| FINAL STANDINGS 1. Croatia France Turkey Czech Republic 5. CANADA 6. Japan 7. Argentina Korea 9. Puerto Rico New Zealand Mozambique Mali | CANADIANS Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, Ont.) Chelsea Aubry (Kitchener, Ont.) Miranda Ayim (London, Ont.) Teresa Gabriele (Mission, B.C.) Lizanne Murphy (Beaconsfield, Que.) Krista Phillips (Saskatoon, Sask.) Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ont.) Michelle Plouffe (Edmonton, Alta.) Kim Smith (Mission, B.C.) Alisha Tatham (Brampton, Ont.) Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ont.) Shona Thorburn (Hamilton, Ont.) Allison MacNeill – coach Lisa Thomaidis – assistant Mike MacNeill – assistant Erin McAleenan – manager Joan Mlynarczyk – therapist Doug Richards – doctor Marcel Charland – assistant therapist Jennifer Bushell – assistant therapist Roger Friesen – psychologist |
| POOL A | TUR | JPN | PUR | Record | ||
| Turkey | —– | 65-49 | 65-53 | (2-0) | ||
| Japan | 49-65 | —– | 79-70 | (1-1) | ||
| Puerto Rico | 53-65 | 70-79 | —– | (0-2) | ||
| POOL B | CZE | ARG | NZL | Record | ||
| Czech Republic | —– | 68-54 | 70-51 | (2-0) | ||
| Argentina | 54-68 | —– | 54-51 | (1-1) | ||
| New Zealand | 51-70 | 51-54 | —– | (0-2) | ||
| POOL C | CRO | KOR | MOZ | Record | ||
| Croatia | —– | 83-75 | 84-62 | (2-0) | ||
| Korea | 75-83 | —– | 71-65 | (1-1) | ||
| Mozambique | 62-84 | 65-71 | —– | (0-2) | ||
| POOL D | FRA | CAN | MAL | Record | ||
| France | —– | 56-47 | 87-33 | (2-0) | ||
| Canada | 47-56 | —– | 89-23 | (1-1) | ||
| Mali | 33-87 | 23-89 | —– | (0-2) | ||
| QFs | Croatia 59 Canada 56 | |
| QFs | Czech Republic 53 Japan 47 | |
| QFs | Turkey 72 Argentina 58 | |
| QFs | France 80 Korea 63 | |
| 5-8th | Canada 58 Argentina 41 | |
| 5-8th | Japan 79 Korea 51 | |
| 5th | Canada 71 Japan 63 | |
In their opener, Canada pounded Mali 89-23 after leading 22-6, 46-10 and 65-14 at the quarters. “We are happy to get our opening game under our belts and get the nerves out,” said Canadian coach Allison McNeill. “Mali showed a lot of heart and played very hard throughout the game. It was great to see all our players on the score sheet tonight. I’m happy that we got through this game.” Mali took a 6-3 lead but Canada responded with a 19-0 run to take a 22-6 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, Canada was able to run their offence very efficiently and the defense was also up to task as they limited Mali to four points. Canada had 11 different players score in the half, after which they led 46-10 and romped. Courtnay Pilypaitis paced Canada with 15 on 1-5 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 6 boards and 10 assists. Kim Smith notched 11 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 8 boards. Miranda Ayim added 10 on 5-8 from the floor, 3 boards and 3 steals. Tamara Tatham added 9 on 4-6 from the floor and 8 boards. Teresa Gabriele added 9 on 1-1 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 3 boards. Lizanne Murphy scored 8 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Natalie Achonwa notched 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the line and 3 boards. Krista Phillips scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 blocks. Alisha Tatham added 5 on 2-4 from the floor and 4 boards. Shona Thorburn scored 4 on 4-4 from the line, 3 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Chelsea Aubry added 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Michelle Plouffe added 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 4 boards. Canada hit 31-65 (.477) overall, 24-46 (.522) overall, 7-19 (.368) from the arc and 20-28 (.714) from the line, while garnering 63 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 22 assists, 17 fouls, 20 turnovers, 9 steals and 5 blocks. Nassira Traore paced Mali with 7 on 3-14 from the floor and 1-4 from the line. Fanta Charlos Guindo added 6, Aminata Sininta 3, along with 9 boards, Adizatou Aboubacar Maiga 2, Fatoumata Bagayoko 2, Diana Leo Gandega 2 and Aminata Sissoko 2, while Dejenebou Damba, Farima Toure, Djenaba Samake and Aminata Fakoro Traore were scoreless. Mali hit 8-52 (.154) overall, 6-40 (.150) from the floor, 2-12 (.167) from the arc and 5-14 (.357) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 2 assists, 22 fouls, 23 turnovers and 10 steals.
