boards and 4 assists. Tamara Sutton-Brown scored 8 on 4-5 from the floor and 2 boards. Shona Thorburn scored 8 on 1-1 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Kim Smith added 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Susan Murray added 7 on 1-4 from the floor, 2 boards and 2 assists. Carolin Bouchard notched 5 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 assists. Dianne Norman scored 4 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 9 boards. Nicole Johnson added 1, along with 5 boards and 3 assists, while Teresa Kleindienst was scoreless, nabbed 2 boards and dished 6 assists. Canada shot 31-44 (.700) from the floor, 5-22 (.230) from the arc and 15-21 (.710) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 26 assists, led by Kleindienst’s 6, 12 fouls, 8 turnovers and 3 steals. Juana Duran led the Dominican Republic with 22 points on 6-20 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 7-8 from the line and 3 boards. Andreina Paniagua scored 7 on 1-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 3 boards. Liannet Montilla added 3, along with 4 boards and 2 steals, and Charlenny Frias 3, along with 2 boards, while Laritza Diaz, Any Fajardo, Diomagda Genao and Johanna Morthon were scoreless. The Dominican Republic shot 7-39 (.180) from the floor, 4-14 (.290) from the arc and 9-11 (.820) from the line, while garnering 14 defensive rebounds, 4 assists, 15 fouls, 10 turnovers, 6 steals and 1 block.
In the semis, Brazil defeated Canada 71-65, after leading 21-17, 40-36, and 53-46 at the quarters. The Canadians received a balance scoring attack from the entire team, as all 10 players who saw the floor found their way onto the scoresheet. “I’m very proud of the effort our team put forth this evening”, said coach Allison McNeill. “We played extremely hard and extremely well this evening against a very talented Brazilian team. Our team defence was simply outstanding but unfortunately we didn’t have an answer for Janet (Dos Santos).” Trailing 40-36 at the half, Canada continued to keep pace with the Brazilians and trailed by just seven points (53-46) entering the final frame. In the fourth quarter, Brazil began to pull away as Kelly Da Silva Santos’ basket, 1:46 into the period, gave the 2003 Pan American Games bronze medalists their largest lead of the game at 58-48. Down by 10 points, the Canadians continued to attack the Brazilians as the national side stepped up their defence and held their opponent scoreless for over five minutes. Having cut the lead to 58-54, the Senior Women could not get any closer as Brazil made some clutch shots down the stretch to hold off Canada. Janeth Dos Santos led Brazil with 31 points on 10-13 from the floor, 11-11 from the line, 9 boards and 3 steals. Cintia Tuiu Dos Santos added 9 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 2 assists. Kelly Da Silva Santos added 9 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Adrianinha Pinto scored 8 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 3 boards and 3 assists. Helen Santos added 7 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Iziane Castro scored 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Micaela Jacinto scored 2, while Leila Desouza and Alessandra Santos were scoreless. Santos nabbed 4 boards. Brazil shot 23-38 (.610) from the floor, 3-13 (.230) from the arc and 16-22 (.730) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 17 fouls, 15 turnovers, 9 steals and 2 blocks. Tamara Sutton-Brown and Carolin Bouchard each scored 12 for Canada. Sutton-Brown scored 12 on 4-12 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 11 boards and 2 steals. Bouchard scored 12 on 1-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc and 1-2 from the line before fouling out. Kim Smith added 11 points on 4-4 from the floor and 1-4 from the arc. Teresa Kleindienst scored 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 assists and 2 steals. Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Dianne Norman notched 5 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-6 from the line and 2 boards. Nicole Johnson scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor and 1-2 from the arc. Leighann Doan scored 2, Michelle Carpay 2, along with 2 boards, and Stacey Dales 1, along with 5 boards. Canada shot 17-42 (.400) from the floor, 6-17 (.350) from the arc, and 13-20 (.650) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 21 fouls, 17 turnovers, 5 steals and 1 block.
In the bronze medal match, Canada pummelled Mexico 71-34 despite trailing 19-15 at the first quarter as the Mexicans came out firing from long range. The host team converted on five of their nine attempts from beyond the arc to stake themselves to an early lead. The Canadians responded with some long-distance scoring of their own to start the second quarter as the national side knocked down four consecutive three-pointers as part of a 14-0 run to begin the period. Canada led 40-25 at the half. The start of the second half was delayed for approximately 35 minutes after a rainstorm exposed some leaks in the ceiling of the arena in Culiacan, Mexico. Tournament organizers had seemingly prepared for the possibility of rain by hanging large plastic sheets over the holes in the ceiling. Unfortunately, the water on the plastic sheets began dripping over the side and onto the court, forcing play to be halted. When the game did resume, Canada picked up right where they left off, outscoring Mexico 16-9 in the third quarter to take an insurmountable 56-34 lead heading into the final frame. In the fourth quarter, the Canadian women turned in arguably their best defensive performance of the tournament, holding Mexico scoreless for the entire 10 minutes of play. They led 40-25 at the half and 56-34 at the three-quarter market, holding Mexico scoreless in the final frame. Carolin Bouchard led Canada with 17 points on 4-4 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 3 boards and 3 steals. Stacey Dales scored 13 on 1-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Nicole Johnson scored 11 on 1-3 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 10 boards and 4 assists. Leighann Doan scored 8 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 7 boards. Shona Thorburn scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 5 boards and 4 assists. Tamara Sutton-Brown scored 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl scored 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 8 boards and 3 assists. Dianne Norman scored 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 5 boards. Kim Smith added 2, along with 3 boards, and Susan Murray 2, along with 5 boards and 2 assists, while Teresa Kleindienst was held scoreless, nabbed 4 boards and dished 2 assists. Canada shot 17-47 (.360) from the floor, 10-22 (.450) from the arc and 7-9 (.780) from the line, while garnering 56 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 22 assists, 12 fouls, 21 turnovers, 9 steals and 2 blocks. Abril Garcia led Mexico with 18 points on 3-14 from the floor, 4-10 from the arc, 9 boards and 3 steals. Araceli Arguello scored 6 on 2-8 from the arc and 3 assists. Nubia Garcia added 3, along with 5 boards and 2 steals, Veronica Arroyos 3, along with 4 boards, Martha Camacho 2 and Sonia Ortega 2, while Olivia Acosta, Maria Orozco, Diana Fonseca, Rosa Rosales, Ana Lechuga and Violeta Garcia were scoreless. Mexico shot 5-38 (.130) from the floor, 8-28 (.290) from the arc and 0-2 from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 15 fouls, 16 turnovers, 11 steals and 3 blocks.