The Junior Women's National Team (JWNT) battled Spain during an exhibition game on Sunday falling 63-53. Team Canada is set to play a round of three exhibition matches in preparation for the U19 FIBA World Championships starting July 18.  

Team Canada kept Spain at a close distance in the first quarter with both teams scoring back-to-back. Spain led after the first quarter, but Canada pushed hard in the second quarter to extend their lead to seven at the end of the first half with a score of 34-27.

Spain went on a strong run in the third quarter. Spain took their lead back to end the third quarter with a score of 48-40. Both teams continued to play hard until the final whistle. Although a close first half, Canada could not tame Spain's offense and fell 63-53 with a solid effort to finish.  

Guard Bridget Carleton led the team in scoring with 15 points while adding seven rebounds. Daneesha Provo added 11 points and two boards in the match. The full game statistics are available here.

Head Coach Rich Chambers was content with the team's good start and the progress moving forward. Chambers went on to state, "The girls played well, especially in the first half. They came out and kind of got on their heels in the third quarter. Spain penetrated and made shots. We turned the ball over too much, which makes it difficult to win. There were some good performances and it's a good place to start building for the World Champions."

When asked about her team's performance, forward Lauren Yearwood stated, "I think we came out strong in the first half, fell flat in the third quarter and got a bit behind. It was a good experience this first game and we're looking forward to correcting our mistakes for the upcoming games."

Team Canada continues exhibition action Monday matching up against the United States with a 12:00 p.m. (ET) tip-off.

For full roster and coaching staff, click here.

‍