| FINAL STANDINGS 1. Brazil 2. Argentina 3. CANADA 4. Cuba 5. Puerto Rico 6. Chile 7. Venezuela 8. Dominican Republic | CANADIANS Kadie Riverin (Ottawa, Ont.) Teresa Gabriele (Mission, B.C.) Kaela Chapdelaine (Okotoks, Alta.) Kelsey Adrian (Langley, B.C.) Kim Smith (Mission, B.C.) Janelle Bekkering (Taber, Alta.) Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, Ont.) Tamara Tatham (East York, Ont.) Chelsea Aubry (Oshawa, Ont.) Jordan Adams (Spokane, Wash.) Megan Pinski (Coquitlam, B.C.) Laurelle Weigl (Stony Plain, Alta) Allison McNeill – coach Mike McNeill – assistant Lisa Thomaidis – assistant Dr. Sarah Kim – physician Shannon Morrison – physiotherapist Choyal Brown – video scout Julie Rodrigue – manager |
| POOL A | BRA | CAN | PUR | DOM | Record | ||
| Brazil | —– | 61-45 | 78-34 | 121-62 | (3-0) | ||
| Canada | 45-61 | —– | 70-57 | 103-37 | (2-1) | ||
| Puerto Rico | 34-78 | 57-70 | —– | 83-44 | (1-2) | ||
| Dominican Republic | 62-121 | 37-103 | 44-83 | —– | (0-3) | ||
| POOL B | ARG | CUB | CHI | VEN | Record | ||
| Argentina | —– | 85-81 | 62-57 | 87-65 | (3-0) | ||
| Cuba | 81-85 | —– | 94-60 | 95-55 | (2-1) | ||
| Chile | 57-62 | 60-94 | —– | 77-69 | (1-2) | ||
| Venezuela | 65-87 | 55-95 | 69-77 | —– | (0-3) | ||
| 5-8th | Puerto Rico 74 Venezuela 53 | |
| 5-8th | Chile 72 Dominican Republic 58 | |
| Semi | Argentina 63 Canada 53 | |
| Semi | Brazil 79 Cuba 59 | |
| 7th | Venezuela 87 Dominican Republic 82 | |
| 5th | Puerto Rico 61 Chile 49 | |
| Bronze | Canada 59 Cuba 49 | |
| Final | Brazil 71 Argentina 48 | |
In their opener, Canada thrashed smaller and less skilled Dominican Republic 103-37. “We got some things accomplished during today’s game,” said coach Allison McNeill. “It was good for players to get nerves out and get their legs going, as well as to execute against other teams.” Jordan Adams said “it was fun to get this first game under our belt and to finally get started with the tournament.” Jordan Adams scored 6 and Kim Smith 5 as Canada took a 23-15 lead after one quarter and then extended their margin to 55-20 at the half. Canada had a comfortable win because of their great defensive effort and good passing inside for easy baskets. Teresa Gabriele dished 10 assists and Kadie Riverin 6 for the Canadians. Jordan Adams paced Canada with 16 on 6-7 from the floor, 45- from the line and 3 boards. Chelsea Aubry added 14 on 3-3 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 7 boards and 2 steals. Tamara Tatham notched 13 on 5-5 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 6 boards. Janelle Bekkering scored 12 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Kim Smith scored 12 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 steals. Kadie Riverin added 10 on 10-12 from the line, 5 boards and 6 assists. Laurel Wiegl scored 7 on 3-4 from the floor. Natalie Achonwa added 6 on 3-3 from the floor, 7 boards and 2 assists. Kaela Chapdelaine scored 5 on 1-2 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Teresa Gabriele scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 10 assists. Kelsey Adrian added 4, while Megan Pinske was scoreless. Canada shot 28-46 (.609) from the floor, 6-13 (.462) from the arc and 29-36 (.806) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 28 assists, 19 fouls, 17 turnovers, 16 steals and 4 blocks. Andreina Paniagua Cuevas paced the Dominican Republic with 16 on 3-15 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 7-8 from the line and 6 boards. Sugeiry Monsac Sierra added 7 on 3-7 from the floor and 6 boards. Melissa Santos Segura added 6, Marlem Caceres Almonte 3, Jennifer Estrella Diaz 2, Charlenny Frias Henriquez 2 and Adalgisa Brito Nova 1, while Angee Castillo Guerrero, Frabel Feliz Rodriguez, Nicole Sanchez Henriquez, Delisa Rivas Mendez and Gleni Peralta Lopez were scoreless. The Dominican Republic shot 8-20 (.200) from the floor, 1-15 (.067) from the arc and 18-22 (.818) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 2 assists, 26 fouls, 27 turnovers and 7 steals.
