Qualifiers:
World Cup champion: United States
2023 Eurobasket (6): France, Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Serbia, Germany
2023 Asia Cup (4): China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand
2023 Americup (1): Brazil
2023 Afrobasket (2): Nigeria, Senegal
2023 America pre-qualifying tournament (2): Canada, Puerto Rico
ANTWERP, BELGIUM
| FINAL STANDINGS 1. United States (advances to Olympics) 2. Belgium (advances) 3. Nigeria (advances) 4. Senegal | |||||||
| ROUND ROBIN | USA | BEL | NIG | SEN | Record | ||
| United States | —– | 81-79 | 100-46 | 101-39 | (3-0) | ||
| Belgium | 79-81 | —– | 78-61 | 97-66 | (2-1) | ||
| Nigeria | 46-100 | 61-78 | —– | 72-65 | (1-2) | ||
| Senegal | 39-101 | 66-97 | 65-72 | —– | (0-3) | ||
The all-tournament team featured MVP Emma Meesseman (Belgium); Napheesa Collier (United States); Rhyne Howard (United States); Amy Okonkwo (Nigeria); and Yacine Diop (Senegal).
SOPRON, HUNGARY
| FINAL STANDINGS 1. Japan (advances to Olympics) 2. Spain (advances) 3. CANADA (advances) 4. Hungary | CANADIANS Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, Ont.) Kayla Alexander (Milton, Ont.) Laeticia Amihere (Mississauga, Ont.) Bridget Carleton (Chatham, Ont.) Shay Colley (Brampton, Ont.) Yvonne Ejim (Calgary, Alta.) Nirra Fields (Montreal, Que.) Sami Hill (Toronto, Ont.) Aislinn Konig (Langley, B.C.) Shaina Pellington (Pickering, Ont.) Emily Potter (Winnipeg, Man.) Syla Swords (Sudbury, Ont.) Victor Lapena – coach Noelle Quinn – assistant Steve Baur – assistant Carly Clarke – assistant |
| ROUND ROBIN | JPN | SPN | CAN | HUN | Record | ||
| Japan | —– | 86-75 | 86-82 | 75-81 | (2-1) | ||
| Spain | 75-86 | —– | 60-55 | 73-72 | (2-1) | ||
| Canada | 82-86 | 55-60 | —– | 67-55 | (1-2) | ||
| Hungary | 81-75 | 72-73 | 55-67 | —– | (1-2) | ||
In their opener, Canada parlayed a stellar defensive effort with a ragged, often sloppy, offensive performance into 67-55 win over host Hungary. Canada held the hosts without a field goal for seven minutes as they broke to a 15-5 lead and extended their margin to 25-11 after one quarter. But they relinquished a 13-2 run to open the second frame and Hungary rallied to within 29-24 before Bridget Carleton notched a pair of buckets and two free throws as Canada with an 8-0 run. A series of Canadian ballhandling miscues allowed Hungary to draw within 41-30 at the half and then to draw within 42-37. But a Natalie Achonway putback ignited a 13-2 run, which also featured an eight-foot runner from Nirra Fields and a driving layup from Shay College as Canada rebuilt a 15-point lead. A Carleton trey, Canada’s first after an abysmal effort from the arc, gave Canada a 55-39 lead heading into the final frame. Neither squad scored for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter until Carleton nailed another trey and Canada slowly expanded its lead to 21 before Hungary closed out the affair with a 11-2 run in which Canada appeared unable to inbound the ball or break a full-court press. Kayla Alexander said “I thought it was a really hard-fought game. Hungary battled us until the very end. For our team, I’m proud of how we competed. I thought we did a good job of going to the boards and getting ourselves second opportunities.” Hungary’s Dorka Juhasz said “giving so many offensive rebounds to Canada, they were great on the boards. They played very great, aggressive defence on us. Canada has an amazing team, great veteran leaders.” Canadian coach Víctor Lapeña said “I’m happy to see how the team played together. We have some of our players in Europe, Spain, France. Four or five [of our] players, they are not playing [in this tournament]… Unfortunately, we got Kia Nurse injured in the first game which was a great impact for us. But the mentality, the physicality of the game, how we put the level at the highest competition, how my players showed we are very strong mentally is the most important for me. … I think we dominated the game, we had control of the game. The last two minutes, they were very tired, but it comes from a great effort. I’m very, very happy with the team’s performance. In terms of effort, in terms of intensity and how the team played together.” Bridget Carleton paced Canada with 18 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Kayla Alexander added 15 on 4-9 from the floor, 7-8 from the line, 13 boards and 3 steals. Natalie Achonwa notched 10 on 5-11 from the floor, 8 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Shay Colley scored 10 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 6 boards and 5 assists. Laeticia Amihere added 6 on 2-2 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Nirra Fields scored 6 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 8 boards. Syla Swords added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 2 boards and 3 steals. While Shaina Pellington, Sami Hill and Yvonne Ejim were scoreless. Hill nabbed 3 boards. Aislin Konig and Emily Porter did not play Canada hit 22-61 (.361) overall, 19-46 (.413) from the floor, 3-15 (.200) from the arc and 20-48 (.833) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 14 fouls, 18 turnovers, 14 steals and 3 blocks. Dorka Juhasz paced Hunger with 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-5 from the line and 8 boards. Devota Dubei added 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 4 assists. Reka Lelik notched 8 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Agnes Studer scored 7 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 assists and 3 steals. Virag Kiss added 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Cyesha Goree scored 4 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Aliz Varga added 4 on 2-2 from the floor, Bernadett Hatar scored 4 on 2-7 from the floor, 3 boards and 2 steals. Reka Dombai added 3 on 0-3 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc, while Veronika Kanyasi, Nina Aho and Bernadett Horvath were scoreless. Aho pilfered 2 balls. Hungary (coached by Norbert Szekely, assisted by Laszlo Cziczas) hit 20-61 (.328) overall, 18-47 (.383) from the floor, 2-14 (.143) from the arc and 13-16 (.812) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 22 fouls 17 turnovers, 13 steals and 1 block.
