| FINAL STANDINGS 1. Australia 2. Russia 3. United States 4. Brazil 5. France 6. Lithuania 7. Czech Republic 8. Spain 9. Argentina 10. CANADA 11. Cuba 12. China 13. Korea 14. Chinese Taipei 15. Senegal 16. Nigeria | CANADIANS Kelsey Adrian (Langley, B.C.) Isabelle Chapdelaine (Sainte-Foy, Que.) Teresa Kleindienst (Mission, B.C.) Kim Smith (Mission, B.C.) Sheila Townsend (Maple Ridge, B.C.) Chelsea Aubry (Oshawa, Ont.) Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl (Kuala Lampur, Malaysia) Sarah Crooks (Rockglen, Sask.) Nikki Johnson (Niagara Falls, Ont.) Tammy Sutton-Brown (North York, Ont.) Amanda Brown (Montreal, Que.) Carrie Watson (Vancouver, B.C.) Allison McNeill – coach Mike McNeill – assistant Lisa Thomaidis – assistant Anne Marie Thuss – manager Tracy Blake – physiotherapist ` |
| POOL A | BRZ | SPN | ARG | KOR | Record | ||||
| Brazil | —– | 66-67 | 71-69 | 100-86 | (2-1) | ||||
| Spain | 67-66 | —– | 64-77 | 87-57 | (2-1) | ||||
| Argentina | 69-71 | 77-64 | —– | 73-64 | (2-1) | ||||
| Korea | 86-100 | 57-87 | 64-73 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL B | AUS | LTH | CAN | SEN | Record | ||||
| Australia | —– | 2-0 | 97-65 | 95-55 | (3-0) | ||||
| Lithuania | 0-2 | —– | 84-58 | 74-63 | (2-1) | ||||
| Canada | 65-97 | 58-84 | —– | 65-64 | (1-2) | ||||
| Senegal | 55-95 | 63-74 | 64-65 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL C | USA | RUS | CHN | NIG | Record | ||||
| United States | —– | 90-80 | 119-72 | 79-46 | (3-0) | ||||
| Russia | 80-90 | —– | 86-66 | 84-50 | (2-1) | ||||
| China | 72-119 | 66-86 | —– | 71-59 | (1-2) | ||||
| Nigeria | 46-79 | 50-84 | 59-71 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL D | FRA | CZE | CUB | CTP | Record | ||||
| France | —– | 62-58 | 73-78 | 100-68 | (2-1) | ||||
| Czech Republic | 58-62 | —– | 73-51 | 93-72 | (2-1) | ||||
| Cuba | 78-73 | 51-73 | —– | 75-70 | (2-1) | ||||
| Chinese Taipei | 68-100 | 72-93 | 70-75 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL E | AUS | BRZ | SPN | LTH | ARG | CAN | Record | ||
| Australia | —– | 82-73 | 72-68 | 2-0 | 83-49 | 97-65 | (5-0) | ||
| Brazil | 73-82 | —– | 66-67 | 84-67 | 71-69 | 82-41 | (3-2) | ||
| Spain | 68-72 | 67-66 | —– | 75-55 | 64-77 | 85-57 | (3-2) | ||
| Lithuania | 0-2 | 67-84 | 55-75 | —– | 62-47 | 84-58 | (2-3) | ||
| Argentina | 49-83 | 69-71 | 77-64 | 47-62 | —– | 62-58 | (1-4) | ||
| Canada | 65-97 | 41-82 | 57-85 | 58-84 | 58-62 | —– | (0-5) | ||
| POOL F | USA | CZE | FRA | RUS | CHN | CUB | Record | ||
| United States | —– | 63-50 | 76-41 | 90-80 | 119-72 | 90-50 | (5-0) | ||
| Czech Republic | 50-63 | —– | 58-62 | 85-83 | 79-73 | 73-51 | (3-2) | ||
| France | 41-76 | 62-58 | —– | 74-64 | 64-66 | 73-78 | (2-3) | ||
| Russia | 80-90 | 83-85 | 64-74 | —– | 86-66 | 96-81 | (2-3) | ||
| China | 72-119 | 73-79 | 66-64 | 66-86 | —– | 73-70 | (2-3) | ||
| Cuba | 50-90 | 51-73 | 78-73 | 81-96 | 70-73 | —– | (1-4) | ||
| QFs | United States 90 Lithuania 56 | |
| QFs | Australia 79 France 66 | |
| QFs | Brazil 75 Czech Republic 51 | |
| QFs | Russia 60 Spain 56 | |
| 13-16th | Korea 75 Senegal 64 | |
| 13-16th | Chinese Taipei 81 Nigeria 77 | |
| 9-12th | Argentina 76 Cuba 73 | |
