Canada routed by France to open women's basketball campaign

The hostile atmosphere that came with playing against host nation France (1-0) proved too much for the Canadian women’s basketball team (0-1) on Monday as it fell 75-54 to open Olympic group play. 

Canada’s top performer on the day was Shay Colley, who finished with 11 points, three rebounds, six assists and a steal. Kia Nurse also chipped in with 11 points on 4-of-9 from the field, while Bridget Carleton added eight points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. 

Meanwhile, leading No. 7 France over No. 5-ranked Canada in the upset was Marième Badiane, who scored a game-high 13 points to go with six rebounds and a block. Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams, a former fourth-overall pick in the WNBA, finished with 12 points on 50 per cent shooting from the field while adding eight assists and a game-high five steals. 

Had it not been for what can only be described as a disastrous second quarter, it was a relatively competitive ball game. Canada and France each scored 52 points through the first, third and fourth quarters. 

After withstanding an early 8-0 run in the opening quarter to lead 18-15, the wheels fell off the wagon for Canada in the second. The Canadians scored just one field goal in the frame — a Carleton layup at the 1:29 mark that momentarily stopped the bleeding following a 21-0 run from France. 

France’s intense ball pressure caused all sorts of problems for the Red and White throughout the game, particularly in the second quarter, forcing eight Canadian turnovers. Canada finished the game with 25 turnovers (15 more than France) and gave up 19 points off those displays.  

"They're a good defensive team," Carleton told reporters, per the Canadian Olympic Committee. "We turned the ball over too much, our offence led to their offence and that hurt us in the second quarter.

"They pressured the ball, denied passing lanes ... made it difficult for us, but we have to be better."

Once the dust settled on a nightmarish second frame for the Canadian women, they were outscored 23-2 and trailed 38-20 at halftime. 

There was a brief moment of reprieve coming out of the break as Carleton knocked down a three in the opening moments of the third, snapping a 0-for-8 start from distance for Canada. It hardly sparked a momentum-shifting run, however, as Canada did win the quarter, but doing so by only one point meant it still trailed big, 53-36. 

Canada’s silver lining in the double-digit loss was the play of its youngsters. Aaliyah Edwards made her presence felt throughout the game, setting tough screens and matching France’s physicality as best she could. The 22-year-old finished with eight rebounds, one block and three fouls drawn.  

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Syla Swords made her Olympic debut and was thrown into the fire, spending the majority of her nine minutes defending former WNBA guard Marine Johannès, who finished with seven points on 3-of-11 shooting. Swords also scored her first points in Olympic action in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with a pair of free throws and a layup.

"We have some very young players but I'm happy with them, especially Syla," Canadian women's basketball head coach Victor Lapena told reporters, per the Canadian Olympic Committee. "Only 18 years old and she was able to find solutions."

ELSEWHERE IN GROUP B

Nigeria pulled off arguably the biggest upset of Olympic group play to this point as the No. 12-ranked nation took down No. 3 Australia in convincing fashion, picking up a 75-62 win on Monday. 

Australia will still sit above Canada in the Group B standings despite the double-digit loss, as the Canadians' 21-point defeat slotted them into last place.

UP NEXT

Group B action will resume on Thursday with Canada taking on Australia (0-1) in the early matchup at 7:30 a.m. ET. 

"It's going to be a battle of two desperate teams," Kia Nurse told reporters, per the Canadian Olympic Committee when asked what the message in the locker room is moving forward. "Who is going to come out and take that win, it's going to be an important one ... can't really dwell on it, have to get (a win) on the board."

That game will be followed by France taking on Nigeria (1-0) at 11:15 a.m. ET. 

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Here are all the key moments in Canada's opening loss to France.

Fourth quarter

End of the fourth quarter: France 75, Canada 54

• 0:51 — Syla Swords scores the first points of her Olympic career, drawing the foul under the basket after a sweet cut then hits both looks from the charity stripe. She then followed it up with a nice lay-up on the next possession for her first field goal. 73-52 Canada.

• 2:58 — Sadly, Canada's shooting form is inconsequential as France retakes a 22-point lead off a corner three from Aleriane Ayayi. That make was also created by yet another offensive foul turnover by Canada. The more things change, the more they stay the same. 69-47 France.

• 5:16 — At last, Canada's shot seems to be falling. Bridget Carleton drains the team's second-straight 3-pointer to cut into France's lead and dig the team out of a big hole should it want to advance to the knockout stage. 61-44 France.

• 10:00 — With Canada down 17 and the game all but over, the team is sending out their youngsters to get some run as Swords and 19-year-old Cassandre Prosper of Notre Dame both check-in. Both are expected to be contributors for the women's team for years to come but may not be the best option if winning is the intention today against France.

Third quarter

End of the third quarter: France 53, Canada 36

• 2:25 — Canada with its third offensive foul in the last three minutes, once again struggling with turnovers and not taking advantage of their possessions and steady defence in this quarter. 50-35 France.

• 5:07 — Canada doing a much better job here of turning defence into offence. Solid perimeter and paint defence are forcing France into tougher shots and giving Canada some opportunities on the fast break. Cutting into the big deficit with a 6-0 run midway through the third. 46-33 France.

• 9:48 — Bridget Carleton opens up the second half for Canada and gets them on the board with a big 3-pointer, the team's first of the game. Canada has already scored more points in the third quarter than it did in the second. 38-23 France.

Second quarter

HALF TIME STAT SURGE:

• Canada is struggling from the field, shooting only 29 per cent for the half on 9-for-31 from the field and 0-for-8 from 3-point range. On the other hand, France is hitting 42 per cent of its looks on 15-for-36 from the field and 3-for-13 from deep. Also not great, but the bar is low.

• Canada has also been unable to set up their offence, turning the ball over 12 times as opposed to France's two.

End of the second quarter: France 38, Canada 20

• 0:00 — Not great! Canada down 18 going into the half after scoring a paltry two points in the second quarter and allowing 23 to France. As expected, Marine Johannes led the way for the host nation with seven points while Shay Colley matched it with seven of her own for Canada.

• 1:29 — That was brutal for Canada, finally scoring its first points of the second quarter with just under a minute and a half to go. Went into the quarter up three but are now down 16 after allowing a 21-0 run to France. 36-20 France.

• 7:04 — 18-year-old Sudbury, Ont., native Syla Swords checks into the game for the first time in her young Olympic career. She grabs an offensive rebound, beating out the bigger players, but is unable to hit the second-chance 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. Fearless, that's what you want to see from her. 25-18 France.

First quarter

End of the first quarter: Canada 18, France 15

• 2:19 — WNBA rookie Aaliyah Edwards checks in and makes her impact felt right away, picking up a block on Alexia Chery and then a sweet deflection on the perimeter. She's everywhere so far. 14-12 Canada.

• 5:21 — Following an 8-0 run from France earlier in the quarter, Canada ties the game back up at 10 apiece with a tough physical finish from Kia Nurse in transition and draws the foul for the and-one. The first points of the game for the fan favourite team captain. 10-10 Canada.

• 9:46 — Shay Colley nets the first basket of the game as Natalie Achonwa finds her on a nice cut and feeds it down low to finish at the rim and draw the foul. The ball is moving well for Canada on the first play of the game.

• 10:00 — Canada's Kayla Alexander wins the opening tip and we're off!