Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

FIBA

Canada battles hard but falls to Serbia in 2020 Tokyo Olympics opener

Despite forcing 28 turnovers, Canada failed to capitalize, falling 72-68 to Serbia to open-up the 2020 Tokyo games.

nirra fields layup not enough as canada battles hard but falls to serbia at 2020 tokyo olympic games
nirra fields layup not enough as canada battles hard but falls to serbia at 2020 tokyo olympic games

It was a tough opening game for the Canadian senior women’s national team as No. 4 FIBA-ranked Canada fought hard, but dropped a close 72-68 opening game to No. 8 Serbia to start the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

Trailing 38-26 at half-time, following an abysmal first-half shooting performance, sparked by back-to-back three-pointers by Shay Colley and Kia Nurse,.Team Canada turned-up the defensive pressure outscoring Serbia 17-9 in the third-quarter to tie the game at 45-45.

Serbia scored the first five points of the fourth-quarter, but Canada quickly rallied to take a brief 56-55 lead, before Serbia knocked down five straight three-pointers in the last five minutes of the game.

Nirra Fields scored a game-high 19 points to lead three Canadians in double-figures. Kia Nurse finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Shay Colley contributed with 12 points before being forced to leave the game with right shoulder injury she picked-up from diving for a loose ball.

The entertaining game featured 14 lead changes and seven ties, Canada trailed for the majority of the game, leading only for 5 minutes and 33 seconds. Canada forced 28 Serbia turnovers leading to 23 fast break points.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Canada couldn’t buy a bucket, shooting a cold 24-of-63 (38%) from the floor and extremely poor 5-of-24 (20.8%) from the three-point line and further hurt themselves by shooting 15-of-23 (65.2%) from the foul-line.

Serbia’s excellent ball movement consistently found open shooters on their way to an efficient 26-of-52 (50%) shooting night and 8-of-17 from threes and 12-of-15 from the charity stripe.

Team Canada (0-1) will play Korea (0-1) on Wednesday, July 28, in their second-game of the Olympics tournament.

2 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Advertisement

BUZZING

FIBA

Canada’s men’s basketball team wins 88-71 against the Dominican Republic at SaskTel Centre, honoring Chad Posthumus in FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers.

FIBA

A strong second-half defensive performance propelled Canada to a crucial 93-83 victory over Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

FIBA

Canada's senior men's national basketball team marked their Olympic return after 24 years with an 86-79 victory over Greece at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

FIBA

The United States forced 37 turnovers and handed Canada its second-worst defeat in the history of the FIBA U17 World Cup.

FIBA

Canadian point guard Miles Sadler clutch shooting, and precise passing leads Canada over Egypt at 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup.

FIBA

Canada advances to U18 AmeriCup semifinals and secures 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup berth with a win over Brazil.

WNBA

"She The North", Toronto scores big as WNBA's 14th franchise is set to hit the court in May 2026.

FIBA

Canadian men and women's Olympic groups revealed for Paris 2024: Tough matchups await as they prepare for challenges ahead.

BasketballBuzz - Canada's Basketball Magazine