(TORONTO, ON) August 9, 2015 - In front of a packed house in Edmonton, the Women’s National Team won 94-57 in their opening game of the 2015 FIBA Americas Women’s Championship.

“The crowd was tremendous. We had great support at the Pan Am Games and we’re excited to have the crowds here in Edmonton cheering for us,” said Head Coach Lisa Thomaidis.

A balanced scoring attack from Canada was key in the victory. Natalie Achonwa, Kim Gaucher and Miah-Marie Langlois scored 11 points each. Langlois grabbed eight boards to lead Canada, while Shona Thorburn dished a team-high four assists. Jennifer O’Neil scored a game-high 12 points for Puerto Rico. For full box score, click here.

Canada opened the first quarter in style, dropping 30 points on Puerto Rico. The team was not shy in shooting from beyond the arc. Collectively, Team Canada scored 5-7 from three and Kim Gaucher made her two attempts. Puerto Rico pushed the pace but the lack of defence was their undoing.

Looking more comfortable, Canada went on a 12-3 run on the strength of their offensive rebounding to begin the second quarter. The Women’s National Team would continue to pile on, crashing the boards for second-chance points and canning their open shots. At the half, Team Canada led 56-29 behind 8-10 shooting from three and a 25-7 rebounding advantage.

The second half began with an offensive putback from Tamara Tatham and would be representative of the second half. Canada would to play hard and maintain their significant lead. Team Canada won the period 23-12 and led 79-41 after three quarters.

The Women’s National Team would see out the winning result in a quiet final period. Puerto Rico found some offence that escaped them following the first quarter to win the last. As the final buzzer sounded, the Canadian crowd gave the home team a standing ovation for their 94-57 win.

“The crowd was amazing, there was a great energy. Edmonton has really become our home. We need to tighten up on the defensive end but it was a good start,” said Kim Gaucher.

On August 9, the FIBA Central Board announced that Brazil has been awarded the automatic berth at the Rio 2016 Olympics. For full press release, click here.

“Our goal is still to win the tournament. The road to Rio is a little different now but our focus remain the same,” said Head Coach Lisa Thomaidis.

Next up, Canada takes on Chile (1-0) on August 10 at 6:30 PM MT.

Fans can catch the action live on TSN and TSNGO.

For the full Women's National Team Roster and coaching staff, click here.

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