Canada ease past Japan to claim the last Olympic spot – 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women
After thrashing Argentina in the playoff game on Saturday night, team Canada overcame the last hurdle standing in their way and a spot in the 2012 London Olympics by beating red hot Japan 71-63 on Sunday night.
Japan came into the game on the back of their best ever first quarter performance, 29-4, but such was the drive of the Canadians to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 12 years, that they never stood a chance.
The Japanese did offer some stark resistance in the final quarter, but by then it was too late.
Courtnay Pilypaitis paced the Canadian women with 21 points. The sharpshooter was only 7 of 15 from the floor, but accounted for 5 of the total 9 three pointers from the North Americans. She handed out 6 assists on the night and
was helped by 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists from point guard Teresa Gabriele.
Krista Phillips barely missed a double-double with 9 points and 8 boards; Kimberley Smith had 8 points while Lizanne Murphy dropped 7 points and a game high 5 blocks.
The Japanese has four players in the double figures and matched the Canadians in nearly aspect of the game, expect the one in which they were inherently weak, their size.
Despite trying hard, the Japanese just couldn’t get close to the Canadian on the paint. They were out-rebounded 39-19, including 12-4 on the offensive boards and that meant more second chance scoring opportunities for their opponents.
The Canadians also had an 8-0 advantage on the blocks and couldn’t have dreamt of a better start to the game. They stormed into the arena with an 11-0 run and were leading by 21-11 after the end of the first 10 minutes.
The Japanese inched their way back into the game when play returned in the second frame, but Canada kept on finding shots at the right time and after a 37-32 lead at the break, they pushed the advantage to 52-37 late in the third
quarter.
The game looked done and dusted at that point, but the Japanese were not going without a fight as they reeled off a 14-2 spurt to cause some late jitters. That effort however came a bit too late as the Canadians hung on to a memorable
triumph.
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