Canadian women 2 wins from 1st Olympic berth in 3×3 basketball
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Canada split a pair of games in women’s 3×3 basketball on Saturday to gain a spot in the semifinals of an Olympic qualifying tournament in Utsunomiya, Japan.
The top-ranked Canadians, who beat Kenya to open the competition, opened Saturday with a 22-9 drubbing of the Netherlands before facing a tough Australian outfit, which prevailed 21-16 on 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.
WATCH | Full match replay, Canada vs. Netherlands:
Watch Canada face the Netherlands at the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Utsunomiya, Japan.
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 | Full match replay, Canada vs. Australia:
Watch Canada play Australia at the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Utsunomiya, Japan.
