Canada's First Day at the 2023 3x3 World Cup - Report
The eighth edition of the FIBA 3x3 World Cup got underway this week, with Canada opening the tournament in the Austrian capital of Vienna.
Team regulars Michelle and Katherine Plouffe, Paige Crozon and Kacie Bosch were once again representing Canada and looking to build on the big success they saw at the end of last season. Playing in Pool C of the women's tournament they faced four tough opponents in the first phase of competition, which began with them taking on the Czech Republic in the very first fixture.
Creating chances and finding open looks from all spots on offence put the Czechs in front early on, but Canada were keeping it tight and preventing their opponents from extending their lead. After a 7-1 run Canada led by three going into the final stretch but the Czechs responded with a 6-1 run of their own.
A last-second shot from Michelle Plouffe tied the scores and sent the game to OT, but Kateřina Galíčková wasted no time in putting the game to bed with a two-point shot that got the Czech Republic the W. Michelle finished with eight points and ten total rebounds, getting her time in Vienna off to a good start while Canada began theirs in the losing column.
Two hours later Canada had a chance for redemption against eternal rivals the USA - no small task as the three-seeds boasted NCAA stars Cameron Brink and Hailey Van Lith in tow with WNBA players Cierra Burdick and Linnae Harper.
The Americans held off the Canadians for the first four minutes, at the end of which Canada trailed 7-1.
Michelle and Paige Crozon combined to cut that gap down to one, with Katherine then edging Canada in front.
A single point was all that separated the teams, with the USA tying the scores only for the Plouffes to return the lead to Canada, which continued up until the last few seconds when Michelle and Crozon each struck once again when Canada needed it the most. Canada improved their record to 1-1 with a three-point defeat of the American team.
Still to come for Canada are Mongolia and Hungary to finish Pool C on Thursday, who both suffered losses to the Czech Republic and the USA respectively, with the Hungarians also beating the Mongolians by two.
Already this looks to be the most tightly contested of the four pools in the women's tournament, which could still produce a lot more unpredictable results ahead of the knockout round beginning on June 3rd. Canada may have to fight tooth and nail if they are to take that next step towards the title.
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