| 9-12th | Canada 65 China 61 | |
| 5-8th | Lithuania 80 Spain 71 | |
| 5-8th | France 79 Czech Republic 78 | |
| Semi | Russia 75 United States 68 | |
| Semi | Australia 88 Brazil 76 | |
| 15th | Senegal 66 Nigeria 64 | |
| 13th | Korea 73 Chinese Taipei 52 | |
| 11th | Cuba 71 China 68 | |
| 9th | Argentina 74 Canada 57 | |
| 7th | Czech Republic 57 Spain 49 | |
| 5th | France 79 Lithuania 73 | |
| Bronze | United States 99 Brazil 59 | |
| Final | Australia 91 Russia 74 | |
In their
opener, Canada nipped Senegal 65-64. “It was a bit of a struggle but we managed
to pull it out and we’re pretty excited about it,” said Kim Smith. Canada had a
10-point lead in the final quarter when Tammy Sutton Brown fouled out. Senegal
went to a full-court press and Mame Diouf nailed a trey with 39 seconds to play
to rally within one. Smith turned the ball over but Canada’s defence held and
Senegal’s Aya Traore rushed a shot at the buzzer that would have won it. “We
made a really good defensive stop to win the game, so we had a couple of turnovers
at the end but our defence really held strong,” said Canadian coach Allison McNeill.
“This is one we had to get but we also knew they are a very athletic team. They
have quite a few players that play professionally in France. I don’t think we
expected to be that tight. When we were up, we felt fairly confident.” Canada
jumped out to an early 4-0 lead to open the game and extended the margin to 20-13
after the first quarter lead after shooting one-for-nine from the free throw
line. Kim Smith and Isabelle Grenier each hit a pair of treys as Canada moved
ahead 36-27 at halftime. Senegal opened the third quarter with a three-pointer
and later took advantage of a three-minute scoring drought by Canada to cut the
lead Canada had built earlier in the quarter back to 10 points. Canada entered
the final stanza of play up 52-41. Senegal opened the fourth quarter with a
10-3 run to cut the Canadian lead to four points before Canada got the ball
inside to Toronto’s Tammy Sutton Brown. Canada built their lead back to 10
points before Brown fouled out with 3:41 remaining in the game. Senegal took advantage
of her absence, closing the game to six points with 1:08 left. Senegal
continued to press Canada as Mame Diouf nailed a three-pointer to close the gap
to one-point, 65-64, with 39 seconds remaining in the game. Then a Smith
turnover gave Senegal a chance to win the match but Canada’s defence held
tough, forcing Senegal into a long hurried three by Aya Traore with only
seconds on the clock. The shot fell well short, ensuring the Canadian victory. “We
had a lot of problems because our team is really young and got a bit nervous on
court. This is our first World Championship in 12 years. And Senegal has a
strong team, with very big players. Yet, we won and it’s still possible to
achieve our main objective, that is to be with the 12 finalists. Now my worries
are about Lithuania. They must
be excited to play and in the same time desperate to win,” said coach Allison McNeill.
Sutton-Brown noted that “we wish we could play better, but it was not possible.
We made a lot of mistakes in the game and our opponents were really strong.”
