USA 81, Canada 51 | Box Score
Canada fought hard and took a good shot early. In the end, the U.S. were the U.S., and they summarily dispatched the Canadians 81-51 in group play on Friday.
Things started more tightly than perhaps anticipated, with Canada opening an early lead against the 29.5-point favorite and keeping things tight through the end of the first quarter. Throwing their bodies around with reckless abandon to earn an edge on the glass, Canada appeared to be making the U.S. a little uncomfortable. As it turned out, that only served to wake up the sleeping giant, with one of the Americans ripping the team’s effort with a profanity-laced tirade in an early huddle to re-calibrate the team.
USA player in huddle: "Just f***ing outwork 'em, shit. Eh, we're playing too f***ing passive. Everybody get the f*** up let's go."
— Chris Black (@ByChrisBlack) August 12, 2016
Getting the Americans pushing back underneath the rims created the expected result, and as the U.S. evened out the rebounding edge, Canada struggled to end possessions on either side of the ball. Their defensive effort was spectacular throughout the first half, even on second- (and third-) chance opportunities, and it’s a major testament to Canada that they held a team averaging 111 points in the tournament to just 36 points in the half.
Unfortunately, keeping the game close also requires scoring, and Canada proved woefully incapable in a second quarter that saw them score just six points and go almost the entire 10 minutes without a field goal. With the U.S. overplaying Canada’s pet back-door actions and bringing deadly weak-side help in the form of Brittney Griner, Canada struggled inside, forcing passes into traffic and missing around the rim. The offense could have been balanced out some had the team not also shot 1-of-10 on threes, and a cold, 0-of-6 half from offensive spark-plug Kia Nurse hurt the second unit.
tfw britney griner is guarding you pic.twitter.com/upcq8qLC2W
— Robby Kalland (@RKalland) August 12, 2016
More than either of those factors, though, may have been the turnovers, with Canada’s 15 miscues in the half helping lead to 13 fast-break points and 20 points in the paint for the U.S. The box score suggests Maya Moore only had two of the Americans’ seven steals in the half, but that feels about 10 steals too low, and she had a game-high 12 points at the break. Canada’s early rebounding edge was even more important in retrospect once it disappeared, as the States’ primary source of offense was pushing off of misses and turnovers (and again, the Canadians’ defense once set in the half-court was terrific). Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe was terrific on the glass with a game-high eight rebounds, but Canada ultimately wound up a minus-18 on the glass for the game.
The second half started off much the same way at the offensive end for Canada, with Griner, the two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, immediately recording her third and final block in the game. Canada was able to pull her away from the rim a bit, and Tamara Tatham made her pay with a beautiful dish to a cutting Kim Gaucher, but plays like this were a rarity.
Griner promptly went back to being a problem, finishing a beautiful high-low pass from Tina Charles and causing havoc even as a screener.
Nurse eventually got on the board after seven missed field goals – it’s hardly surprising that U.S. head coach Geno Auriemma, Nurse’s coach at U-Conn, had his team ready for her (she finished 1-of-9 for two points) – but the team as a whole remained ice-cold from the floor. And while they protected the ball better with a single turnover in the third quarter, they also got hammered on the glass, looking tired as the frame wore on. When Diana Taurasi heated up from long-range (she finished 4-of-5 on threes) and reigning MVP Elena Della Donne decided to make her presence felt, Canada just couldn’t keep up, and they entered the fourth down 60-36.
It was mostly a formality from there, with the only pressing question being whether or not Canada would cover the spread. They came one point shy, with the depth of the Americans proving too strong for a garbage-time push to close the final gap.
The result was as expected for the Canadians, and shouldn’t be looked at as a disappointment. The U.S. had wins of 26, 40, and 65 entering this game, and Canada held them to their lowest offensive output of the tournament (they hadn’t scored fewer than 103 points before this). Their defensive effort was something to be encouraged by, and for a team with seven players 24 or younger, any opportunity to go against the world’s basketball juggernaut is an important learning experience. Nobody was tasked with more than 27 minutes, they used their full 12-woman roster, and they got the chance to measure up to the class of the women’s circuit once again. These are important games while building the program, and the timing of the test – coming off of three wins but ahead of their most important group-stage game – was ideal.
From here, the 3-1 Canadians will take on Spain on Sunday. That game will likely determine who lands second in Group B, and it’s a major exam for the Canadians, going up against a non-U.S. team that’s still considered to be a favorite. A win would be a major statement ahead of the elimination round, and it could also help Canada avoid Australia and France in the quarterfinals.
It won’t be an easy outing, with Spain likely to also enter 3-1 (they play Senegal this evening) and with comparable performances to Canada against the U.S., China, and Serbia so far. Spain has struggled from the 3-point line in the tournament so far but are a strong rebounding outfit and take care of the ball. Spain entered the tournament with the third-best odds at gold to Canada’s seventh, and they’re the No. 3-ranked country by FIBA. Canada has shown over the course of the last two years that they’re ready for this opportunity, and Sunday should be a lot of fun.
