The Canadian women’s 3×3 basketball team has fallen just short of snapping a long Olympic drought for the country in the sport.
Canada lost 16-13 to the United States in the bronze-medal game on Monday at Paris 2024.
The Canadian men’s team, in the traditional version of the sport, has won the country’s only Olympic basketball medal — silver in 1936 in Berlin.
Twin sisters Katherine and Michelle Plouffe of Edmonton, Paige Crozon of Humboldt, Sask., and Kacie Bosch of Lethbridge, Alta., are Canada’s 3×3 team members.
Katherine Plouffe led Canada with five points in the bronze-medal game, while Hailey Van Lith scored a game-high six for the Americans. Van Lith has been a key player for Louisville and LSU in the NCAA women’s ranks, and this year has transferred to TCU.
The Plouffe sisters played for the Canadian women’s team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro before shifting focus to 3×3 in 2019.
Canada led 12-9 against the Americans before foul trouble loomed large for the second game in a row, helping the U.S. rally.
Canada lost a 16-15 heartbreaker to Germany in the semifinals earlier Monday after the Germans hit the winning shot with one second left. The U.S. lost 18-16 to Spain in the other semifinal.
Canada lost to the U.S. 18-17 in the preliminary round.
Both teams finished 4-3 in the preliminary round before winning a play-in game and losing in the semis.
3×3 debuted at the Tokyo Games three years ago. Canada did not qualify for that event.