Spain and Australia Enter the Semis in FIBA U-19 World Championship for Women - July 29 Roundup
Canada 55 - 69 Spain
In the biggest upset of the night, Spain knocked Canada out of the U-19 FIBA Championship. Canada, who had won all 6 of their preliminary round matches, eventually succumbed to an extraordinary performance by the Spanish.
Astou Ndour, the Spanish centre was the star for her country as she pocketed 19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks to propel her team to a huge victory. Ndour had been the most consistent player for Spain in this tournament and she once again delivered on the big stage. Small forward, Mariona Ortiz, also managed to knock down 14 points and grab 6 rebounds for her team.
For Canada, the highest scorer of the night was Nirra Fields with 14 points. Michelle Plouffe was their best player with 12 points and 6 rebounds. She even managed a 100% scoring rate on her 4 free throws.
The Spanish put their foot down on the accelerator right from the very start and took a 7 point lead going into the second quarter. Canada tried to keep pace as the halftime score read 26-35. Spain continued to build its lead and did not give Canada even a sniff of an opening to get back in to the game. Spain eventually ended up inflicting Canada with their first defeat of the tournament by a margin of 14 points. Unfortunately for the Canadians, the defeat came at the wrong time.
Japan 83 – 92 Australia
The highest scoring game of the quarterfinals saw Australia triumph over a resilient Japanese side. The Australian team was spearheaded by their centre Tayla Roberts, who put in an enthralling performance by scoring a massive 41points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Roberts has been Australia’s’ most consistent performer in this tournament and she lived up to her reputation of a big game player.
Point guard Rebecca Cole was also at hand to produce a solid performance as she earned 17 points, 7 defensive rebounds and 6 assists to mark her night.
The Japanese were paced by Shiori Takada and Rui Machida. Shooting guard, Shiori Takada, pounded 23 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists while Rui Machida also contributed well with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Australians took a quick start to the game and managed to take of lead of 6 points, by the end of the first quarter. However, the Japanese fought back and not only nullified Australia’s lead, but also took a lead going into halftime. The halftime scoreboard displayed 41-40.
The third quarter saw Australia score a huge tally of 32 points and regain their lead. From there on in, they never looked back and did not give Japan any opportunity to make a possible comeback. The final score ended at 83-92, with Australia winning by a margin of 9 points and marching into the semi finals.
Tags: