| FINAL STANDINGS 1. United States 2. Spain 3. Brazil 4. Australia 5. CANADA 6. France 7. Japan 8. Russia 9. China 10. Italy 11. Chinese Taipei 12. Chile 13. Argentina 14. Slovenia 15. Egypt 16. Nigeria | CANADIANS Wumi Agunbiade (Pickering, Ont.) Sophie Beaudry (Chambly, Que.) Paige Crozon (Humboldt, Sask.) Nirra Fields (Lachine, Que.) Diana Lee (North Vancouver, B.C.) Megan Lukan (Barrie, Ont.) Katherine Plouffe (Edmonton, Alta.) Michelle Plouffe (Edmonton, Alta.) Isidora Purkovic (Calgary, Alta.) Kellie Ring (Ottawa, Ont.) Korissa Williams (Amherstburg, Ont.) Kristjana Young (North Vancouver, B.C.) Rich Chambers – coach Donna Branch – assistant Chantal Vallee – assistant Patrice Pepin – physiotherapist Sarah Barnes – manager Jessica Butler – doctor Denise Dignard – delegation head |
| POOL A | CAN | ITA | CHN | EGY | Record | ||||
| Canada | —– | 75-51 | 76-49 | 99-54 | (3-0) | ||||
| Italy | 51-75 | —– | 70-64 | 74-56 | (2-1) | ||||
| China | 49-76 | 64-70 | —– | 93-67 | (1-2) | ||||
| Egypt | 54-99 | 56-74 | 67-93 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL B | USA | JPN | RUS | ARG | Record | ||||
| United States | —– | 85-63 | 76-53 | 83-49 | (3-0) | ||||
| Japan | 63-85 | —– | 90-64 | 90-71 | (2-1) | ||||
| Russia | 53-76 | 64-90 | —– | 70-51 | (1-2) | ||||
| Argentina | 49-83 | 71-90 | 51-70 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL C | AUS | FRA | CHI | NGR | Record | ||||
| Australia | —– | 67-45 | 77-46 | 2-0 | (3-0) | ||||
| France | 45-67 | —– | 59-36 | 2-0 | (2-1) | ||||
| Chile | 46-77 | 36-59 | —– | 2-0 | (1-2) | ||||
| Nigeria | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL D | BRA | SPN | CTP | SLO | Record | ||||
| Brazil | —– | 71-64 | 88-50 | 67-50 | (3-0) | ||||
| Spain | 64-71 | —– | 77-47 | 75-58 | (2-1) | ||||
| Chinese Taipei | 50-88 | 47-77 | —– | 83-73 | (1-2) | ||||
| Slovenia | 50-67 | 58-75 | 73-83 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL E | CAN | USA | JPN | RUS | ITA | CHN | Record | ||
| Canada | —– | 64-52 | 68-60 | 66-50 | 75-51 | 76-49 | (5-0) | ||
| United States | 52-64 | —– | 85-63 | 76-53 | 94-60 | 80-77 | (4-1) | ||
| Japan | 60-68 | 63-85 | —– | 90-64 | 97-69 | 59-87 | (2-3) | ||
| Russia | 50-66 | 53-76 | 64-90 | —– | 62-55 | 65-53 | (2-3) | ||
| Italy | 51-75 | 60-94 | 69-97 | 55-62 | —– | 70-64 | (1-4) | ||
| China | 49-76 | 77-80 | 87-59 | 53-65 | 64-70 | —– | (1-4) | ||
| POOL F | BRA | AUS | FRA | SPN | CTP | CHI | Record | ||
| Brazil | —– | 75-47 | 55-67 | 71-64 | 88-50 | 79-53 | (4-1) | ||
| Australia | 47-75 | —– | 67-45 | 65-61 | 89-46 | 77-46 | (4-1) | ||
| France | 67-55 | 45-67 | —– | 57-55 | 74-57 | 59-36 | (4-1) | ||
| Spain | 64-71 | 61-65 | 55-57 | —– | 77-47 | 83-48 | (2-3) | ||
| Chinese Taipei | 50-88 | 46-89 | 57-74 | 47-77 | —– | 66-41 | (1-4) | ||
| Chile | 53-79 | 46-77 | 36-59 | 48-83 | 41-66 | —– | (0-5) | ||
| QFs | Spain 69 Canada 55 | |
| QFs | Australia 92 Japan 83 | |
| QFs | United States 70 France 64 | |
| QFs | Brazil 73 Russia 71 | |
| 13-16th | Slovenia 2 Nigeria 0 | |
| 13-16th | Argentina 94 Egypt 73 | |
| 9-12th | Italy 67 Chile 48 | |
| 9-12th | China 88 Chinese Taipei 50 | |
| 5-8th | Canada 77 Japan 71 | |
| 5-8th | France 82 Russia 50 | |
| Semi | Spain 55 Australia 49 | |
| Semi | United States 82 Brazil 66 | |
| 15th | Egypt 2 Nigeria 0 | |
| 13th | Argentina 89 Slovenia 69 | |
| 11th | Chinese Taipei 86 Chile 49 | |
| 9th | China 66 Italy 62 | |
| 7th | Japan 71 Russia 66 | |
| 5th | Canada 70 France 52 | |
| Bronze | Brazil 70 Australia 60 | |
| Final | United States 69 Spain 46 | |
Canada opened its draw by pounding China 76-49. “It was a great job by the whole team, especially on the boards,” said Head Coach Rich Chambers. “We carried out the game plan to perfection. I told the team we can’t get too high or too low. It has been a nine-day journey for us.” Defensive standout Korissa Williams said “we played very well as a team and developing more chemistry. Our coaches did a good job scouting and we just had to execute the plan.” The Canadians broke to an early 23-6 lead and extended their margin to 41-28 at the half on the perimeter shooting of Diana Lee. China played the second half more competitively, but they could not contain Michelle Plouffe. Nirra Fields paced Canada with 22 on 8-18 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 9 boards and 3 steals. Diana Lee added 13 on 2-3 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 3 boards and 3 steals. Michelle Plouffe notched 12 on 4-10 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Katherine Plouffe added 11 on 4-7 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 7 boards and 2 steals. Korissa Williams scored 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Megan Lukan notched 5 on 2-2 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Wumi Agunbiade scored 4 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 7 boards. Kristjana Young added 2, while Kellie Ring, Isadora Purkovic, Paige Crozon and Sophie Beaudry were scoreless. Canada hit 30-76 (.395) overall, 25-62 (.403) from the floor, 5-14 (.357) from the arc and 11-20 (.550) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 6 assists, 17 fouls, 12 turnovers, 17 steals and 1 block. Jiamei Liang paced China with 12 on 4-8 from the arc and 5 boards. Liwei Yang added 11 on 1-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 4 assists and 2 steals. Xi Yang added 7, Dong Yu 6, Mengran Sun 5, Yi Qiang 3, Hongyan Cui 3 and Xueya Ma 2, while Yi Shen, Weina Jin, Jiayi Zuo and Liting Zhang were scoreless. China hit 18-52 (.346) overall, 11-30 (.367) from the floor, 7-22 (.318) from the arc and 6-12 from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 18 fouls, 22 turnovers, 7 steals and 3 blocks.
Canada improved to 2-0 by thrashing Egypt 99-54. “The girls got off to a great start against Egypt,” said Canadian coach Rich Chambers. “We really took care of the boards. Egypt got it going in the third quarter but we had a strong finish.” Canada’s pressure defence appeared to rattle the Egyptians. Nirra Fields scored eight in the first four minutes as Canada took a 13-1 lead and then extended it to 53-19 at the half and coasted. Nirra Fields paced Canada with 19 on 9-14 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Diana Lee added 12 on 0-3 from the floor, 4-5 from the arc and 3 assists. Korissa Williams notched 12 on 5-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Katherine Plouffe scored 10 on 5-7 from the floor and 4 boards. Wumi Agunbiade added 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Michelle Plouffe notched 8 on 4-4 from the floor, 2 boards and 2 steals. Kellie Ring scored 7 on 2-3 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 2 boards. Megan Lukan scored 6 on 3-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 3 assists. Kristjana Young added 6 on 3-4 from the floor, 5 boards and 2 steals. Sophie Beaudry added 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Paige Crozon scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 4 boards, while Isadora Purkovic was scoreless. Canada hit 42-77 (.545) overall, 37-60 (.617) from the floor, 5-17 (.294) from the arc and 10-13 (.769) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 18 fouls, 10 turnovers, 15 steals and 1 block. Hagar Amer paced Egypt with 14 on 6-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-7 from the line and 5 boards. Reem Osama added 12 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 6-6 from the line and 2 boards. Sara Massoud notched 10 on 2-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 7 boards. Farida Emara added 4, Reem Moussa 4, Hala Elshaarawy 4, Dina Ragab 3 and Asmaa Gamal 3, while Menatallah Atef, Dina Amr, Ola Temsahi and Engy Afify were scoreless. Egypt shot 19-52 (.365) overall, 17-38 (.447) from the floor, 214 (.143) from the arc and 14-20 (.700) from the line, while garnering 18 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 4 assists, 10 fouls, 20 turnovers, 6 steals and 3 blocks.
Canada captured its third consecutive victory and closed out Pool A play undefeated by whipping Italy 75-51. “The girls did a great job in executing the game plan we set in place,” said Canadian coach Rich Chambers. “We were concerned about Italy’s ball pressure but our guards took care of the ball with only 14 turnovers. We also did a very good job of keeping our level of defensive intensity up.” Michelle Plouffe said “we came out to battle and play. We executed our game plan and we played together.” Canada took a 6-0 lead and with Plouffe and Nirra Fields combining for 12 points, extended the margin to 19-10 after one quarter. Italy rallied back to take the lead but a jumper by Megan Lukan tied the game and sparked a 16-2 run to close out the half. Canada romped in the second half. “We need to keep trusting each other, our coaches and the game plan,” said Plouffe. “In the next round, we need to be physical and mentally tough in every game.” Nirra Fields paced Canada with 19 on 5-13 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 6-6 from the line and 7 boards. Michelle Plouffe added 17 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 6-7 from the line, 8 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Katherine Plouffe scored 9 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Wumi Agunbiade scored 9 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 9 boards. Megan Lukan notched 7 on 2-2 from the floor and 1-3 from the arc. Korissa Williams scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Kristjana Young added 4, along with 3 boards, Kellie Ring 3 and Diana Lee 2, while Isadora Purkovic, Paige Crozon and Sophie Beaudry were scoreless. Canada hit 28-66 (.424) overall, 24-44 (.545) from the floor, 4-22 (182) from the arc and 15-19 (.789) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 12 fouls, 14 turnovers, 10 steals and 1 block.
Francesca Dotto paced Italy with 9 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-1 from the line 4 boards and 3 assists. Marta Masoni added 7, Giulia Maffenini 6, Debora Carangelo 6, Giovanna Pertile 4, Irene Cigliani 6, Alessandra Formica 6, Nene Diene 5, G Pertile 4 and Lucia Di Costanzo 2, while Chiara Zanin, Irene Zanus Fortes and Dalila Di Donato were scoreless. Italy hit 19-57 (.333) overall 12-29 (.414) from the floor, 7-28 (.250) from the arc and 6-7 (.857) from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 14 fouls, 21 turnovers, 7 steals and 1 block.
In Pool E play, Canada opened with a 66-50 victory over Russia. “We played great in the first half – almost flawless,” said Canadian coach Rich Chambers. “Katherine Plouffe did a good job. Her role was guarding #4 (Ksenia Tikhonenko) and she was outstanding for us today.” Wumi Agunbiade noted that “we struggled in the third but we came out with the win. I’m very proud of all our players and the coaching staff for what we have accomplished thus far.” Canada trailed early but a bucket by Nirra Fields, followed by a steal by Katherine Plouffe and a three-point play by sister, Michelle sparked a 14-1 scoring run to give Canada an 18-8 lead after one quarter. Canada outscored Russia 26-6 in the second quarter to build a 30-point lead at the half. Russia made a charge in the third quarter, led by Yulia Poluyanova to trim the margin to 14 but a low-scoring final quarter kept Russia at bay. “Russia played harder and better than us in the third,” said Chambers. “We stayed in halfcourt man too long in the third quarter. Russia is good team and we knew they’d hit some shots. We have confidence in all out players as we move onto the next game.” Nirra Fields paced Canada with 22 on 6-15 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 7-7 from the line and 7 boards. Michelle Plouffe notched 17 on 7-10 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Wumi Agunbiade added 9 on 3-7 from the floor, 3-7 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Korissa Williams added 6 on 3-9 from the floor, 4 boards and 3 steals. Megan Lukan scored 5 on 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 steals. Kristjana Young added 3, along with 3 boards and 2 steals, Diana Lee 2, along with 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals, and Katherine Plouffe 2, along with 10 board, 2 assists and 3 steals. Kellie Ring, Isadora Purkovic, Paige Crozon and Sophie Beaudry were scoreless. Canada hit 23-61 (.377) overall, 20-48 (.417) from the floor, 3-13 (.231) from the arc and 17-25 (.680) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 19 fouls, 17 turnovers, 19 steals and 1 block. Yulia Poluyanova paced Russia with 11 on 5-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Ksenia Tikhonenko notched 9 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 blocks. Alexandra Stolyar added 8, Svetlana Efimova 5, along with 7 boards, Nina Gumennaya 5, along with 6 boards, Ekaterina Kubynina 4, along with 3 assists, Anastasia Pasynkova 3, Anastasia Maksimova 3 and Ekaterina Fedorenkova 2, while Anna Nuzhnaia, Kseniya Andreeva and Maria Myasnikova were scoreless. Russia hit 19-50 (.380) overall, 13-28 (.464) from the floor, 6-22 (.273) from the arc and 6-10 from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 21 fouls, 23 turnovers, 7 steals and 5 blocks.
Canada remained undefeated in pool E play by escaping Japan 68-60. “We really wanted the pace to be our pace against Japan and keep the score low,” said Canadian coach Rich Chambers. “Wumi (Agunbiade) was fantastic and she kept us in the game. We’ll be first or second in this pool at the end of this round.” Michelle Plouffe said “it was good for us to play a close game, and a good reality check for us. We know we can’t get too high or too low, as the level of competition is getting higher. We have to keep playing our best, like we’ve been doing in order for us to keep winning.” Canada trailed throughout the first quarter but built a 19-17 lead after one quarter. Agunbiade and Michelle Plouffe then went on a scoring run as Canada built a 41-29 lead at the half. Nirra Fields hit a three-pointer to increase the lead to 17 halfway through the third quarter, but Japan showed why they were the highest scoring team in the tournament and went on a 19-3 run in the final four minutes of the quarter to cut the lead to three. Japan took their first lead since the opening minutes of the game with eight minutes remaining in the game, but Kellie Ring quickly answered to give Canada the lead. Japan would retake the lead one minute later, but two steals and six quick points by Fields, combined with defensive effort down the stretch helped Canada hold on for the win. Wumi Agunbiade paced Canada with 21 on 7-11 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 10 boards and 2 steals. Michelle Plouffe notched 14 on 4-13 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 7 boards and 3 steals. Korissa Williams added 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 8 boards. Nirra Fields scored 11 on 4-12 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 8 boards and 2 steals. Katherine Plouffe added 6 on 3-8 from the floor and 6 boards. Megan Lugan scored 3, along with 3 boards, and Kellie Ring 2, while Kristjana Young, Diana Lee, Isadora Purkovic, Paige Crozon and Sophie Beaudry were scoreless. Canada hit 28-67 (.418) overall, 23-57 (.404) from the floor, 5-10 from the arc and 7-11 (.636) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 4 fouls, 9 turnovers, 11 steals and 3 blocks. Sanae Motokawa paced Japan with 20 on 4-10 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc and 5 boards. Rui Machida added 15 on 3-4 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 8 boards and 11 assists. Aoi Katsura notched 11 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Chikae Uchino added 6, along with 8 boards, Shiori Takada 5, along with 5 boards, and Rie Moku 2, while Rina Sezaki, Rei Yakushiji, Mika Nozoe, Yuri Uchikoshi, Aya Watanabe and Anka Ohama were scoreless. Japan hit 26-62 (.419) overall, 19-39 (.487) from the floor, 7-23 (.304) from the arc and 1-4 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 12 fouls and 8 steals.
Canada captured Pool E with an undefeated record by stunning the favoured United States 64-52. “We did a great job defending the guard play of the US,” said Canadian coach Rich Chambers. “Our forwards made their entry into offence very difficult.” Chambers added that Michelle Plouffe was again outstanding. “Michelle Plouffe is a very mature and smart basketball player that has helped the whole team maintain composure throughout the tournament.” Canada got off to a quick start as Michelle and Katherine Plouffe scored early and often, giving the Canadians a 20-10 lead after one quarter. But the US rallied back to within 29-23 at the half. Coming out of halftime, the USA continued to cut down the Canadian lead and drew within two after three quarters. But Canada put the game away in the fourth as Korissa Williams and Michelle Plouffe continued to hit critical buckets. Michelle Plouffe paced Canada with 24 on 6-17 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 8 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Wumi Agunbiade notched 15 on 7-14 from the floor, 1-3 from the line and 8 boards. Katherine Plouffe added 12 on 4-6 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 2 boards. Korissa Williams scored 8 on 1-10 from the floor, 6-6 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 5 steals. Nirra Fields added 4 and Diana Lee 1, while Kellie Ring, Kristjana Young, Isadora Purkovic, Megan Lukan, Paige Crozon and Sophie Beaudry were scoreless. Canada hit 23-66 (.348) overall, 20-57 (.351) from the floor, 3-9 from the arc and 15-19 (.789) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 16 fouls, 17 turnovers, 15 steals and 1 block. Ariel Massengale paced the US with 17 on 7-13 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 5 steals. Breanna Stewart added 8, Elizabeth Williams 8, along with 5 boards, Bria Hartley 7, Jordan Adams 4, along with 5 boards, Diamond Deshields 2, Cierra Burdick 2 and Kaleena Lewis 2, while Alexis Jones, Morgan Tuck, Malina Howard and Stefanie Dolson were scoreless. The United States hit 22-61 (.361) overall, 20-45 (.444) from the floor, 2-16 (.125) from the arc and 6-12 from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 20 fouls, 21 turnovers, 13 steals and 6 blocks.
In the quarterfinals, pool E champ Canada was stuffed by fourth place pool F finisher Spain 69-55. “In the first half we didn’t make shots,” said Canadian coach Rich Chambers. “Spain physically beat us up and we didn’t execute or box out. Spain could have been first in their pool. They could win this whole thing. We weren’t ready to play and when that happens it’s on us [the coaches].” Canada got off to a sluggish start, going down 8-2 early. They would finish the quarter matching Spain’s offensive efficiency, but still trailed 17-10 after the first frame. They continued to keep up with Spain in the second and third quarters, but could not make a run to cut into the early deficit. They continued to trail heading into the fourth quarter, 50-39. In the fourth quarter, Canada ran out of gas trying to cut into the Spanish lead. They were only outscored 19-16 in the quarter, but their medal hopes were dashed. “We’ve set some milestones here,” Chambers said. “We’ve represented our country unbelievably well. Our goal now is to finish fifth.” Astou Ndour paced Spain with 19 on 6-9 from the floor, 7-9 from the line, 8 boards and 4 blocks. Mariona Ortiz added 14 on 7-8 from the floor, 6 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Queralt Casas added 10 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-10 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Immadulada Zanoguera added 8, along with 6 boards and 3 assists, Maria Espana 6, Elena Diaz 5, Laura Gil 5, along with 4 boards, and Elisabet Vivas 2, while Marina Delgado, Yurena Diaz, Marta Claret and Claudia Calvelo were scoreless. Nirra Fields paced Canada with 14 on 5-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 4-8 from the line. Michelle Plouffe added 12 on 4-8 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Wumi Agunbiade notched 9 on 4-12 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 3 boards. Megan Lukan added 4, along with 4 boards, Diana Lee 4, along with 2 boards, Kristjana Young 4, along with 2 boards, Katherine Plouffe 3, along with 7 boards and 2 assists, Kellie Ring 2, Isidora Purkovic 2 and Korissa Williams, along with 6 boards and 2 assists. Paige Crozon and Sophie Beaudry were scoreless. Canada hit 17-61 (.279) overall, 16-51 (.314) from the floor, 1-10 from the arc and 20-28 (.714) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 5 assists, 20 fouls, 15 turnovers, 9 steals and 3 blocks.
