Canada split a pair of games in women’s 3×3 basketball Saturday to gain a spot in the semifinals of an Olympic qualifying tournament in Utsunomiya, Japan.
The top-ranked Canadians, who beat Kenya in their opener, began Saturday with a 22-9 drubbing of the Netherlands before facing a tough Australian outfit, which prevailed 21-16 with an impressive final minute of play.
Canada takes a 2-1 record into Sunday’s semifinal against Germany (2-1) at 4:20 a.m. ET. Live streaming of the game is available at CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
Australia and Brazil meet in the other semifinal at 4:45 a.m., with the final scheduled for 6:20 a.m. The champion secures a spot in the Olympic tournament this summer in Paris.
Should Canada not place first in Japan, it would have one more chance to qualify for the Olympics later this month in Hungary. The top three finishers in that 16-team event will round out the eight-team field in Paris. Host France, the United States, China and Azerbaijan have already qualified for the Games.
Against the Netherlands, Canada exchanged 10 points with its opponent before Paige Crozon’s two-pointer extended the Canadian lead to 8-4.
WATCH | Full match replay, Canada vs. Netherlands:
Watch Canada face the Netherlands at the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Utsunomiya, Japan.
The standard three-point line serves as the two-point line in 3-on-3, while baskets made from inside the arc are worth one.
Up 9-5, Canada went on a 6-0 run with Katherine Plouffe, twin sister Michelle and Crozon contributing on the scoresheet.
After Noortje Driessen of the Netherlands scored a single point, Michelle Plouffe made good on a two-point attempt and added a pair of free throws for a 19-6 Canadian advantage.
With Canada leading 20-9, Crozon’s two-pointer ended the match with 64 seconds on the clock.
Games end when a team reaches 21 points or the 10-minute time limit expires.
Final-minute push
Michelle Plouffe led all players with nine points and seven rebounds and was 4-for-4 from the foul line. Crozon added eight points, two rebounds and connected on each of her two-point attempts.
Later Saturday, neither Canada nor Australia held more than a two-point lead until Australia’s Marena Whittle put her team ahead 18-15 with a free throw with one minute four seconds remaining.
Michelle Plouffe delivered her own free throw but Anneli Maley answered at the foul line with two of her own.
WATCH | Full match replay, Canada vs. Australia:
Watch Canada play Australia at the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Utsunomiya, Japan.
Trailing 20-16, Canada was assessed a foul and Maley earned her third and final free throw nine seconds before the buzzer.
She collected a game-high nine points and seven rebounds. Alex Wilson and Whittle had five points apiece, with the former posting four rebounds and two blocked shots.
Canada, the two-time defending Women’s Series champions, won this year’s first stop last week in Springfield, Mass., where they downed the United States 20-18 in the final.
Katherine Plouffe was named tournament MVP after scoring seven points against an American team that featured Rhyne Howard, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA draft and the league’s rookie of the year that season.
WATCH | Canada Basketball president says 3×3 team can be part of Olympic moment:
Mike Bartlett is the President & CEO of Canada Basketball and has seen the program grow exponentially. He believes the national teams can shock the world during the 2024 Olympics.