Canada closed out round robin play by losing 56-47 to France. France took a commanding lead in the first quarter and romped. “We really battled hard tonight against a very good team in France,” said Canadian coach Allison McNeill. “When we cut the lead to six points, I thought we had a chance to pull through, but we just didn’t make enough shots and our shooting percentage showed it. I’m proud how our team executed tonight and we were very tough defensively.” In the opening quarter, Canada struggled as they began the game 0-7 from the floor, allowing France to open with a 16-3 run en route to a 21-11 lead after one quarter. In the second frame, Canada was able to slow down the French offence, but was unable to cut into the French lead. Canada was able to hold France to only 14 points in the quarter but the French still led 35-24 at the half. In the third quarter, France and Canada played a tight quarter with little room for either team’s offence to operate in. France scored 13 points while Canada recorded 12 in the frame, as France led 48-36 after the frame. In the fourth, Canada was able to cut the deficit down to six points with just under four minutes to go in the game, but that was as close as Canada would get. O.C. Auxencia Isabelle Yacoubou paced France with 15 on 5-7 from the floor, 5-7 from the line and 5 boards. Sandrine Gruda added 12 on 4-11 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 6 boards. Clemence Beikes added 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 3 boards and 4 assists. Emilie Gomis added 5, Jennifer Digbeau 5, Edwige Lawson-Wade 4, Marion Laborde 3, Emmeline Ndongue 4, Florence Lepron 2 and Celine Dumerc 1, while Nwal-Endene Miyem and Elodie Godin were scoreless. France hit 20-47 (.426) overall, 18-40 (.450) from the floor, 2-7 (.286) from the arc and 14-21 from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 22 fouls, 19 turnovers, 5 steals and 6 blocks. Shona Thorburn paced Canada with 7 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Tamara Tatham added 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Alisha Tatham added 6 on 1-5 from the floor, 4-5 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Kim Smith added 6 on 2-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Krista Phillips added 6 on 3-9 from the floor, 8 boards and 2 assists. Courtnay Pilypaitis notched 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 3 boards. Miranda Ayim added 4 on 1-8 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Natalie Achonwa scored 4 on 1-1 from the floor and 2-4 from the line. Michelle Plouffe added 3 on 0-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 6 boards, while Teresa Gabriele, Lizanne Murphy and Chelsey Aubry were scoreless. Canada hit 14-61 (.230) overall, 13-53 (.245) from the floor, 1-8 (.125) from the arc and 18-23 (.783) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 27 fouls, 14 turnovers, 5 steals and 2 blocks.
