Canada finish fifth while Japan secure the seventh spot in FIBA U-19 World Championship for Women
Canada 70 – 52 France
The contest for the fifth place in the tournament saw Canada easing their way past France. Nirra Fields, Canada’s most consistent player was once again in action as she bagged 18 points, 5 steals and 4 rebounds. Moreover, she nailed 8 of her free throws at 100% accuracy.
Canadian centre, Michelle Plouffe, managed to pocket 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 handy assists to help her team to victory.
The small forward of the French team, Adja Konteh, dug up 14 points, scooped 4 rebounds and acquired 3 steals to her credit while Clarine Djaldi-Tabdi racked up 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Canadians got off to a flying start and made their intentions clear from the very start, as they gained a 9 point lead at the end of the first quarter. The French, trying to prove that they were not mere pushovers, crawled back in to the game and reduced the deficit to just 4 points at halftime. The halftime score read as 36-32.
The third quarter saw Canada gain control as they once again increased their lead to 8 points. The lead seemed to weigh too heavy on the French as they literally gave up and lost the fourth quarter as well. The Canadians eventually eased their way to an 18 point victory.
Japan 71 – 66 Russia
The battle to for the 7th and 8th position was fought between Japan and Russia. As the game panned out, it was the Japanese team that clinched a tight victory to claim seventh position.
Shiori Takada was the most effective player for the Japanese as she racked up 19 points, plucked 6 rebounds and managed 3 steals. Fellow point guard, Rui Machida, continued her consistent run and bagged 16 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Sanae Motokawa also earned 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists to help the Japanese to victory.
The Russian camp once again relied heavily upon their centre, Ksenia Tikhonenko, who scored 21 points and grabbed an amazing 17 rebounds. Svetlana Efimova provided some support with 12 points and 6 rebounds.
Both teams started on an equal footing as Japan took the first quarter 18-15. The second quarter saw a 21-20 score line as the Japanese took a 4 point lead into halftime. However, the third quarter saw a focused comeback by the Russians as they managed to earn a 4 point lead going into the fourth quarter.
That did not demoralise the Japanese and they once again produced a valiant team effort to smash Russia 18-9 in the final quarter, which finally helped Japan pocket a 5 point victory.
Tags: