Canadian Junior Women’s National Team easily beats China

The Canadian Junior Women’s National Team (JWNT) got off to a quick start at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship in Chile, beating China 76-49 in the opening game of the tournament. 

“It was a great job by the whole team – especially on the boards,” said Head Coach Rich Chambers. “We carried out the game plan to perfection. I told the team we can’t get too high or too low. It has been a nine-day journey for us.”
 

Four members of the JWNT scored in double-figures, with Nirra Fields (Lachine, QC) leading the Canadian attack with a game-high 22 points. Diana Lee (North Vancouver, B.C.) added 13; while Michelle Plouffe (Edmonton, AB) recorded 12 and Katherine Plouffe (Edmonton, AB) had 11. 

Defensively, Canada held China to 35% shooting (18-52) and stole the ball 17 times; while forcing 22 turnovers.
 

One of the defensive leaders was Korissa Williams (Windsor, ON), who had two steals and also made her National Team debut against China.

“We played very well as a team and are developing more chemistry,” said Williams, who scored 7 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. “Our coaches did a good job scouting and we just had to execute the plan.”

The JWNT started the game on fire, led by Fields who scored 9 points in the first quarter, helping Canada to a comfortable 23-6 lead. The Canadians took a 41-18 lead at halftime, thanks to the three-point shooting of Lee, who hit 3 in the half. 

China played the second half more competitively, but they could not contain Michelle Plouffe, who scored ten points in the third quarter, after scoring just 2 in the first half.

China would out-score Canada 14-11 in the fourth quarter, but the JWNT still held on to the victory.

With the win, Canada moves to 1-0 and into first place in Group A. The JWNT will play Egypt tomorrow at 6:00 pm local time (6:00 pm ET).