In the quarterfinals, Croatia edged Canada 59-56 by hitting their free throws down the stretch. In the opening quarter, Canada came out strong by gaining the early 6-0 lead over Croatia. Croatia took a time out and battled back. Shona Thorburn drilled a trey to tie the game at 16 before hit a late free-throw to take the 17-16 lead after one quarter. Canada had a tough time solving the Croatian defense as it took Canada over four minutes to score in the second quarter and they fell behind 33-26 at the half. To start the second half, Canada came out strong and was able to find a way to score against the Croatian defense on a consistent basis. With 3:29 left in the quarter, Alisha Tatham hit a jump shot to give Canada its first lead since the opening quarter and they led 46-41 after three quarters. In the fourth, Croatia reclaimed the lead four minutes into the quarter after Iva Ciglar hit a 3-pointer, as Croatia began the frame on a 13-6 run to take the lead 56-52. Canada cut the deficit to two points with 1:38 to go in the game, but Croatia was able to hit their free-throws down the stretch. Jelena Ivezic paced Croatia with 12 on 5-10 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 5 steals. Marija Vrsaljko added 10 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 blocks. Iva Ciglar added 9 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Ana Lelas added 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 2 boards. Sandra Mandir added 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Anda Jelavic added 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 3 boards and 5 assists. Mirna Mazic added 3, Luca Ivankovic 2 and Iva Sliskovic 1, while Antonija Misura, Lisa Ann Karcic and Emanuela Salopek were scoreless. Croatia hit 22-52 (.423) overall, 20-39 (.513) from the floor, 2-13 (.154) from the arc and 13-18 (.722) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 4 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 17 fouls, 17 turnovers, 8 steals and 5 blocks. Courtnay Pilypaitis paced Canada with 11 on 4-5 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 steals. Teresa Gabriele added 9 on 4-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Natalie Achonwa added 7 on 2-8 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 2 boards. Krista Phillips added 6 on 2-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Lizanne Murphy scored 6 on 3-9 from the floor, 4 boards and 2 assists. Kim Smith added 4 on 2-8 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Alisha Tatham scored 4 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Shona Thorburn scored 3 on 1-1 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Tamara Tatham added 2, along with 4 boards, Miranda Ayim 2 and Chelsea Aubry 2, while Michelle Plouffe was scoreless. Canada hit 23-72 (.319) overall, 21-57 (.368) from the floor, 2-15 (.133) from the arc and 8-9 (.889) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 18 fouls, 16 turnovers, 8 steals and 1 block.
In the 5-8th repechage for the final Olympic berth, Canada dumped Argentina 58-41. In the first quarter, neither team was able to separate themselves from each other and the largest lead either team had was four. Canada took a slim 16-15 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, both teams relied on their defense, as both teams combined for only 14 points in the frame but Canada dominated the boards and Courtnay Pilypaitis, who was chosen Canada’s MVP of the tournament, was able to hit a jumper at the buzzer to give Canada the 26-19 lead at the half. Canada came out hard to start the second half as Chelsea Aubry and Courtnay Pilypaitis were able to hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Canada a 32-21 lead early in the third. Canada’s defense continued to overwhelm the Argentinian offence as they were only able to score six points in the third and Canada led 36-25 at the end of the quarter. Canada continued to dictate the game, as Argentina was only able to get as close as ten points to Canada’s lead. Courtnay Pilypaitis paced Canada with 12 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 2 boards. Lizanne Murphy added 11 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 4 boards. Tamara Tatham notched 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 6 boards. Alisha Tatham added 6 on 1-3 from the floor and 4-4 from the line. Teresa Gabriele scored 6 on 3-5 from the floor, 4 boards and 4 assists. Kim Smith added 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 6 boards. Miranda Ayim notched 4 on 2-6 from the floor and 2 boards. Krista Phillips added 4 on 2-9 from the floor and 6 boards. Chelsea Aubry added 3 on 1-2 from the arc and 4 boards, while Natalie Achonwa and Michelle Plouffe were scoreless. Canada hit 21-62 (.339) overall, 17-50 (.340) from the floor, 4-12 from the arc and 12-14 (.857) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 19 fouls, 13 turnovers, 5 steals and 3 blocks. Andrea Luciana Boquete Manna paced Argentina with 11 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 2-4 from the line. Erica Carolina Sanchez added 8, Marina Andrea Cava 7, along with 3 boards, Melisa Paola Gretter 6, Paula Alejandra Reggiardo 3, Sandra Carolina Pavon 2 along with 7 boards, Debora Sabraina Gonzalez 2, Agostina Paola Burani 2, along with 6 boards, while Ornella Soledad Santana, Diana Maria Cabrera Soriani and Melisa Belen Pavicich were scoreless. Argentina hit 14-46 (.304) overall, 10-32 (.312) from the floor, 4-14 (.286) from the arc and 9-14 (.643) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 19 fouls, 18 turnovers, 3 steals and 4 blocks.
