Sept. 24, 2010
BOX SCORE
OSTRAVA (2010 FIBA World Championship for Women) - Canada stunned China and Australia defeated Belarus on the second day of the FIBA World Championship in Ostrava.
The Canadians, who lost to the Aussies in their opener but gained a lot of confidence from that game, trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half against China but tore apart the Asian champions after the interval and prevailed 65-61.
Kimberley Smith led the Canadian attack with 25 points, and after the win she visited with FIBATV.com.
Canada, who beat Cuba in overtime in the bronze medal game at last year's FIBA Americas Championship to earn a trip to the Czech Republic this year, will now take on Belarus on Saturday in a battle for second place in Group B.
"It's a great win," Canada coach Allison McNeill said.
"It's (Canada) a team that is mentally tough ..."
"Obviously having to play Australia in the first game, if that doesn't toughen you up, nothing will.
"We knew they were big and tough and had to match their toughness."
Canada are a smaller team than China and were being out-rebounded 18-13 at half-time, yet they took control of the boards in the third quarter.
They grabbed 16 rebounds to just seven for China in the frame and turned a 37-30 deficit into a 52-50 lead.
The game wasn't decided until the very end.
China twice closed the gap to one midway through the fourth quarter but the Canadians had answers each time.
Smith scored with a jumper to take the advantage to 58-55 for Canada, only for a Chen Nan basket in the paint to reduce the arrears to one.
The Canadian captain Teresa Gabriel went to the other end and buried a three-pointer and Canada kept their noses in front.
"We talked at half-time and said that the energy wasn't where it needed to be," McNeill said.
One of the players that did well for Canada was forward Tamara Tatham, who had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists.
She talked about her team's second-half performance.
"After yesterday's game," she said, "we started rocky and got tougher knowing we could do it, that was the mindset - knowing we could do it.
"It was very important. We came out just being in it mentally. It was important coming out with energy, hustling on every play."
The preliminary round wraps up Saturday, Sept. 25 with Canada (1-1) taking on Belarus (0-2) at 6 p.m. local time (noon ET). See the game live on fibatv.com or watch the broadcast on TSN2 (6 p.m. ET - tape delayed).
