Canada vs Australia Recap: Closer finish but not desired result
The second quarter didn’t do the Canadians in like Monday’s game against France, however the hole created during the fourth quarter was too deep to climb out of.
Canada shot better behind the arc (7-15, thanks to a Canadian women’s record tying five threes from Bridget Carleton) than inside it (14-45). Numerous shots were missed inside the paint that could have tied the game during the second half. That was despite Kayla Alexander doing a great job getting Aussie centre Ezi Magbegor in foul trouble all game. Magbegor ranks second in blocks per game this season (2.4), only trailing A’ja Wilson.
As far as experience is concerned, Australia’s entire starting lineup features WNBA players. 11 players have played in the W overall, including six currently. One of the five formers is Hall of Famer Lauren Jackson, who is still playing for the national team at 43 years old after coming out of retirement. Like Canada, the Aussies formed their team with little time together because their coach Sandy Brondello also coaches the New York Liberty. But seven of their players have previous Olympic experience, which showed in the fourth from veterans such as Sami Whitcomb (19 pts, 10 ast) and Cayla George (11 pts, 3 threes off the bench) to help Australia build a double digit lead.
Carleton did her best to keep Canada afloat with 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Alexander and Aaliyah Edwards combined for great hustle plays. Alexander blocked Jackson twice on the same play, resulting in Jackson losing the ball out of bounds.
However the keys in this game were:
1 – Too much dribble penetration from Australia’s guards, particularly Whitcomb.
2 – While Canada didn’t turn it over 25 times like against France, there were momentum killer miscues in the fourth.
3 – Not converting inside. Kia Nurse went 3-14 from the field.
4 – Missed free throws: Natalie Achonwa had moments, finishing with four points, six boards, seven assists and four steals. However after appearing banged up on a play in the third quarter, Achonwa checked back in and went 0-2 from the line in back to back trips over the span of a minute. Canada missed eight free throws (16-24) in total.
Big Picture
Canada went on a run to end the game, cutting a 13 point lead to five. That could be huge because Nigeria lost to France 75-54 (the exact same score against Canada), bringing Nigeria’s point differential to -10. Canada ranks last in Group B at -26. Canada would need a blowout win against Nigeria on Sunday and probably other outcomes to still have a chance to make the quarterfinals. If Nigeria had defeated France earlier today, Canada would have already been eliminated.
Despite Canada not having a favourable chance to escape Group play (also eliminated at this stage in Tokyo), Achonwa felt better about this game compared to Monday.
“I’m really proud of us today. I think our first showing didn’t really show the fight that we have and I’m proud that we played all the way through the end. Of course a win is better for us, but we got it to a five point game. I’m just proud of how we worked today.” the captain said postgame.
Hopefully, Achonwa’s Canadian basketball record fourth Olympic appearance isn’t down to just one more contest.
Sidenotes
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