Canada dropped a 60-55 decision to Spain in a match featuring dreary Canadian decision-making and often-phantom officiating. Sloppy Canadian ballhandling, particularly against the press, allowed Spain to break to an early 11-0 run. But Laeticia Amihere came off the bench to ignite a 12-0 Canadian run, which also featured a Kayla Alexander putback and a Syla Swords transition layup. But Megan Gustafson hit a 15-foot jumper and a trey as Spain closed out the quarter with 5-0 run to regain the lead at 16-13. With the Canadian starters back on the floor, the offence again became stagnant, while Spain broke Canada down off the dribble and dominated the offensive boards, rebuilding their lead to 30-18. Nirra Fields hit a trey and Alexander a putback to briefly stem the bleeding before Spain closed out the half with a 6-2 run to take a 36-25 lead into the lockers. Alexander and Fields notched putbacks, Shay Colley a trey and Alexander a layup off an inbounds feed as Canada opened the second half with a 9-0 run and then take a 40-38 lead. But a ridiculous officiating call allowed Spain to regain the lead as Syla Swords was called for running through a screen, while Cazorla took three dribbles to her left and drained a 15-footer. The officials contended the move was part of a continuation and that her dribbles were part of her gather for a shot, which gave the ball back to Spain and Gustafson promptly nailed a trey, essentially creating a five-point play. Canada rallied back to a 48-45 lead after three quarters as Natalie Achonwa and Amihere went to work in the blocks. Canada led 53-51 midway through the final frame but the backcourt tandem of Colley and Fields again repeatedly indulged in ill-advised passes and ballhandling miscues, allowing Spain to close out the affair with a 7-2 run over the final four minutes of play. Canadian coach Victor Lapena told reporters that he was “very proud of my players. In this kind of situation after Japan defeated [Spain on Thursday], it is very, very difficult. … They pushed us out of our style of play, but after halftime, we fixed something. … I was very happy with how the team came back into the game, how we understood perfectly the way to beat Spain. It was a great learning for us, if we have the option to play against Spain again in the future.” Megan Gustafson paced Spain with 16 on 4-7 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Queralt Casa added 13 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 6 steals. Maite Cazorla notched 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Critina Ouvina scored 6 on 3-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Raquel Carrera added 6 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 4 boards. Maria Conde scored 6 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 6 boards. Andrea Vilaro added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 assists. Laura Gil scored 2 on -6 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals, while Alba Torrens was scoreless. Mariona Ortiz, Irati Etxarri and Leonor Rodriguez did not play. Spain (coached by Miguel Mendez, assisted by Luis Rey) hit 22-65 (.338) overall, 18-52 (.346) from the floor, 4-13 (.308) from the arc and 12-14 (.857) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 15 fouls, 12 turnovers, 15 steals and 1 block. Kayla Alexander paced Canada with 17 on 8-10 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 14 boards. Nirra Fields added 9 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Laeticia Amihere notched 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Shay Colley scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3 boards and 4 assists. Natalie Achonwa added 7 on 1-3 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 11 boards. Bridget Carleton scored 5 on 1-12 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Syla Swords added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 steals, while Aislinn Konig, Shaina Pellington, Sami Hill and Yvonne Ejim were scoreless. Emily Potter did not play. Canada hit 20-56 (.357) overall, 18-48 (.375) from the floor, 2-8 from the arc and 13-16 (.812) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 6 assists, 16 fouls, 19 turnovers, 7 steals and 1 block.
