SANTIAGO, Chile (June 28, 2025) — Canada opened its FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025 campaign in dominant fashion on Saturday, cruising to a 100–34 win over El Salvador in group play.

The victory marked Nell Fortner’s first win as head coach of Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team.

"I thought our effort today was really good, we played hard and really did what we wanted to do as far as pushing the pace and defending hard," said Fortner. "To be able to score 100 points and hold a team to the 30s was really good for us, and we’ll try to build on that and get ready to play again tomorrow."

Tara Wallack led the scoring effort with a team-high 11 points in her senior national team debut, adding six rebounds and two assists. She was one of four players making their senior debuts, alongside Shy Day-Wilson, Niyah Becker and Delaney Gibb. Canada’s depth was on full display, with 10 players scoring eight or more points and every player seeing the floor.

Yvonne Ejim anchored the team inside with eight points, a game-high 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals. 

“I thought we were really connected on the court—offensively, defensively—just making sure that we're all trying to make each other play great," said Ejim. "That's the quality we've been building from the start since we were first together, and that's just going to keep getting stronger."

Syla Swords chipped in eight points, seven rebounds and three assists in just 15 minutes of play. Kayla Alexander contributed 10 points and five rebounds, while Shay Colley added eight points and a team-best eight assists.

Veteran guard Sami Hill added an efficient 10 points, shooting 50 per cent from the field, 40 per cent from three, and 100 per cent from the free throw line.

Canada outrebounded El Salvador 66–21, converting that into 42 second-chance points. The team also posted a 29-to-11 assist-to-turnover ratio, showcasing strong ball movement and composure.

Canada continues group play on Sunday afternoon against Argentina. Tip-off is set for 2:10 p.m. ET / 11:10 a.m. PT. Fans can watch the action live on Courtside 1891.