ANTWERP, BELGIUM (June 23, 2022) - The Canadian Women 3x3 Team went 1-1 on Thursday in their second day of action at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2022 in Antwerp, Belgium. This moves the team to 3-1 at the event and sets them up for a meeting with Germany in a play-in game.

In the first game of the day, Canada fell to fourth-seeded Spain 18-16 in overtime despite a seven-point effort from Michelle Plouffe and a five-point, 10-rebound effort from Katherine Plouffe. In a defensive showcase, neither Canada nor Spain was able to build a lead and the game was close from beginning to end.

After a back-and-forth game with neither team giving an inch, Paige Crozon tied the game at 15 points apiece with a two-point shot with 27 seconds remaining. Out of a timeout, a give-and-go between the two Plouffe sisters gave Canada a one-point lead, but Spain’s Marta Canella scored at the buzzer to force overtime.

‍In the extra session, Atiana Cuevas was too much for Canada to stop inside as she scored on back-to-back possessions for Spain to claim the 18-16 victory. Marta Canella and Aitana Cuevas each scored six points apiece for Spain in the victory..

In Canada’s second game of the day, Canada defeated the Netherlands 21-12 behind an incredible 12-point, nine-rebound effort from Michelle Plouffe who finished 5-for-6 from the floor on one-point shots and 2–for-2 from deep in the win.

“I’m super proud of my team,” Katherine Plouffe said after the win. “We had a hard loss against Spain last game and we talked about this being character building. This is a long tournament. I'm proud of all of us for grinding it out and taking care of business.”

Though Canada came into the event as the 13th seed while the Netherlands were seeded 5th, Canada was in control of this one from the beginning and didn’t let up. Canada scored the first two points of the game, and then K. Plouffe scored on a layup and was fouled, making the free throw to make it a two-point possession and give Canada a 5-2 lead with 8:41 remaining.

M. Plouffe then found K. Plouffe for another layup before assisting on a layup from Crozon to extend Canada’s lead to 7-2. After playing the facilitator, M. Plouffe got in on the scoring herself, driving to the rim for an easy bucket plus the foul for a two-point play, and then hitting a long two, giving Canada the 11-2 advantage with six minutes remaining.

After a two-point shot from Crozon and then an offensive rebound and score from Kacie Bosch, Canada led 16-2. Though the Netherlands would slowly begin to inch closer, a pair of free throws from M. Plouffe put Canada up 20-10, before a layup, also for M. Plouffe sealed the deal, giving Canada the 21-12 victory.

With the win against the Netherlands, Canada will now face Germany in the play-in game on Saturday, June 25 at 5:35 a.m. ET.

‍“I think it’s a good match up for us,” Katherine Plouffe said. “We talked about it and we’re ready for whoever we got with the crossover. “They‘re a great team. They have a lot of chemistry, but we do too, so we’re excited to play them.”

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