Canada improved to (2-0) and qualified for the semis by dusting Puerto Rico 70-57. “We started off slowly against a team that plays aggressive defense,” said coach Allison McNeill. “We did some little things well down the stretch which allowed us to win tonight. We had everyone contributing tonight and I am proud of our athletes for coming up with the win in a hard-fought game.” Canada got off to a quick offensive start sparked by two three pointers from Chelsea Aubry and Teresa Gabriele. Midway through the first, Puerto Rico battled to disrupt Canada’s offensive flow and managed to close out the period with a two-point lead 13-11. Puerto Rico opened the second quarter with a three to build a 16-11 lead. But Canada switched to zone and Kim Smith scored from on baseline drive followed by a high low play with Jordan Adams converting to reduce to the lead to 17-18 in the first two minutes. With 1:30 left in the first half, Kaela Chapdelaine scored a three pointer at the shot clock buzzer to tie score at 27. Gabriele stole ball and scored with 12 seconds left to give Canada a 32-27 lead at the half. Puerto Rico went on a 5-0 run to start the third quarter. Both teams struggled on offense for next three but then the Canadians went on an 8-0 in over the next two minutes. Canada switched to a zone defense that challenged Puerto Rico’s execution and Canada continued to build its lead, scoring 15 points in the third to take a 47-40 lead. In the fourth period, Canada continued to play tough defense, keeping its opponent scoreless for four minutes, while going on a 13-0 run, including two three pointers from Smith and Natalie Achonwa. Puerto Rico switched to a full court press, but Canada kept its composure to pull out the win. “At the end of the third quarter and beginning of fourth, we did have a stretch of great defense and good offensive flow, that allowed us to build the lead,” said forward Chelsea Aubry. “Puerto Rico never gave up but we had a big run and this helped us win this game today. The game is about runs.” Teresa Gabriele paced Canada with 13 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 assists. Chelsea Aubry added 12 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 3 boards. Kim Smith notched 11 on 3-3 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Natalie Achonwa notched 9 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Tamara Tatham scored 9 on 2-6 from the floor, 5-8 from the line and 7 boards. Jordan Adams scored 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Kaela Chapdelaine scored 5 on 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 6 assists. Kadie Riverin added 3 on 1-1 from the arc and 3 boards. Kelsey Adrien, Janelle Bekkering, Megan Pinske and Laurelle Weigl were scoreless. Canada shot 16-29 (.552) from the floor, 8-18 (.444) from the arc and 14-18 (.778) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 14 fouls, 22 turnovers, 7 steals and 3 blocks. Cynthia Valentin paced Puerto Rico with 18 on 3-12 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Lindsay Gonzalez added 14 on 2-6 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Esmary Vargas Sanchez added 13 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 6 boards. Aixanell Santos Hernandez added 8, Milagro Martinez-Maggette 2 and Pamela Rosado Roman 2, while Leslie De Jesus Rivera, Juanita Rivera Llanos, Mildred Emmanuelli, Liza Baez Febus, Angiely Morales Garcia and Marie Placido Morales were scoreless. Puerto Rico shot 14-38 (.368) from the floor, 7-21 (.333) from the arc and 8-10 from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 16 fouls, 17 turnovers, 12 steals and 2 blocks.
