MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (August 1, 2018) - Team Canada defeated Colombia 71-40 to open group play at the FIBA U18 Women's Americas Championship 2018.

Click here for the full team roster.

Christina Morra led the way for the red and white in the victory, scoring a team-high 17 points to go along with 12 rebounds for the double-double. Colombia was led by Maria Alvarez who posted a game-high 19 points in the loss.

Canada controlled the boards in the opening quarter, allowing themselves extra possessions and earning a 14-7 lead heading into the second quarter in what proved to be a low-scoring frame.

Defence led the way in the second quarter for the red and white, as they pressured Colombia with a full-court press, forced turenovers, and extended their advantage to 36-20 heading into halftime.

However, despite a slow first half, Colombia came out of the gate firing in the third quarter, outscoring Canada in the frame and trimming the lead down to 54-36 heading into the fourth.

But despite a solid third quarter, Colombia allowed Canada to jump out to a 9-0 run to begin the quarter, eventually leading to the 71-40 victory.

Click here for box score.

QUOTES

"I thought it was a great team effort. Everybody did their job and did their job really well. Everybody was able to contribute to the win and I thought we were able to weather a little bit of a storm in the second half. We did a good job sticking together. All in all, it was a great team win and a great start to the tournament." - Head Coach Claire Meadows.

"I think it was a great team win. I think we were all aware of our individual roles that were required to be successful and we executed those goals very well." - Christina Morra

UP NEXT

With the win, Canada moves on to play El Savador in their second game of group play on August 2 at 5:00 PM EST.  

To stay updated on the FIBA U18 Women's Americas Championship 2018, follow Canada Basketball on Twitter.

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