Toronto, ON - The U19 Women's National Team was in a tough spot when they drew the talented team from China for the 7-8 classification round at the FIBA World Championship in Chekhov Russia. They battled valiantly but ultimately fell to China, 67-47 finishing in 8th place at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship.

The first quarter was turbulent to say the least for the canucks. They had trouble finding any offensive flow or defensive traction. The red and white were outscored 25-12 in the first frame and found themselves in an early hole.

The second frame was much the same. The hot shooting of China continued as the Canadian bench attempted to bail them out of the growing deficit. To make matters worse, only two of the Canadian starters had registered a field goal by the end of the half, as China went on to outscore them 17-7 in the frame.

At the half China was shooting a blistering 61.5% from the field to the Canadians 25.1%. China also shot 63.6% from three point land in the half to the Canadians 9.1% three point percentage. There seemed to be a lid on the Canadian goal as they couldn't get anything to fall. Despite the turnovers being even at 6 apiece for each squad at the half, and Canada winning the rebound battle, they still found themselves in a deep 42-19 hole heading into the third.

In the third quarter the Canadians began to find their elusive offensive flow. Bridget Carleton's (Chatham, On) tenacious perimeter defence was a major factor in the rejuvenated Canadian play. Once she got going the rest followed suit, disrupting passing lanes and getting out on the fast break. Despite winning the quarter 16-15 they were still trailing China 57-35 heading into the fourth and final frame.

The fourth quarter was a low scoring affair for both squads with Canada winning the final frame 12-10. Unfortunately for the Canadians it was too little too late as the damage had been done early on and the initial halftime deficit was too much to overcome. In the end the Canadians fell to China by 20-points, 67-47 and wrapped up the 2015 FIBA U19 Women's World Championship with an 8th place finish.

6'1'' Guard and team captain, Bridget Carleton (Chatham, On) led Canada with 12 points (6-23 FG), 5 Rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks & 1 steal in 28:44 of floor time. Lauren Yearwood (Victoria, BC) chipped in with 7 points (3-6 FG), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block in 23:39 of action. Cheyenne Creighton (Ajax, On) added 7 points (3-7 FG), 6 rebounds & 1 block in 22:40 of floor time.

Head Coach Rich Chambers (Port Moody, BC) remarked after the game:

''We just weren't very good offensively or defensively today and did not deserve to win the basketball game. It's disappointing because we wanted to end the tournament on a positive note wearing the Canadian jersey.''

Guard Emma Piggin (Kamloops, BC) added:

''It's too bad that we finished the tournament with a loss. We were really hoping to finish seventh but the team played well. We are proud that we finished eighth in the world. It is a very special privilege to play with these girls and have these coaches and staff at the world championship. It is an experience I'll never forget.''

For a full boxscore, click here.

For a full roster and coaching staff, click here.

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Bailey Williams
Manager, Communications
E-mail: bwilliams@basketball.ca
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