Kayla Alexander leads Canadian basketball women to 3-point pre-Olympic win over Aussies
Scores 21 points against 3rd-ranked opponent; final tune-up Wednesday vs. Spain
Kayla Alexander had 21 points and six rebounds as Canada's women's basketball team continued its preparations for the Paris Olympics with a 77-74 win over No. 3 Australia on Tuesday in Segovia, Spain.
Natalie Achonwa added 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting and six rebounds for No. 5 Canada, while Bridget Carleton chipped in with 10 points.
Carleton put the finishing touches on the back-and-forth game by hitting a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining.
"The team was poised down the stretch," Alexander said. "That poise allowed us to take a close game and get the [win].
"I thought offensively, we were able to use a lot of our weapons. We were finding people in their right spots and creating great opportunities for one another."
Canada shot just 38 per cent from the floor, compared to 47 per cent for Australia. But the aggressive Canadians got to the line more, hitting 21 of their 26 free-throw attempts. Australia went 10-for-14 from the line.
WATCH | Alexander runs roughshod over Australia in Olympic tune-up:
The Canadians also outrebounded Australia 44-32, including 15-3 on the offensive glass.
Jade Melbourne led Australia with a game-high 23 points.
Australia led 39-34 at the half, but Alexander hit nine of her points in the third quarter as Canada took a 57-56 lead into the final frame.
The Aussies made it close when Melbourne scored, cutting Canada's lead to one point with 1:03 left. However, Canada held strong, and after defending a late layup attempt, Carleton drew the foul that would clinch the game."
WATCH | Alexander joins CBC News Network after Paris Olympic selection:
"Defence at the end of the day won us that game, especially because it was so close," Alexander said. "It was literally a possession game."
The two teams will meet again on Aug. 1 in preliminary-round play at the Paris Games.
Canada improved to 1-2 in pre-Olympic play and played its first game with WNBA players Carleton, Aaliyah Edwards and Kia Nurse in the lineup.
The Canadians finish their tune-up Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET against Spain in Segovia before opening Olympic play July 29 against host France.
Canada's Olympic roster
- Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, Ont.)
- Kayla Alexander (Milton, Ont.)
- Laeticia Amihere (Mississauga, Ont.)
- Bridget Carleton (Chatham, Ont.)
- Shay Colley (Brampton, Ont.)
- Aaliyah Edwards (Kingston, Ont.)
- Yvonne Ejim (Calgary)
- Nirra Fields (Montreal)
- Sami Hill (Toronto)
- Kia Nurse (Hamilton)
- Cassandre Prosper (Montreal)
- Syla Swords (Sudbury, Ont.)
WATCH | Full replay coverage: Canada vs. Australia:
U.S. 84, Germany 57
A'ja Wilson had 19 points and 14 rebounds to help the U.S. women's basketball Olympic team rebound from a rare exhibition loss to beat Germany 84-57.
The Americans lost to a team of WNBA all-stars on Saturday before traveling over to London for the exhibition contest against Germany. These two teams are in the same pool in the Olympics and will play again in the Paris Games on Aug. 4.
The U.S. raced out to a 22-9 lead, scoring the first seven points of the game. By the end of the first 10 minutes, the Americans had built that 13-point lead.
The Germans, who will be making their first appearance in the Olympics, closed within 27-20 midway through the second quarter, but could get no closer as the Americans led 44-32 at the half.
The U.S. scored the first seven points of the third quarter and Germany never threatened in the second half.
Luisa Geiselsoder scored 13 points to lead Germany.
The Americans were without Brittney Griner, who rested. It was her first trip overseas since she was arrested in 2022 in Russia and sentenced to nine years in jail for drug possession and smuggling. Ten months later, she was free after a high-profile prisoner exchange.
Now the two-time Olympic gold medallist was back suiting up for the U.S.
