(Toronto, Ont. – August 8, 2014) – The Junior Women’s National Team (U18) drew a tough opponent for the final match of the preliminary round in team USA. The Junior women put forth a valiant effort but ultimately struggled to overcome the interior advantage and offensive rebounding prowess of team USA, losing 107-76.

Guard Bridget Carleton (Chatham, Ont.) & team captain Shay Colley (Brampton, Ont.) led the way for the red and white. Colley tallied 21 points (7-13 FG), four boards, and four assists in 19:08 of floor time. Carleton chipped in with 19 points (5-7 FG), three blocks, two rebounds, and a steal in 22:26 of action.

Colley remarked post-game:

“I thought we fought hard as a team and we didn’t let up towards the end. Coach told us this was going to be a physical game.”

When asked of how the 2nd half got away from the Canadians, Colley added:

“Towards the end we had a lot of turnovers. The physicality and tempo got up on us. We have to gather ourselves and keep composed under pressure.”

The Americans were led by a triumvirate of scorers, starting with team captain Brianna Turner who tallied 21 points (6-12 FG), eight boards, two steals, & two blocks. Forward Napheesa Collier added 22 points (10-13 FG), 10 rebounds, four steals, three assists, and one block. And A'Ja Wilson totaled 16 points (7-10 FG), four rebounds, and a block in an efficient 11:41 of floor time.

The Canucks came out of the gates looking very focused. Through the first quarter they were able to capitalize on some USA ball-handling miscues, leading to a 23-21 Canadian lead. Quarter two started out much the same until the midway point of the quarter when the Canadians hit a stalemate and the USA went on a 17-4 run to close out the half. The third belonged entirely to the USA as they displayed an excellent up-tempo style and well executed mid-range game, outscoring the Canadians 29-18 in the frame, pushing their lead to 24 (83-59). In the fourth and final frame the Canadians picked up the defensive pressure and battled hard. Unfortunately they were unable to overcome the large deficit, as the USA cruised to the 107-76 victory over Canada.

Head Coach Rich Chambers (Port Moody, B.C.) recognizes where the American advantage lies, but is proud of the heart his team demonstrated:

“The girls played very hard. Everybody battled for the entire game. They are very big and we couldn’t keep them off the offensive glass. They were outstanding from the foul line going 29 for 33”.

Coach Chambers continued:

“But we are very pleased that we scored 75 ourselves and we just have to get ready for Brazil tomorrow.”

Canadian captain, Shay Colley is also focused on tomorrow’s task:

“They are a scrappy Brazil team, so we just got to protect the ball, make smart passes, and play together.”

With the loss, Canada moves onto the semifinals round to face Brazil, who are coming off a 12-point victory over Chile. Competition in Colorado Springs, USA continues tomorrow.  Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. EST. Don’t miss a minute of the action by watching the free FIBA Live Stream: http://fibaamericas.com/en/default.asp

Full box score, summary and shot chart of tonight’s matchup can be found here: http://www.fibalivestats.com/matches/18/12/27/27/44sYz3i0jyo2/

Full Team Canada roster can be found here: http://www.basketball.ca/junior-women-s15144

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