Canada closed out round robin play by dropping a 61-45 decision to Brazil. Fernanda Neves Beling paced Brazil with 12 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc and 5-6 from the line. Alessandra Santos De Oliveira added 12 on 5-7 from the floor and 4 boards. Francile Aparecida Nascimento notched 8 on 4-12 from the floor and 12 boards. Karen Gustavo Rocha added 7, Helen Santos Luz 6, Adriane Moises Pinto 5, Micaela Martins Jacintho 4, Kelly Silva Santos 4 and Silvia Gustavo Rocha 3, while Natalia Mares Burian, Jucimara Evangelista Dantas and Palmira Marcal were scoreless. Brazil shot 18-45 (.400) from the floor, 5-21 (.238) from the arc and 10-15 from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 7 fouls, 12 turnovers, 8 steals and 5 blocks. Teresa Gabriele paced Canada with 10 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 1-4 from the line. Natalie Achonwa added 9 on 3-11 from the floor and 1-3 from the arc. Kim Smith scored 4 on 1-1 from the arc and 4 boards. Tamara Tatham added 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 11 boards. Jordan Adams scored 4 on 1-1 from the arc and 3 boards. Chelsea Aubry scored 4 on 1-3 from the arc and 6 boards. Janelle Bekkering added 4, Kaela Chapdelaine 2, Megan Pinske 2 and Laurelle Weigl 2, while Kadie Riverin and Kelsey Adrien were scoreless. Canada shot 13-45 (.289) from the floor, 5-14 (.357) from the arc and 4-10 from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 17 fouls, 17 turnovers, 7 steals and 2 blocks.
Canada finishes (2-1) in round robin and qualifies for the semi-finals.
In the semis, Argentina
dumped Canada 63-53 to qualify for the 2010 Worlds. Canada struggled on offense
in first five minutes against Argentina. Starting point guard Teresa Gabriele
was the first Canadian on the scoreboard with two free throws at the 6:52 mark.
Meanwhile, Argentina went on an 8-2 run. Canada brought the deficit to within
four but the quarter closed with Argentina up nine 19-10. The second period
started with both teams playing tough defense, limiting any flow on offense for
either squad. By the seven-minute mark the score was 26-10 for the blue &
white. Canada’s Kaela Chapdelaine, Jordan Adams and Kadie Riverin followed,
scoring five of six free throws at the midway point. Canada continued to play
tough defense, keeping Argentina scoreless in the last 4 minutes to close out
the first half down 28-22. Canada came out in the third with two three pointers
(Chapdelaine and Chelsea Aubry) and a deuce (Kim Smith) to rally within 30-28
in the first four minutes. The teams exchanged baskets with Argentina maintaining
the lead 42-37 at the end of the period. Canada again rallied with 45-43 with
eight minutes remaining in the game. But then Argentina went on an 8-2 run and
held on to the lead for the rest of the period to secure the win. “I’m super
proud of this team and the way we battled back, because not a lot went our way
in the first half,” said Canadian coach Allison McNeill. “But we shot 29 per
cent from the field and you’re not going to win many games doing that at this
level.” Marcela Paoletta paced Argentina with 15 on 1-3 from the floor, 3-6
from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 3 boards. Florencia Fernandez added 13 on 6-10
from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Erica Sanchez added 10 on 3-6
from the floor, 4-9 from the line and 9 boards. Mariana Cava added 5, Agostina
Burani 4, Paula Reggiardo 4, Noelia Mendoz 4, Paula Gatti 4, Sandra Pavon 2 and
Melisa Cejas 2, while Nadia Flores and Constanza Landra were scoreless.
Argentina shot 18-35 (.514) from the floor, 5-20 from the arc and 12-25 (.480)
from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass,
12 assists, 19 fouls, 13 turnovers, 5 steals and 2 blocks. Teresa Gabriele
paced Canada with 13 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 3-3 from the line
and 4 boards. Kaela Chapdelaine added 9 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-6 from the
arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Jordan Adams added 8 on 3-5 from the floor
and 3 boards. Kadie Riverin scored 7 on 1-3 from the floor, 5-5 from the line
and 3 boards. Kim Smith scored 7 on 2-9 from the floor, 3-5 from the line and 7
boards. Tamara Tatham added 5 on 2-8 from the floor and 5 boards. Chelsea Aubry
added 3 and Natalie Achonwa 2, while Kelsey Adrian, Janelle Bekkering, Megan
Pinski and Laurelle Weigl were scoreless. Canada shot 12-41 (.293) from the floor,
4-15 (.267) from the arc and 17-23 (.739) from the line, while garnering 36
boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 22 fouls, 16 turnovers,
3 steals and 2 blocks.
