FIBA U19W – North American derby to decide first place

PUERTO MONTT (2011 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women) – Canada and the USA face off in what could well be the game of the day as the Eight-Finals conclude at the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women in Chile.
 
Canada remained undefeated in Group E after holding off Japan 68-60, but coach Rich Chambers said facing the USA in a top-of-the-table clash is a nice surprise he did not expect before the tournament. “I don’t think any of us thought we’d be 5-0 going against the US 5-0. It should be fun, we are looking forward to it.”

The USA demolished Italy yesterday, but coach Jennifer Rizzotti is expecting a tougher game today. “Their chemistry is good and they play very well together at both ends of the floor, and I think it’s going to be a test for us,” she said.
 
“We are going to have to make it a game that goes up and down, we have more depth and athleticism than them, and we want to take their bigger players out of the game and not let them get set in their zones.”
 
The offence of Nirra Fields and Michelle Plouffe will be vital for Canada, though Wumi Agunbiade’s 21-point haul yesterday showed they are not a ‘two woman band’.

Bria Hartley, Breanna Stewart and Stefanie Dolson are all averaging double figures for the USA, however the key statistic is their team’s average of more than 18 assists per game to clearly lead the tournament. They also lead the tournament in scoring and rebounding.

Russia and Italy also face off in the earlier session in a game that will likely decide fourth place in Group E.

The Russians finally broke the shackles yesterday to defeat China 65-53, and they will be more comfortable facing their fellow European team today, whom they are familiar with according to centre Ksenia Tikhonenko.

“We played Italy two weeks ago and we won. They are a fantastic team, they are very fast and very clever too. We have watched video of them and we will have to play well tomorrow,” she said.

Italy have lost their past three games by an average of 29 points, and will desperately need a big game from their backcourt trio of Debora Carangelo, Francesca Dotto and Giulia Maffenini to exploit the speed advantage they hold over Russia.

Australia plays Brazil in the final game of the day in what should be an entertaining affair. A win is crucial for Brazil to move up to second place in Group F, and they could even move into first place if they defeat Australia by 17 or more.

The Aussies are coming off a tense 65-61 win over Spain, but will be confident they can improve on that performance which featured countless missed lay-ups. Talented forward Gretel Tippett had her best game for the tournament in a good side for the Oceania champions.
 
Rebecca Allen, the hero of the win over Spain, realises the South Americans will be a tough challenge. “This is a learning curve for all of us, and we know playing against Brazil tomorrow we will have to change a few things to get another win,” she said.

Brazil are coming off a 67-55 loss to France after a slow first half, and will need to provide more support to superstar forward Damiris Dantas, who is leading the tournament in scoring (20.4 ppg) and rebounding (11.8 rpg).

Japan and China clash in the opening game of the day in a contest with no bearing on the line-up for the Quarter Finals. However, it is a re-match of last year’s Asian U18 Championship final - where China turned around an earlier result in the tournament to thrash Japan 122-78 – adding spice to the early morning encounter.

Forward Sanae Motokawa said her team needs to have more motion on offence than in yesterday's loss to Canada. "In the second have we played the way we wanted, the way we expected to play in the first half," she said. "We have to move more against the bigger players to make them work a lot harder."

In the other games, Chinese Taipei plays France and Chile takes on Spain in games that are expected to have a lop-sided result. Should Taipei and Chile both cause monumental upsets, however, the Asian bronze medallists will win a place in the Quarter Finals.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA