(Toronto, Ont. August 10, 2014) – The Junior Women’s National Team finished the U18 FIBA Americas tournament with a silver medal, falling to the host United States 104-74 in Colorado Springs, U.S.A.

“The girls battled unbelievably hard and we couldn’t be prouder of their performance,” said head coach Rich Chambers. “Hopefully, the team enjoyed their experience and I am very proud of how we represented Canada at FIBA Americas.”

Shay Colley (Brampton, Ont.) led Canada in scoring, dropping a 16 points while grabbing three rebounds – a team-high shared by Colley, Bridget Carleton (Chatham, Ont.) and Rachel Fradgley (London, Ont.)

Daneesha Provo (Dartmouth, N.S.) scored 12 points while acting as a facilitator for offensive, logging team-best six assists.

Canada struggled to find consistent offence early in the game, as the United States used their length and size to disrupt the Junior Women’s plan of attack.

The Americans would pound the ball in to the paint in the first quarter, converting seven of their 11 attempts inside.

Down 26-12 after one quarter, Canada came out and looked to chip away at the disadvantage. Converting three 3-pointers on six attempts helped the team towards a 20-point quarter. The United States continued to attack the hoop and get high-percentage shots, scoring nine buckets in the paint en route to a 24-point second period.

The Americans held a 50-32 advantage after one half, and used the third quarter to put away Canada. Solid entry passes opened up opportunities for under-the-rim shots, forcing Canada to commit fouls or give up two points. The United States won the quarter, 29-15.

Canada showed no signs of let up even in the face of a 79-47 deficit. The Junior Women used ball movement and shooting to end the game with a winning quarter, outscoring the Americans 27-24.

“I’m really proud of the team. Where we started and where got to is awesome,” said Christina Buttenham.

The next competition for the Junior Women’s National Team will be the 2015 U19 FIBA World Championship for Women.

Full box score, including shot chart, play-by-play and summary can be found here: http://www.fibalivestats.com/matches/18/12/42/24/59YL2gncRzCO2/

Full roster of the 2014 U18 FIBA Americas silver medalist team can be found here: http://www.basketball.ca/junior-women-s15144

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