3x3 Women's Series is Back - Springfield Stop Full Report
The birthplace of Basketball is a fitting host for the start of 2024's new FIBA 3x3 Women's Series, where eight teams battled it out in two days at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
After second successive Women's Series victory in 2023, the familiar faces of Paige Crozon, Kacie Bosch, Katherine and Michelle Plouffe all returned on this first stop to begin defence of their crown. This time out they would also be joined by a compatriot team.
Former Drexel Dragons guard Keishana Washington, Jade Belmore of the Regina Cougars, former Canadian 3x3 international Tara Wallack and European club veteran Saicha Grant-Allen joined together to form Calgary for their first tournament on the Women's Series.
Chances of the teams meeting each other would not be until day two, first there was the pool stage, the winners of which would advance straight to the semi-finals, second and third place teams having to play off for the remaining spots in the final four.
Canada started strong against Puerto Rico, with Kat Plouffe making every shot in their 21-10 opening win. Their dominance in the paint continued against Germany, who did not have an answer for the relentless offence from all distances from her sister Michelle. She had ten points in their seven-point defeat of Germany.
Their biggest pool stage test came from the home team, Springfield, who were headlined by top WNBA prospect Cameron Brink. After holding an early one-point lead, Canada allowed four points unanswered from Springfield, who then added four more to lead 14-10. Canada responded with a 5-1 run which tied the scores with over a minute to go. Late points from Paige Crozon sealed the win for Canada, guaranteeing them a semi final bye on day two.
Calgary did not fare as well in Pool B. Opening against the USA, they let their opening game get away from them, as Rhyne Howard kept pouring it in from beyond the arc which got them to an early win, 21-13. They were then led from start to finish by Freiburg, the German team dominant in the paint and playing lockdown defence to dispatch Calgary 22-10.
Their last chance meant they had to get a win over France, and they looked more convincing early on. Initially trying to contain French star Eve Marie Paget only left the door open for Anna Ndjock to thrust France in front. While Calgary fought with everything they had to keep a single possession between teams, late fire from France outside the arc got them to 21 points first.
Losing this final game by five, it was the end of the road for them in Springfield. Canadian attention then turned to day two, where Canada awaited to see who they would be facing in the semi finals. It would be deja vu for Canada, as Springfield beat France 17-12 to set up a rematch from the day before.
A 6-1 run from Canada swa them lead by six after four minutes, Springfield tried to hit back from the low post but there would be no easy back in the face of such an early deficit. Crozon hit 10 on the game, including eight from beyond the arc which kept the lead out of reach of their opponents. She also hit the final shot which put Canada through to the final.
It all came down to another clash between the USA and Canada boasted WNBA players Rhyne Howard, Hailey Van Lith and Lexie Hull. The team were riding a blowout win over Germany in the semi finals, and came into the final with five points in the first two minutes. Four points in just over a minute saw Canada lead by one, four times the Americans levelled the scores before Hull reclaimed the lead.
The Plouffes both tried hard from the paint to keep Canada in front, but were matched by the Americans each time. With the scores tied inn the last minute Crozon hit one from beyond the arc and Katherine made the tournament-winning shot from
After initial disappointment following Calgary's early exit, there was joy for Canada as Michelle was Canada's top scorer and second on the tournament behind Rhyne Howard, while Katherine was the top rebounder and Crozon had the most two-pointers of everyone in Springfield. Canada get 2024 off to a winning start a week ahead of their first chance to qualify for the Paris Olympic tournament.
Check back here for a full recap of the next women's 3x3 event and find more details of the Springfield tournament and more on the official FIBA 3x3 website.