Tammy Sutton-Brown paced Canada with 15 points on 7-10 from the floor, 1-8 from
the line and 7 boards. Kim Smith added 12 on 1-3 from the arc, 4-6 from the
floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 assists. Chelsea Aubry scored 9 on 3-4 from the
floor, 1-3 from the arc and 10 boards. Amanda Brown notched 8 on 6-9 from the
line and 7 boards. Teresa Kleindienst scored 8 on 2-10 from the floor, 4-6 from
the line, 2 steals and 5 assists. Nikki Johnson scored 5, Isabelle Grenier 3,
Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl 3 and Kelsey Adrian 2, while Sheila Townsend, Watson
and Sarah Crooks were scoreless. Canada shot 4-17 (.240) from the arc, 20-40
from the floor and 13-26 from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 11
on the offensive glass, 4 blocks 7 steals, 10 assists, 20 turnovers and 16
fouls. Traore Aya led Senegal
with 20 points on 3-5 from the arc, 3-9 from the floor and 5-6 from the line.
Astou Ndiaye added 14 on 6-12 from the floor. Mame Diodio Diuof added 9,
Mariama Dia 8, Astou Traore 7, Nene Diame 2, Oumou Khairy Sarr 2, and Salimata
Diatta 2, while Fatou Dieng, Awa Doumbia, Ndeye Ndiaye and Khady Yacine Ngom
were scoreless. Senegal shot 15-47 (.320) from the floor, 8-17 (.470) from the
arc and 10-12 (.830) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 9 on
the offensive glass, 1 block, 5 steals, 9 assists, 12 turnovers and 21 fouls.
Canada then got clocked 84-58 by Lithuania to fall to (1-1). “They really came out hard,” said Canadian coach Allison McNeill. “We were pretty flat to start and unfortunately, we just couldn’t make shots. They were a very, very good team.” Tammy Sutton-Brown said Canada was simply overpowered. “We knew what we were getting into today. They just came out really strong and we just didn’t really match their intensity.” Lithuania forfeited its first game because of difficulties with their travel itinerary that had prevented them from entering Brazil. They’d been forced to travel, due to the cancellation of the flight they’d originally scheduled, to Brazil via French Guyana. Brazilian law foresees that anybody who wishes to enter Brazil from French Guyana needs a vaccination, which the Lithuanian team did not have. Lithuania took total control of the game in the first quarter, by the end of which they led 24-10. They extended their lead to 46-20 after Egle Sulciute scored on a lay-up to take her first-half tally to 14 points. Canada never threatened. Canada opened the scoring when Nikki Johnson of Niagara Falls hit a pull-up jumper less than a minute into the game. Lithuania led 6-4 two minutes into the game before the European nation slowly started to add to their lead throughout the quarter, going on a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 14 points and finishing the period with a 24-10 advantage. Canada struggled from beyond the arc, missing all five attempts, while Lithuania connected on a three-for-six (.500) clip. Lithuania also got to the free-throw line eight times (sinking five) compared to Canada’s three trips (sinking two). Teresa Kleindienst opened the second quarter scoring with a driving basket, but hot outside shooting and transition baskets by Lithuania saw them continue to build their lead in the second quarter as they outscored Canada 22-12 for a 46-22 halftime lead. Lithuania finished the half shooting 15-32 from the floor including five-of-11 from three-point range compared to Canada’s seven-of-24 shooting mark including one-of-seven from behind the arc. Canada rebounded in the third quarter, outscoring Lithuania 20-17 in the stanza on the strength of a 6-0 run that cut the Canadian deficit to 19 points. Tammy Sutton-Brown scored all six points during Canada’s run. Canada entered the fourth quarter trailing 63-42, and played their second unit for most of the period. Lithuania took advantage, outscoring Canada 21-16 in the stanza en route to the victory. “We are very happy for being here to participate in such an important tournament like the World Championship. We did not sleep well last night because we were still on the way to São Paulo for the game against Canada, but even so we were very motivated for the game. We were also moved by the support we received from the Lithuanian community in São Paulo here in the Ibirapuera Gymnasium. This type of manifestation makes us stronger to win the Championship, said Lithuania coach A. Paulauskas. “Our trip was complicated. We slept very little. But we are very well-prepared athletes and managed to overcome the difficulties. We could not lose motivation because we are participating in an important tournament, which gathers the best teams in the world. It is an honor for us to be able to play against these teams,” said Lithuanian forward Streimikyte-Virbickiene. Coach Allison McNeill noted that “we played well for just half game, which was not enough to overcome the quality of the Lithuanian players. Their team is really impressive. We are not used to playing teams whose pivots play outside the free-throw lane, trying long-distance shots. That does not happen in the United States or Canada.” Post Chelsea Aubry noted “our defense was not good. We could not stop their attack, which is very strong both under the hoop and in the long-distance shots. Lithuania has a quite aggressive team. Their players are strong and technical, which makes it difficult to defend.” Jurgita Streimikyte-Virbickiene led Lithuania with 21 points on 8-16 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 7 boards. Sandra Valuzyte added 15 on 5-6 from the floor. Egle Sulciute notched 14 on 2-4 from the arc, 3-9 from the line and 8 boards. Lina Brazdeikyte scored 13 on 6-8 from the line. Rima Valentiene notched 9, Ausra Bimbaite 8 and Agne Ciudariene 4, while Aurime Rinkeveviciute, Ela Bridyte, Diana Razmaite, Vita Kuktiene and Gintare Petronyte were scoreless. Lithuania shot 20-42 (.480) from the floor, 8-19 (.420) from the arc and 20-33 (.610) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 5 blocks, 12 assists, 11 turnovers and 18 fouls. Tamara Sutton-Brown paced Canada with 11 points on 4-6 from the floor and 3-5 from the line. Amanda Brown added 10 on 3-4 from the floor and 4-7 from the line. Teresa Kleindienst notched 8 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Chelsea Aubry scored 6 on 2-3 from the arc. Isabelle Grenier scored 5, Nikki Johnson 4, Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl 4, Carrie Watson 2, Sarah Crooks 2, Kimberly Smith 2, Kelsey Adrian 2 and Sheila Townsend 2. Canada shot 27-43 (.400) from the floor, 3-13 (.230) from the arc and 15-20 from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 1 block, 6 steals, 6 assists, 21 turnovers and 29 fouls.
Canada concluded pool B play by being pounded 97-65 by Australia. Canada held tough against the third-ranked Australian team holding the score to 4-4 in the opening three minutes. However, Australia began to pull away late in the quarter, going on an 8-0 run to open up a 13-point lead and finish the period up 27-16. Australia shot a sizzling 10-of-16 from the field and went a perfect four-of-four from the free throw line. Canada countered shooting 10-of-10 from the charity stripe, but struggled from the field going three-of-11. A strong second quarter saw Canada go on a 12-0 run to cut the Australian lead to two points (32-30) midway through the period. Isabelle Grenier and Teresa Kleindienst hit a pair of long treys as part of the streak. Kleindienst finished the half in style driving the basket, drawing the foul, and sinking the ensuing foul shot to cut the Australian advantage to 41-39 at halftime. Free throws helped queue Canada’s strong second quarter as the Canucks got to the line 19 times (sinking 18) compared to seven trips (sinking six). Australia shot 15-of-33 in the half compared to nine-of-25 shooting by Canada. The high-tempo back-and-forth affair continued in the third quarter, with Australia slowly adding to their lead. Canada kept the Australian advantage to less than 11 points for most of the quarter but a late 10-0 run by the Aussies saw them open a 19-point advantage heading into the final stanza of play with a 66-47 score. Australia continued to stretch their lead in the fourth quarter, going on a 10-0 run and outscoring Canada 31-18 in the period. They also connected on five three-pointers. Australian coach Jan Stirling noted that “in a world championship as this, all games are difficult. Today against Canada was no different. We had a tough match yesterday, against Senegal, that got us tired, and that’s why we kind of slow in court today in the first half of the game with Canada. But we caught up in time to win the match and now we have to look forward, because all three teams from group “A” are playing a wonderful basketball, especially Argentina.” Guard Kristi Harrower added that “we made this game complicated, especially in the first 20 minutes, but in the half-time we talk a lot with Jan and manage to identify our errors. We came back better, with more energy to win the game. And we will need to play like this in the next round, where there’re three dangerous teams waiting for us. But we are prepared to win them all.”
Belinda Snell paced Australia with 24 points on 5-6 from the arc, 4-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 3 steals. Lauren Jackson notched 12 on 7-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 9 boards. Kristi Harrower scored 17 on 3-6 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc and 6 assists. Laura Summerton notched 13 on 4-9 from the floor. Penelope Taylor scored 11 on 5-5 from the floor, 9 boards and 4 assists. Jennifer Screen added 3, Tully Bevilaqua 2, Hollie Grima 2 and J. Whittle 2, while Erin Phillips, Emma Randall and Emil McLnerny were scoreless. Australia shot 25-46 (.540) from the floor, 12-28 (.430) from the arc and 11-13 (.850) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 1 block, 10 steals, 16 assists, 10 turnovers and 26 fouls. Teresa Kleindienst paced Canada with 19 points on 4-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Tammy Sutton-Brown notched 17 on 3-9 from the floor, 11-12 from the line and 7 boards. Kimberley Smith notched 10 on 2-5 from the floor, 6-8 from the line and 5 boards. Isabelle Grenier scored 9 on 3-6 from the arc. Amanda Brown added 4, Nicole Johnson 3 and Kelsey Adrian 3, while Sheila Townsend, Sarah Crooks, Carrie Watson, Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl and Chelsea Aubry were scoreless. Canada shot 9-28 (.320) from the floor, 6-16 (.380) from the arc and 29-36 (.810) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 1 block, 4 steals, 7 assists, 22 turnovers and 20 fouls.
In their opening game of the second-round pool, Canada dropped a 62-58 decision to Argentina. Tammy Sutton-Brown opened the scoring in the game, nailing one-of-two free-throws after being fouled under the basket. Sutton-Brown and Kim Smith scored the first 12 Canadian points as part of an early 6-0 run to give Canada a 12-9 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the quarter. Canada finished the quarter with a 17-14 advantage. The second stanza continued the up-tempo back-and-forth game of the first quarter with Canada playing tough defence and limiting the Argentineans to only one shot on each possession. Canada maintained their three-or-four-point lead for much of the period before a 9-0 run which included a three-point play by Sutton-Brown and a long three-pointer by Isabelle Grenier helped Canada to a 31-22 advantage at halftime. Canada outrebounded Argentina 29-15 in the half and visited the free throw line 15 times (sinking nine) compared to only three times by Argentina (sinking all three). Argentina did not take a free-throw in the second quarter. Argentina opened the second half with a 6-1 run to cut the Canadian lead to four points. Canada retained their four-point advantage for much of the quarter before Argentina slowly clawed their way back into the game late in the period, tying the game at 40 with 30 seconds remaining in the quarter. A field goal by Sutton-Brown gave Canada a 42-40 advantage going into the final quarter of play. Nikki Johnson gave Canada a four-point lead, scoring the first basket of the quarter on a driving lay-up. The quarter continued as a close up-and-down affair with Canada never leading by more than four points, but also never allowing Argentina to take the lead until 1:23 remaining in the game (56-56). Argentina then went on to score the next six points (62-56) to win the game. Smith hit a pair of free throws to bump Canada’s point-total to 58, which it remained despite a flurry of Canadian shots in the dying seconds of the match. Giselle Vega led Argentina with 14 points on 5-10 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 6 boards. V. Soberon added 10 on 2-7 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 3 boards. A. Chesta scored 10 on 2-6 from the arc and 2-3 from the floor. Natalia Rios notched 9 on 4-8 from the floor. Erica Sanchez scored 7, M. Paoletta 5, Maria Landra 5 and Laura Nicolini 3, while Cecilia Lineira, Sandra Pavon, Paula Gatti and Maria Fernandez were scoreless. Argentina shot 17-39 (.440) from the floor, 7-30 (.230) from the arc and 7-9 (.780) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 1 block, 10 steals, 12 assists, 14 turnovers and 18 fouls. Tammy Sutton-Brown paced Canada with 17 points on 6-12 from the floor, 5-10 from the line and 6 boards. Kimberley Smith added 12 on 3-7 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 8 boards. Teresa Kleindienst scored 8 on 3-12 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 assists. Isabelle Grenier scored 6 on 2-5 from the arc. Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl scored 6on 2-3 from the floor. Nicole Johnson scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor. Amanda Brown added 2 and Sheila Townsend 2, while Kelsey Adrian, Sarah Crooks, Carrie Watson and Chelsea Aubry were scoreless. Canada shot 17-45 (.380) from the floor, 3-14 (.210) from the arc and 15-23 (.650) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 4 blocks, 4 steals, 10 assists, 24 turnovers and 19 fouls.
