Image courtesy of FIBA

The Junior Women’s National Team (JWNT) won 69-67 in a close game against the Netherlands at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women. With Thursday’s win-by-forfeit over Senegal, Canada moves to 2-0 in the competition. In the Canada’s first competitive action of the tournament, Jamie Weisner led the team with 33 points and 10 rebounds.

Kamloops, B.C. native Emma Wolfram started the game well for the JWNT with five early points to propel Canada to a quick 12-9 lead. The Netherlands answered with a 9-3 run to go ahead 18-17 after the game’s first 10 minutes. The second quarter turned out to be the most important for Team Canada in an otherwise close game as the JWNT outscored the Netherlands 18-7 in the period, including an 8-0 run. Weisner finished the half with 12 points and five rebounds.

The Dutch side mounted a comeback to open the second half, outscoring Canada 17-14, but the Red and White held a seven-point advantage heading into the final frame. In a hectic fourth quarter, the Netherlands pulled within two points and would go on to outscore the JWNT by a count of 25-20, but Canada held strong in the final minute to come away with the win.

Weisner was brilliant for the Canadians, shooting 82 per cent on a 14-of-17 performance from the field; she compiled 33 points, grabbed 10 rebounds – including four on the offensive end – and notched three assists. Saicha Grant-Allen finished with 10 points and seven rebounds on the day. Emily Potter provided a spark off the bench and contributed six points and six rebounds. The JWNT’s rebounding edge was a big factor in the win as they collected 49 rebounds to the opposition’s 29; Canada capitalized by scoring 20 second-chance points in the match. The game’s full set of statistics can be viewed here.

“Our team is really excited about our first win after not playing yesterday,” Weisner said after the game. “We rebounded really well tonight and that helped us in running our offence. We still have some work to do on defence and we will have to get ready for tomorrow."

"We gave a superb team effort today,” said head coach Scott Edwards. “Our team showed toughness after missing a game yesterday and had a great team effort rebounding. Our commitment to each other defensively helped us win this game. We had an exceptional offensive performance from Jamie Weisner. We now have to set our sights on the next game and maintain focus on our game plan."

Canada will face France on Saturday at 8:45 a.m. (ET) in a clash of two 2-0 teams. The match will be the final game of preliminary round play, after which the top three teams in Canada’s Group C and the top three seeds of Group D – consisting of the host country, Team USA, China and Mali – will join together and form Group F in the round of 12.

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