There has been a recent After beating Puerto Rico 79-60 in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Quarterfinals, Canada is inching closer to its first podium finish since 1986.
The team’s progression under head coach Lapena is picking up amazing steam, as seen by their recent string of five victories in Sydney and their lone narrow defeat to Australia.
Also, this was a case of third time being the charm, since his two previous incarnations in this competition had been eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2014 and 2018.
Canada jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Once they got going early, they were able to hold their opponents at bay with relative ease.
Canada’s Kayla Alexander pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, while Natalie Achonwa added 12 points, 9 boards, and 4 assists in the post. Bridget Carleton added 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Kia Nurse scored 17 points, all of which were tournament highs for each player.
One more win would put Canada on the cusp of a long-overdue medal, but a matchup with the United States in the semi-finals will be no cakewalk. Even if they don’t make it to the championship game, they’ll have another shot at glory in the consolation prize game.
Canada
Puerto Rico returns home as champions after achieving two firsts: first victory and first appearance in the tournament’s last eight. The game was won by a large margin thanks to Arella Guirantes’s high scoring performance (19 points with 7 rebounds and 3 assists). Trinity San Antonio, the point guard, who is just 18, really aided her (16 points in 20 minutes). As they departed the floor, every player could be seen beaming with happiness. Our goal has been reached.
See Also – Despite a 28-year drought, China is now prepared to take home a medal