Canada was eliminated from medal contention after losing 85-57 to Spain. Kim Smith opened the scoring in the game with a drive to the basket at the 9:35 mark. However, midway through the quarter, Spain went on a 6-0 run creating a six-point cushion (15-9). Spain maintained their lead for the rest of the period, finishing the quarter up 23-18. The second-quarter continued the high-paced end-to-end action of the first stanza. After Spain scored the opening basket, Canada scored the next eight points in less than a minute, capped off by a three-pointer by Isabelle Grenier to take a 26-25 lead. However, Canada struggled when Spain moved to a zone defence to close the half, allowing Spain to go on a 9-0 run and take a 43-33 halftime lead. Spain recorded five three-pointers in the first half compared to three by Canada. Amaya Valdemoro scored 19 of Spain’s 43 first-half points, while Canada was led by six points apiece from Markham, Ontario’s Tammy Sutton-Brown and Grenier. Spain opened the scoring in the second half off a driving lay-up and increased their lead to 19 points (60-41) midway through the third quarter. Canada battled back as Montréal’s Amanda Brown scored five points to help cut the deficit down to 13 points later in the quarter. Spain outscored Canada 18-14 in the period to lead 61-47 going into the fourth. Brown scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, but Spain then proceeded on a 14-0 to make the score 80-53 before a lay-up by Sheila Townsend ended the streak. Amaya Valdemoro paced Spain with 28 points on 3-9 from the arc, 8-11 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 4 steals. Marta Fernandez added 15 on 7-11 from the floor. Nuria Martinez scored 8, Laia Palau 8, Lucila Pascua 7, Elisa Aguilar 7, Ana Montanana 6, Eva Montesdeoca 4 and Isabel Sanchez 2, while Maria Pina, Silvia Dominguez and Paula Segui were scoreless. Spain shot 25-45 (.560) from the floor, 9-25 (.360) from the arc and 8-12 from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 2 blocks, 12 steals, 10 assists, 12 turnovers and 15 fouls. Amanda Brown paced Canada with 15 points on 5-5 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 6 boards. Isabelle Grenier added 9 on 3-5 from the arc. Chelsea Aubry scored 8 on 2-2 from the arc. Tammy Sutton-Brown notched 6 on 2-4 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Sheila Townsend scored 4, Kelsey Adrian 4, Kimberley Smith 4, Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl 4, Sarah Crooks 2 and Carrie Watson 1, while Teresa Kleindienst and Nicole Johnson were scoreless. Canada shot 15-34 (.440) from the floor, 5-17 (.290) from the arc and 12-16 (.750) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 2 blocks, 5 steals, 12 assists, 22 turnovers and 16 fouls.
