Canada downs Sweden in women’s basketball at Richmond Olympic Oval
The Canadian Press
July 30, 2010 12:53 a.m.
RICHMOND, B.C. – Kim Smith of Mission, B.C., scored 21 points and Canada’s senior women’s basketball team wrapped up a four-game exhibition series with a 66-39 win over Sweden on Thursday.
Jordan Adams of Overton, N.M., added 11 rebounds for Canada, who finished undefeated in a rare exhibition series on home soil.
Frida Eldebrink led the Swedes with 14 points.
Canada used the four game set as preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women, which starts Sept. 23 in the Czech Republic.
“It’s always nice to be playing international competition in our own country in front of our home crowd because we don’t get that very often,” said Canadian captain Teresa Gabriele. “I’ve been playing on the team for 13 years and I’ve probably played in our country a handful of times.”
The hosts were dominant in the series, opening with 86-38 and 74-38 victories against Chile and winning 72-53 in their other game against Sweden. Canada was particularly aggressive defensively, keeping the opposition’s scores low and creating several turnovers.
“I think defensively we take teams out of the play,” Gabriele said. “We’re not very big. We’re undersized. But we use our physical aggression to take teams out of their offences.”
Canada will hold a training camp in Ontario at the end of August before heading to France and Greece for exhibition games.
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The Richmond Olympic Oval will host the West Coast Basketball Classic on September 11 and 12. Register to play and learn more at http://www.westcoastclassic.ca