TORONTO — Over the course of a four-game, five-day tournament, it’s tough to bank on something like momentum — proven by Canada’s loss to Texas following a blowout win over Brazil on Wednesday.
But it’s always better to head to the gold-medal game with some wind at your back than not.
Along with having a hometown crowd, the Canadian women’s U23 side will have that winning feeling pushing them forward as they head to the GLOBL JAM final after dispatching Puerto Rico 96-46 in the final round-robin game at Mattamy Athletic Centre on Saturday.
Much of Saturday’s win came down to Canada getting back to its own style of basketball — finding open looks for three-point shooters, scoring off quick actions down low, and playing unselfishly. But more important for coach Carly Clarke was the team’s defensive intensity, a return to form after giving up 70 points to Texas.
“It was way more about our defensive intention and energy. We had a great start to the game but then it was almost like we just relaxed. They had 31 points in the first half and they finished with 46,” Clarke said about what made her team stand apart. “We did make a couple tactical changes to be a little bit more aggressive defensively and try to engage our defence and raise our energy, and I thought that turned into great offence.”
-
-
GLOBL JAM on Sportsnet
Top Canadian under-23 players are set to square off against international counterparts at GLOBL JAM this week in Toronto. Catch all of Canada’s games, along with the men’s and women’s final on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Avery Howell was the biggest benefactor from Canada’s rejuvenation, as the wing netted a game-high 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting and seven-of-12 from deep while grabbing 10 rebounds.
The University of Washington transfer turned up the heat in a big way in the third, lighting a fire under Canada’s offence to the tune of 14 points in the frame and hitting four triples to pace the rest of the squad.
Howell and Canada put the game away in that quarter, as they turned a 10-point halftime lead into a 36-point lead heading into the fourth. They outscored Puerto Rico 35-9 in the frame, courtesy of a 22-1 run and an exceptional run of accuracy that saw them knock down four-straight triples.
Following up Howell’s lights-out night was Latasha Lattimore, who tallied 14 points and four blocks, and Tara Wallack who had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.
“Credit to the team. Avery’s always finding space but the ball was moving, and it found Avery in great spots where she’s wide open and those are like layups for her,” Clarke said. “When the ball has some energy behind it from our defence and from everybody touching it, you feel really good about those shots as they’re being released.”
However, unlike their systematic domination of Brazil in the opener, Saturday’s game against Puerto Rico was still a game of two halves. What at one point was a two-point game erupted into a 50-point game, and for much of the outing, it looked as though Canada may once again be stuck looking for its offensive rhythm.
Canada scored the first basket of the game only four seconds into the contest, with Howell finding an open lane to the hoop right off the jump-ball.
That space looked to be a good sign for the home team, as Wallack followed it up with a corner three and Merissah Russell did the same a couple of possessions later with a triple in transition, setting the tone early with a 10-0 start for Canada.
However, the Canadians kept tunnelling in on those three-point shots, somewhat to their dismay. While it was a good sign that the side was able to find the looks that were absent in Thursday’s loss to Texas, they weren’t having the impact they may have hoped.
Canada finished the first quarter up nine, but shot a poor three-of-12 from deep.
The inaccuracy continued into the second, as Canada allowed Puerto Rico to catch up, cutting the deficit to two points before Lattimore found the bottom of the net off a step-back triple in isolation.
Howell didn’t get the memo, however, as the sophomore star netted 12 points in the second, including three triples to keep Canada ahead. She nailed a catch-and-shoot look with 2:30 left in the frame to build Canada’s lead up to 11 and force Puerto Rico to call a timeout.
Canada would go into the half up 10 and the rest was history.
“It’s a product of how (Puerto Rico is) defending, honestly,” Clarke said. “Texas brought a ton of ball-pressure, they were pretty focused on Avery and some of our shooters. Puerto Rico was a little more sagged, they showed some zone, so that opened up some different opportunities for us.”
Canada finished the game having hit 17 of its 42 threes, good for 40.5 per cent — a far cry from the three-of-19 finish against Texas on Thursday.
Clarke understands, however, that a blowout on Saturday won’t necessarily mean a win on Sunday, and the coach is getting the team prepared for its biggest test yet.
“It’s all about learning from the last game against them and making appropriate adjustments and being ready for the intensity.”
UP NEXT
Canada will take on the Texas Longhorns, who are representing the United States, in the gold-medal game on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT on Sportsnet.
