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Wow. Just wow.
What an impressive win.
Team Canada is through to the quarter finals after a resounding win against the Czech Republic by a final score of 91-71. They were led by one of Team Canada's veterans Kim Smith Gaucher who had 17 points and 7 rebounds.
It was Team Canada's first appearance in the FIBA Worlds Quarterfinals since 1994. They also advanced to the top 8 in the 2012 Olympics.
This game was a total team effort as Canada had plenty of help from both their young players as well as veterans. 4 players were in double figures (Nirra Fields, Kia Nurse, Katherine Plouffe and Kim Smith Gaucher) Team Canada led wire to wire and had a dominant fourth quarter which sealed the deal. They now face Australia in the quarter finals on Friday.
This was Team Canada's best game of the tournament and how many expected them to play during the group stage. It was nice to see them step up when they needed to and finally come through. The execution, the focus was all there and it shows what a force Team Canada can be when they all play well collectively. It also can be even better when they face Australia on Friday. If they play good defense and score effectively, they might give Australia a scare. Or even win the game. Either way, Canada should be proud of how well they played today.