2014 World Championships, Day 1: Canada beats Mozambique Game Recap

A win is a win right?

Well...

On the very first game of the 2014 FIBA World Championships, Team Canada improved to 1-0 in pool play but struggled throughout much of the game thanks in large part to Mozambique's ability to hit threes. Canada also struggled to make layups, which at many points of the game would've ended the game a lot earlier.  Whether it was the first game jitters, or not taking the competition seriously enough, they need to correct it quickly as they face better opponents in Turkey and France in their next games.

Mozambique actually led for a while in the 1st Q, but Team Canada was able to quickly get the lead back and led from then on. Mozambique made the game interesting and Canada was only up by 3 points at halftime. In the second half, Canada got solid point guard play by young rising star Kia Nurse who had 9 points and finally separated themselves and held on for the win. Mozambique also looked exhausted in the fourth quarter.

Game Notes

- There was quite a low turnout at the stadium. I get that people don't always come to these types of events, but Turkey is usually great at supporting women's basketball as well as avid fans.

- Team Canada missed Natalie Achonwa. It was apparent in this game as she is Canada's best post defender and post passer. They could have used her energy and her scoring ability too.

- Team Canada should work on hitting from the perimeter as they missed many layups that could cause them to lose future games with better competition.

If you want more information on the game click here.

NEXT GAME: Canada faces Turkey the host of the World Championships at noon EST on Sunday. NBATV Canada has it live as well as on ESPN3. You can also catch it online through FIBA's website.

FOLLOW: If you want live updates and are not near a TV or computer, you can always follow me at @sastarsblogger for all of Team Canada's games.

For more on the Canadian team, check out our Team Canada storystream.