‘It’s still in our control:’ Canada still alive in Olympic women’s basketball

LILLE — Bridget Carleton and her teammates know their Olympic journey isn’t over.

Canada’s start in the women’s basketball tournament has been rocky, with the team dropping games to host France and world No. 3 Australia in group play.

Still, the squad has a chance to make it through to the quarterfinals, and Carleton said that’s what they’re focusing on ahead of Sunday’s game against Nigeria.

“It’s still in our control,” the Chatham, Ont., forward said after Canada’s practice Saturday. “One more game and you never know what can happen. So we’re just kind of locked in on that.”

The world No. 5 Canadians can clinch second in their group if they beat Nigeria by 10 or more points on Sunday and France beats Australia later that day. A second-place result guarantees a spot in the knockout round.

A third-place finish also has the potential to get them there, as long as they’re one of the two best third-place teams in the 12-team, three-group tournament.

Finishing third still requires a win over 12th-ranked Nigeria — a team that shocked Australia with a 75-62 win to open the tournament. It was the first time in 20 years Nigeria’s women’s team posted an Olympic victory.

The Canadians knew coming in just how tough the opposition would be, Carleton said.

“We experienced the qualifier, we know how good all the countries are,” she said. “In this tournament, they’re here for a reason.”

Led by Ezinne Kalu, Nigeria has a pesky opponent through the Olympics, scoring 43 points off turnovers and 29 off fast breaks.

The Canadians know what to expect come Sunday, said forward Aaliyah Edwards.

“They’re very physical, very aggressive, try to deny any entry,” she said. “So we just need to combat that with playing smart and playing against the physicality, and using that more to our advantage than trying to beat physicality with physicality.”

Edwards, a rookie with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, leads Canada with four steals across the first two games.

Carleton has put up a team-high 27 points and made five three-pointers in Thursday’s 70-65 loss to Australia, matching a Canadian record for three-pointers in a women’s Olympic game.

“I love shooting threes, so I’ll continue to do that,” said the Minnesota Lynx star. “We’re not a huge three-point shooting team and that’s something that I can bring to the table. And hopefully I can do that consistently on Sunday as well.”

Canada’s head coach Victor Lapena wants his players to simply take a breath heading into the matchup with Nigeria.

The team has struggled to recover when facing adversity throughout the tournament, and he wants them to get back to basics in tough moments.

“Be patient, because we are just two points down, three point down,” he said after Thursday’s loss. “And here’s the moment to face the last part of the game more wise.”

Everyone on Team Canada has ample experience playing in big games, Edwards said, and they can use those lessons come Sunday.

The 22-year-old from Kingston, Ont., will look back on what she learned from the four conference championships she played with the University of Connecticut.

“I think in each and every one of those games, as a team, we all just came together and played for the person beside us,” Edwards said.

“So I think I just look back to those moments and look back at how much …. as a leader, I helped my team be successful. You know, making sure I’m accountable to myself, but accountable to others. I think that as long as we do that for this last game and get the W, we’ll be OK.”

The Olympic journey hasn’t gone the way the Canadians wanted so far, but the players are still confident in both themselves and each other, Carleton said.

“We’re going through some struggles right now, but we all lean on each other and we trust each other,” she said. “And I think we lean on that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2024.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press