Canada crushes Colombia for third straight victory at FIBA Women’s AmeriCup
Nirra Fields scored seven points in the first three minutes to power Canada to an 89-55 victory over Colombia at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup on Tuesday in Léon, Mexico.
Fields, a two-time Olympian, scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Canadians, who recorded their third straight win after beating Mexico 83-57 and beating Puerto Rico 84-47 the night after.
Canada now tops Group B 3-0. The final group stage match for the fifth-ranked outfit comes against the 35th-ranked Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
The top four teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals on Friday, with the tournament concluding with the gold medal game on Sunday.
🇨🇦 @NirraFields is REALLY on fire 🔥 3️⃣ 🎯🎯 🎯#AmericCupW i @CanBball a> pic.twitter.com/OcgT3tyKIM
Syla Swords, the 16-year-old from Sudbury, Ontario, added 12 points, including eight in the second quarter, as starting center Kayla Alexander just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds in just over 15 minutes of action.
Canada shot 56 percent as a team, including 26 assists on 33 shots made. American collegiate players Aaliyah Edwards and Cassandre Prosper led the way with four helpers each.
Prosper, 18, also added three steals and three blocks as Canada limited Colombia to a shooting percentage of 26.4.
I like to watch our defense 🤩 @CanBball
Group A consists of Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela and the No. 1 US team in the world.
The top team outside the US in the tournament will advance directly to the February Olympic Qualifier, while other teams will be relegated to a pre-Olympic Qualifier in the fall.
Canadian list
Guards:
- #1 Aislinn Konig — Langley, BC
- #2 Shay Colley — Brampton, Ont.
- #4 Sami Hill — Toronto
- #12 Syla swords — Sudbury, Ont.
- #21 Nirra Fields — Montreal
- #30 Taya Hanson — Kelowna, BC
Forward:
- #3 Merissah Russel — Ottawa
- #8 Cassandre Prosper — Montreal
- #9 Yvonne Ejim — Calgary
- #24 Aaliyah Edwards — Kingston, Ont.
Centers:
- #10 Emily Potter- winnipeg
- #14 Kayla Alexander — Milton, Ont.