Canada’s Women can manage their Olympic basketball fate with a win over Spain
Canadians probably clinch top spot inside the institution with a victory but will be ousted with a loss
Barring disaster, the Canadian ladies basketball crew need to attain the sector-finals at the Tokyo Olympics.
But Saturday night’s recreation in opposition to Spain (9 p.M. ET, CBCSports.Ca) might be vital in determining the route for a team with a said purpose of gambling for a medal following consecutive Olympic sector-very last defeats.
Starting rite flag-bearer Miranda Ayim laid it naked when the roster turned into announced in June.
“[The podium] has been the objective all along. We went into 2016 trying to do the same thing and now we’re in an area in which we are anticipated to do that,” she said.
With one round-robin game ultimate, the final standings may want to still play out many exceptional approaches.
For Canada, it is fairly easy: beat Spain, and it’s going to in all likelihood win its group. Lose, and a wild-card qualifier must still be in order. Both manner, it might be on to the area-finals again.
However, all sector-very last appearances aren’t equal. In this Olympic tournament, the top 4 playoff teams are positioned in a single pot and the lowest 4 in every other. Knockout round matchups are then decided via draw.
This means organization winners can not face off till the semifinals, and its manner a Canada victory over Spain must assure it avoids the powerhouse individuals, in all likelihood to win their organization, till as a minimum the semifinals.
There is also the catastrophe state of affairs, in which Canada is blown out through Spain whilst Australia routs Puerto Rico in organization C motion, probably casting off the Canadians on factor differential. Canada dropped a 15-factor choice to Spain in 2018 worlds. Puerto Rico sports a minus-77 point differential over two games in Tokyo.
After a gap 4-point loss to Serbia, fourth-ranked Canada rebounded to take care of No. 19 South Korea seventy four-fifty three and improve to 1-1. In group A, Serbia is likewise 1-1, at the same time as Spain leads at 2-zero and Korea is winless.
“it’s difficult to go through an Olympic tournament and no longer have a loss somewhere. So if it really is the intensity that we get to — rock-backside — we’ll take it in that first recreation as opposed to later in the event,” starting to shield Kia Nurse said after the win over Korea.
Canada changed into capable of ramp up its defence to gas its offence in pulling far from Korea in the 2d half of.
It’ll want 40 minutes of the identical towards No. 3 Spain, its biggest check of institution play.
“simply execute on offence greater due to the fact Spain’s a terrific, scrappy team. So just take care of the ball and apply protective pressure and rebound,” stated shield Shay Colley.
WNBA swing lady Bridget Carleton exemplified that technique in the beginning mins of Canada’s victory, blockading a leap shot earlier than amassing the ball and finishing the play with a transition layup.
Carleton completed the game with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, continuously making the right reads on offence even as apparently everywhere defensively.
Execution, big-name power had to beat Spain
In total, Canada turned the ball over simply seven instances towards Korea after coughing it up 16 times to Serbia.
It could be a signal of a crew who hadn’t absolutely been together
because qualifying for the Olympics in February 2020 beginning to relearn each different’s tendencies.
Head instruct Lisa Thomaidis stated the team is starting to play “Canada-fashion basketball,” however there is work to be performed.
“We want to play with tempo, we need to play with speed. And our decision-making may be the vital difference among beating appropriate teams and super teams,” she said.
But while a nicely-accomplished recreation is essential, Canada desires its great gamers to step up if it wants to beat Spain.
Carleton and Minnesota Lynx teammate Natalie Achonwa, who recorded a double-double, did that towards Korea.
Nurse, the ultimate of Canada’s WNBA triumvirate and its biggest celebrity,
will want to improve on her blended 9-for-29 capturing to start those games. Mainly when offensive sets smash down, Canada has lacked a player which can create a bucket out of not anything.
The nurse is their great wager to do simply that.
And if Canada is a legitimate podium contender — as its ranking shows it ought to be — then it should prove it with a smooth, competitive attempt in opposition to Spain.
“We are certainly looking forward to this matchup. They are a crew that has been on our radar for a while and we can be equipped for them,” Thomaidis stated.
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Canada’s women can control their Olympic basketball fate with win over Spain