In the battle for the fifth and final Olympic berth, Canada defeated Japan 71-63 to earn Canada’s first men’s or women’s Olympic berth since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In the opening quarter, Canada came out hard and when Krista Phillips was able to hit an in close shot with 6:28 to play in the quarter, that gave Canada a 11-0 lead and they soon built an 21-11 lead after one quarter. Courtnay Pilypaitis hit back-to-back treys to give Canada their largest lead in the half, 27-15 before Japan rallied to within 37-31 at the half. Canada dominated the offensive glass and got back in transition. Canada built its lead to 15 in the third quarter on a trey by Shona Thorburn before Japan rallied with an 8-0 run and drew within 52-45 after three quarters. Japan ripped off a 14-2 run in the final frame to rally within three. As Canada threatened to implode and allow their coveted Olympic spot to slip through their fingers, Pilypaitis stepped up yet again from downtown to settle the nerves as they maintained their composure from the free-throw line to seal their place in the Olympic draw. “I’d say this is the ultimate Canada Day! To come back after Friday’s loss is nothing less than spectacular. Their resilience has been remarkable. It was inspiring to see the way Courtnay developed this past week, and to see Teresa succeed in her quest to get back to the Olympic Games after 12 long years of incredible dedication,” declared Canada Basketball President, Wayne Parrish. “They say it takes 10,000 hours to make an Olympic champion. I suspect head coach Allison McNeill, together with Mike (McNeill) and Lisa (Thomaidis), have put in a lot more than that since 2002. … I’d like to acknowledge a huge debt of gratitude to Denise Dignard, our Director of the Women’s Elite Program for her dedication and commitment to building the Canadian development system is a big part of what lies behind this success. We’ve also had incredible support from Sport Canada and, over the past two years, from Own the Podium – we value both the financial support but also the guidance provided.” Canada Basketball executive director Michele O’Keefe added that “the team’s victory today is a result of years of dedication and sacrifice by the players, the coaches and the behind-the-scenes staff, as well as support of our many partners across the country who help ensure that the team trains in optimal conditions. We can collectively be proud of this Olympic qualification.” Courtnay Pilypaitis paced Canada with 21 on 2-6 from the floor, 5-9 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 6 assists. Teresa Gabriele added 11 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 7 boards and 5 assists. Krista Phillips added 9 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards and 3 assists. Kim Smith added 8 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Lizanne Murphy scored 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 5 blocks. Shona Thorburn notched 6 on 2-4 from the floor and 3 boards. Chelsea Aubry added 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 3 boards. Tamara Tatham added 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Miranda Ayim added 2 on 0-3 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists, while Alisha Tatham, Natalie Achonwa and Michelle Plouffe were scoreless. Canada hit 26-57 (.456) overall, 17-38 (.447) from the floor, 9-19 (.474) from the arc and 10-18 (.556) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 23 assists, 18 fouls, 17 turnovers, 5 steals and 8 blocks. Maki Takada paced Japan with 14 on 6-13 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 8 boards. Yuka Mamiya added 14 on 7-11 from the floor and 3 boards. Yuko Oga notched 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Rika Tanaka scored 10 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Ryoko Yano added 8 and Asami Yoshida 6 on 3-8 from the floor and 13 assists, while Kumiko Oba, Emi Kudeken, Arisa Fujiwara, Chie Kibayashi, Megumi Shinohara and Kumiko Yamada were scoreless. Japan hit 25-60 (.417) overall, 22-46 (.478) from the floor, 3-14 (.214) from the arc and 10-11 (.909) from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 19 fouls, 8 turnovers and 4 steals.