Canada closed out pool play by getting spanked by Brazil 82-41. Brazil came out firing from the opening tip and never looked back. Kim Smith opened the scoring in the game with a drive to the basket before Brazil went on a 15-2 run to make the score 15-4 with just over five minutes remaining in the quarter. Canada battled back going on a 5-0 run to cut the Brazilian lead to 17-11, but Brazil continued to use their superior size on the boards to score inside and keep plays alive. Canada trailed 24-13 after the opening quarter. Brazil slowly increased their lead in the second quarter, using their size and quickness to outscore Canada 23-11 and take a 47-24 lead at the end of the half. Brazil scored first in the third quarter and continued to apply offensive pressure throughout the period, scoring 17 points. Brazil also tightened their defensive pressure, holding Canada to eight points in the quarter, four of which were scored by Amanda Brown. Canada continued to struggle offensively in the fourth quarter, scoring nine points to Brazil’s 18. The 41-point loss was Canada’s largest of the tournament. Coach Allison MacNeill attributed the loss to a lack of depth. “When we go to the bench, we don’t have the experience. You’re really going with kids who haven’t been at this level and it’s just a real different intensity that they’re not used to playing.” Iziane Castro Marques led Brazil with 17 points on 4-6 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc and 3 assists. Janeth dos Santos Arcain scored 10 on 4-8 from the floor. Helen Cristina Santos Luz scored 10 on 2-5 from the arc. Adrianinha Moises Pinto added 9, Alessandra Santos de Oliveira 8, Micaela Martins Jacintho 6, Ega Soeli Garvao Zakrzeski 6, Cintia Silva dos Santos 5, Kelly da Silva Santos 4, Erika Cristina de Souza 4, Karen Gustabo Rocha 2 and Silvia Cristina Gustavo Rocha 0. Brazil shot 26-47 (.550) from the floor, 8-21 (.380) from the arc and 6-10 from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 10 steals, 24 assists, 13 turnovers and 16 fouls. Tammy Sutton-Brown paced Canada with 14 points on 5-10 from the floor, 4-5 from the arc and 5 boards. Kimberley Smith scored 9 on 1-3 from the arc and 3-5 from the line. Chelsea Aubry added 5, Amanda Brown 4, Isabelle Grenier 3, Kelsey Adrian 2, Carrie Watson 2, and Nicole Johnson 2, while Sheila Townsend, Teresa Kleindienst, Sarah Crooks and Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl were scoreless. Canada shot 13-35 (.370) from the floor, 3-16 (.190) from the arc and 6-11 (.550) from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 6 steals, 11 assists, 20 turnovers and 12 fouls.
Canada fails to qualify for the quarterfinals, drops to the 9-12th classifications.
In their classification opener, Canada nipped China 65-61. In a back and forth affair, Canada took the lead prior to the half and never looked back defeating China 65-61. Kim Smith opened the scoring of the game by hitting her first shot. The game stayed close throughout the quarter with Canada up by one point, when a Canadian turnover allowed China to run down the court and take the 17-15 lead at the end of the half. The second quarter started off similar to the first with four lead changes happening in the first four minutes. Canada’s low-post game seemed to prove dominant as Amanda Brown and Tammy Sutton-Brown held their ground taking the lead with five minutes to go. Canada outscored the Chinese team 17-7 for the stanza, finished the half holding a slight 32-24 advantage. Canada exploded in the third quarter with Smith hitting a three-pointer in the opening minute of play. Canada held an 11-point lead with eight minutes to go, when China’s Lijie Miao hit two three-pointers in a row, bringing the game within reach for China. Canada was outscored 21-14 for the quarter, however they still held a one-point lead (46-45) over the Chinese nationals going into the final period of play. Canada continued their strong play under the basket in the final quarter allowing the Canadian women to control the tempo of the game. Canada held a slight lead with 40 seconds to go when Sutton-Brown came up with a big block, allowing Kleindienst to run up the court and put the game to rest. Canada tallied 19 points in the final quarter, while holding China to 16. “This was our best defensive effort of the tournament,” said Head