In the 5-8th classifications, Canada edged Japan 77-71. “We have beaten the FIBA Europe champions [Italy], the FIBA Asia champions [Japan] and the FIBA Americas [USA] champions this week. We’re proud to play for fifth or sixth,” said Canadian coach Rich Chambers. Canada dominated Japan on the glass, and came out of the gate on fire against Japan, scoring 27 points in the opening quarter. The scoring continued into the second quarter as Canada closed out the first half on a 7-0 run to lead 47-28. In the second half, Canada continued to keep Japan at bay, increasing their lead to as much as 24 points nearing the end of the third quarter. However, to start the final frame, Japan went on a 10-2 run to climb back into the game. Throughout the quarter, they continued to chip away at the Canadian lead, but Canada had built up a sizeable enough lead to endure Japan out-scoring Canada 32-16 in the quarter. “We played very good for three quarters and weathered the storm in the fourth,” said Chambers. “At halftime Japan hadn’t hit a three-pointer. Then No. 13 [Shiori Takada] hit four in a row. Some of them were NBA three-pointers.” Michelle Plouffe paced Canada with 19 on 7-13 from the floor, 5-5 from the line and 8 boards. Nirra Fields added 14 on 6-15 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Katherine Plouffe scored 13 on 4-11 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Wumi Agunbiade scored 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 4 boards. Diana Lee added 7 on 2-3 from the floor and 1-4 from the arc. Korissa Williams added 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-4 from the line, 8 boards and 3 assists. Kellie Ring added 3, Megan Lukan 3 and Kristjana Young 2, while Isidora Purkovic, Paige Crozon and Sophie Beaudry were scoreless. Canada hit 30-73 (.411) overall, 27-64 (.422) from the floor, 3-9 from the arc and 14-20 (.700) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 25 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 10 fouls, 12 turnovers and 8 steals. Shiori Takada paced Japan with 29 on 7-8 from the floor, 5-15 from the arc, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Rui Machida added 14 on 4-4 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 8 boards and 11 assists. Chikae Uchino added 6, along with 6 boards, Yuri Uchikoshi 6, Rina Sezaki 5, Sanae Motokawa 5, Aoi Katsura 4 and Anka Ohama 2, while Rei Yakushiji, Rie Moku, Mika Nozoe and Aya Watanabe were scoreless. Japan hit 29-62 (.468) overall, 23-33 (.697) from the floor, 6-29 (.207) from the arc and 7-10 from the line, while garnering 24 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 22 assists, 16 fouls, 14 turnovers, 4 steals and 1 block.
In the fifth-place match, Canada dusted France 70-52. Canadian coach Rich Chambers was proud of the way the squad rebounded from its quarterfinal loss to Spain. “A Canadian team has never won eight games at a world championship. Though it was disappointing to lose to Spain, on that day they were the better team.” Michelle Plouffe said “we’re proud of how we came out to play today. We’ve played great basketball through the tournament and we came together to battle through these last two games. We’ve played the best teams in the world and played our best basketball and [even though] it was extremely disappointing to lose the quarter-final game we finished strong and we’re proud of that.” Korissa Williams also felt strongly about the performance of the team. “[International basketball] is nothing like I expected, it’s very challenging. I love my team. We’ve only been together less than a month but we have so much chemistry.” Nirra Fields paced Canada with 18 on 5-13 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 8-8 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 5 steals. Michelle Plouffe notched 14 on 6-11 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 6 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Korissa Williams scored 11 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Wumi Agunbiade scored 8 on 2-9 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 7 boards. Katherine Plouffe notched 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 7 boards and 2 steals. Kellie Ring added 4, Kristjana Young 4, along with 5 boards and 2 steals, Megan Lukan 3 and Diana Lee 2, while Isidora Purkovic, Paige Crozon and Sophie Beaudry were scoreless. Canada hit 23-68 (.338) overall, 21-57 (.368) from the floor, 2-11 (.182) from the arc and 22-24 (.917) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 14 fouls, 15 turnovers, 17 steals and 2 blocks. Adja Konteh paced France with 14 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Clarince Djaldi-Tabdi added 12 on 5-10 from the floor, 2-5 from the line and 10 boards. Helena Akmouche notched 10 on 5-8 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Valeriane Ayayi added 6, along with 5 boards, Agathe Degorces 4 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 5 steals, Jenny Fouasseau 4 and Martine Barba 2, along with 4 boards, while Mathilde Roche, Sabrine Bouzenna, Johanna Joseph, Melanie Devaux and Eleonore Grossemy were scoreless. France hit 21-58 (.362) overall, 19-38 from the floor, 2-10 (.100) from the arc and 8-13 (.615) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 18 fouls, 22 turnovers, 10 steals and 2 blocks.