In the final contest, Japan shamelessly exploited Canada’s lack of backcourt foot speed, penetrating the paint at will as they raced to an 86-82 win. Canada finished (1-2), tied with Hungary, in round-robin play, but miraculously qualified for the Olympics when the Hungarians squandered a 22-point, second half lead and fell to Spain by a point. Canada qualified by virtue of its head-to-head win over Hungary. Japan ran a layup drill while building an early 10-6 lead. Canada pounded the ball inside to Kayla Alexander and Natalie Achonwa as they knotted the score at 20 after one quarter. Laeticia Amihere gave Canada a big lift off the bench but Japan kept breaking Canada down off the dribble and took a 50-46 lead at the half. Amihere and Carleton rallied Canada in second half as they knotted the score at 63. But Japan closed out the quarter with a 7-2 run to take a 70-67 lead after three quarters. Canada rallied to knot the score at 79 down the stretch. But Japan closed it out with a 8-4 run while capitalizing on a questionable travelling call against Amihere and a double-drill call against Natalie Achonwa, one of a series of sloppy Canadian turnovers in the second half. Natalie Achonwa said “it is a complete rollercoaster when your fate is in someone else’s hands. But it was so exciting when we got to celebrate the moment together knowing that our dreams and our goals survive another day and that we get to represent Canada in Paris 2024. … I’m really proud of our team for fighting today. A couple of buckets go another way, a couple of foul calls go another way and it’s a different game. … You can’t take anything for granted. We had an opportunity to control our destiny and we came up short. Thankfully, it still turned around in our favour and we’re still going to be in Paris and we will not take this chance lightly.” Bridget Carleton said “Japan’s a really good team. We had a tough group. We lost two tough games to two really good teams. We fought hard, we scored a lot of points, but Japan’s really good. They’re hard to guard, they’re quick, they shoot threes really well.” Canadian coach Víctor Lapeña said “I have to say I’m very, very proud of my team. All they did today, not just today, I’m very proud of my players for the tournament. How we competed against Spain yesterday, we battled back twice. The basketball level against Hungary. … First of all, congratulations to Japan. They’re a great team. They played amazing today again, finding solutions. We knew we needed 80 points to win this kind of game against Japan because they score very easily, from different positions. Special congratulations to Evelyn Mawuli today, I think she was the difference, the great difference today in this game.” Evelyn Mawuli paced Japan with 21 on 4-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Mai Yamamoto added 21 on 4-9 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 2 boards, while Asami Yoshia, Mako Motohashi and Sakura Noguchi were scoreless. Yoshida nabbed 2 boards and dished 5 assists. Saori Miyazaki notched 16 on 7-7 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 assists. Stephanie Mawuli scored 8 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Maki Takada added 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Himawari Akaho scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Saki Hayashi added 4 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Mai Kawai scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Aika Hirashita added 2 on 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Japan (coached by Toru Onzuka, assisted by Yoshikazu Suzuki) hit 30-62 (.484) overall 23-42 (.548) from the floor, 7-20 (.350) from the arc and 19-21 (.905) from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 23 fouls, 4 turnovers, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Bridget Carleton paced Canada with 19 on 4-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 5-7 from the line and 8 boards. Nirra Fields added 17 on 6-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 7 boards. Kayla Alexander notched 16 on 7-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 14 boards. Natalie Achonwa scored 23 12 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards and 3 assists. Laeticia Amihere added 8 on 2-4 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 2 boards. Sami Hill scored 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 2 assists. Shay Colley added 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2 boards and 5 assists, while Aislin Konig, Shaina Pellington, Yvonne Ejim and Syla Swords were scoreless. Emily Potter did not play. Canada hit 30-65 (.462) overall, 27-52 (.519) from the floor, 3-13 (.231) from the arc and 19-26 (.731) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 22 fouls, 15 turnovers, 2 steals and 3 blocks.
The all-tournament team featured MPV Mai Yamamoto (Japan); Saori Miyazaki (Japan); Kayla Alexander (Canada); Raquel Carrera (Spain0: and Dorka Juhasz (Hungary).
BELEM, BRAZIL
| FINAL STANDINGS 1. Australia (advances to Olympics) 2. Germany (advances) 3. Serbia (advances) 4. Brazil | |||||||
| ROUND ROBIN | AUS | GER | SER | BRZ | Record | ||
| Australia | —– | 85-52 | 75-73 | 60-55 | (3-0) | ||
| Germany | 52-85 | —– | 73-66 | 73-71 | (2-1) | ||
| Serbia | 73-75 | 66-73 | —– | 72-65 | (1-2) | ||
| Brazil | 55-60 | 71-73 | 65-72 | —– | (0-3) | ||
The all-tournament team featured MVP Ezi Magbegor (Australia); Bec Allen (Australia); Kamilla Cardoso (Brazil); Yvonne Anderson (Serbia); and Leonie Fiebich (Germany).
XI’AN,, CHINA
| FINAL STANDINGS 1. France (advances to Olympics) 2. China (advances) 3. Puerto Rico (advances) 4. New Zealand | |||||||
| ROUND ROBIN | FRA | CHN | PUR | NZL | Record | ||
| France | —– | 82-50 | 88-40 | 94-39 | (3-0) | ||
| China | 50-82 | —– | 105-69 | 94-47 | (2-1) | ||
| Puerto Rico | 40-88 | 69-105 | —– | 69-67 | (1-2) | ||
| New Zealand | 39-94 | 47-94 | 67-69 | —– | (0-3) | ||
The all-tournament team featured MVP Gaby Williams (France); Marine Johannes (France); Mya Hollingshed (Puerto Rico); Li Yueru (China); and Li Meng (China.)