Coach Allison McNeill. “We really controlled the rebounds allowing us to make some clutch baskets in the end.” Veteran Nikki Johnson noted that “we didn’t reach our team goal of the top eight. We really want to win this game and we now look forward to our top 10 finish tomorrow.” Kimberley Smith paced Canada with 18 points on 6-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 8 boards. Teresa Kleindienst added 15 on 6-15 from the floor, 12 boards and 8 assists. Tammy Sutton Brown notched 13 on 4-9 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 8 boards. Amanda Brown scored 8 on 4-9 from the floor. Isabelle Grenier added 3, Chelsea Aubry 3, Sheila Townsend 2, Nicole Johnson 2 and Kelsey Adrian 1, while Sarah Crooks, Carrie Watson and Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl were scoreless. Canada shot 23-52 (.440) from the floor, 4-14 (.290) from the arc and 7-12 (.580) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 2 blocks, 6 stelas, 12 assists, 14 turnovers and 16 fouls. Nan Chen paced China with 22 points on 9-17 from the floor and 12 boards. Lijie Miao added 21 on 2-7 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc and 8-8 from the line. Xizoli Chen added 8, Lan Bian 5, Xiaoyun Song 3 and Feifei Sui 2, while Guang Jia, Wei Zhang, Lei Ren, Liwei Song, Dan Liu and Xiaoni Zhang were scoreless. China shot 14-43 (.330) from the floor, 7-24 (.290) from the arc and 12-12 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 1 block, 5 steals, 9 assists, 16 turnovers and 14 fouls.
In the ninth-place playoff, Argentina whacked Canada 74-57. The first quarter opened in a back-and-forth affair with the lead changing hands four times in the opening five minutes. Canada kept the ball low in the key, with Tammy Sutton-Brown and Amanda Brown converting in on some key shots. A late defensive lap allowed Argentina to take control at the end of quarter with a 19-15 advantage. Canada turned up the intensity at the start of the second quarter as Nikki Johnson leading her team on a personal 5-0 scoring run to bring the game within two points. Canada continued to pressure their South American rivals, finishing the first half down by only a single point, 31-30. Canada continued their pressure at the start of the third quarter when Teresa Kleindienst stole the ball and ran it in for the uncontested layup, putting her team up by one. The lead would change hands two more times, until Argentina opened a 7-0 scoring run to take control of the game. Argentina finished the quarter 53-44, holding a nine-point advantage going into the final stanza of play. In final quarter of play, Canada managed to cut the lead and come within seven points, however, a few timely three-pointers put the game out of reach for the Canadians. “I am extremely proud of this team,” said coach Allison McNeill. “We played tough this tournament even though we were a lot younger than our competition. We did some great things. We are very proud of the top 10 finish seeing as we have not been to the worlds in 12 years.” Gisella Vega paced Argentina with 21 points on 8-15 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 7 boards. Marcela Paoletta added 15 on 4-8 from the arc. Veronica Soberon notched 12 on 2-2 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Sandra Pavon scored 9, Erica Sanchez 9, Alejandra Chesta 5, Maria Landra 2 and Natalia Rios 1, while Laura Nicolini, Cecilia Peters Lineira, Paula Gatti and Maria Fernandez were scoreless. Argentina shot 16-38 (.420) from the floor, 12-26 (.460) from the arc and 6-8 from the line, while garnering 26 boards, 14 steals, 20 assists, 11 turnovers and 14 fouls. Teresa Kleindienst led Canada with 15 points on 5-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 4 steals and 3 assists. Kimberley Smith scored 11 on 3-4 from the floor and 11 boards. Tammy Sutton-Brown scored 11 on 3-10 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 9 boards. Nicole Johnson scored 7, Amanda Brown 6, Chelsea Aubry 4 and Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl 4, while Sheila Townsend, Kelsey Adrian, Isabelle Grenier, Sarah Crooks and Carrie Watson were scoreless. Canada shot 18-38 (.380) from the floor, 3-17 (.180) from the arc and 12-14 (.860) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 3 blocks, 6 steals, 12 assists, 24 turnovers and 13 fouls.