In the bronze medal match, Canada
qualified for the 2010 Worlds by dumping Cuba 59-49 in overtime. Canada
dominated the first half 28-21, after getting the first quarter
16-13, with a balanced attack. In the third quarter Cuba came out with an
aggressive defense that forced turnovers by Canada and they won 19-6 to finish
up 40-34 after finishing with five straight points by Yulizeny Soria in the
final 28 seconds. Both teams exchanged the lead many times and with 2.6 seconds
Chelsea Aubry made a three pointer to have a 48-45 lead. Cuba came back and
Yulizeny Soria made an incredible three pointer to force the game into overtime
tied at 48. “We have incredible chemistry, and I don’t think I’ve worked with a
group that deserves it more,” said coach Allison McNeill. “We had different
people step up at different times and I’m just really proud of them. In the
overtime we outscored Cuba 11-1. I could see it in their eyes that they were
just not going to lose.” Teresa Gabriele said “it’s just an amazing experience.
This has been our goal all summer. We came in and everybody said we were going
to give it everything we had. We’re super happy to go to worlds.” Canada thought
they had wrapped up the victory in regulation after Chelsea Aubrey hit a
three-pointer with four seconds left for a 48-45 lead. Yulizeny Baro buried a
long-range jumper at the buzzer, and there was some confusion as to whether the
shot was a two-pointer or a three. Officials reviewed the shot and ruled it was
a three, sending the game to overtime. McNeill credited her players for shaking
off the late basket. “When I went into the huddle, they were fine. They had
refocused immediately. It was just amazing.” After both teams missed several
shots to begin the extra period, Chapdelaine put Canada ahead 51-48 with a
three-pointer 2:11 in. Jordan Adams followed with a jumper, and Kadie Riverin’s
layup and free throw capped the run that sealed the victory. “(We hit)
unbelievably big shots,” said McNeill. “I watched them in the timeout and I
could see in their eyes that they were just not going to lose.” Gabriele said
team cohesion made a big difference in Brazil, even with the influx of youth. “I
haven’t played on a national team that has had as good a chemistry as this team
has. Especially tonight, everybody came in and stepped up and contributed in
some way, whether it was defensively or offensively or grabbing a rebound. I
think this is a very special group.” Teresa Gabriele paced Canada with 15 on 3-11
from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 3-8 from the line, 11 boards, 3 assists and 2
steals. Kaela Chapdelaine added 13 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 3-4
from the line and 3 boards. Jordan Adams added 13 on 6-13 from the floor, 1-2
from the line, 6 boards and 4 blocks. Natalie Achonwa added 8 on 4-9 from the
floor and 4 boards. Kadie Riverin added 5 on 2-5 from the floor and 1-1 from
the line. Chelsea Aubry scored 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 7
boards, while Kelsey Adrian, Kim Smith (who nabbed 6 boards), Janelle
Bekkering, Megan Pinski, Laurelle Weigl and Tamara Tatham were scoreless.
Canada shot 17-51 (.333) from the floor, 5-15 from the arc and 10-17 (.588)
from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass,
7 assists, 14 fouls, 11 turnovers, 6 steals and 4 blocks. Suchitel Avila Cosanas
paced Cuba with 13 points on 2-6 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc and 9
boards. Yulizeny Soria Baro added 12 on 3-5 from the arc and 3-4 from the line.
Clenia Noblet Salazar added 10 on 5-11 from the floor and 9 boards. Oyanaisy
Gelis Gonzalez added 5 on 2-5 from the floor and 4 boards. Marlen Cepeda Valle
added 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 11 boards. Ineidis Casanova Gonzalez added 3
and Yamara Amargo Delgado 2, while Arlenys Romero Moinelo, Klavdia Calvo Henry,
Lazara Moises Dominguez, Taimy Fernandez Martinez and Cariola Hechavarrai
Garcia were scoreless. Cuba shot 11-40 (.275) from the floor, 7-21 (.333) from
the arc and 6-10 from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 9 on the
offensive glass, 8 assists, 17 fouls, 17 turnovers and 5 steals.