Softball Canada – MINSK, BELARUS (July 22, 2018) – Team Canada continued to shine in the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup with a 66-36 victory over Angola in their second game of the tournament.

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Merissah Russell led the way for the red and white in the victory, scoring a game-high 18 points to go along with an incredible seven steals on the day. Cacia Antonio led the way for Angola, scoring 14 points to go along with eight rebounds in the game.

Turnovers hampered the Canadian offence to begin the game, while foul trouble on the other end of the floor allowed Angola to keep themselves in the game as Canada went into the second with a slim 12-9 lead.

Canada scored well in the half court, but Angola’s ability to force turnovers kept Canada from extending their lead as they went into halftime with a 29-22 advantage.

Canada’s perimeter defence continued to be strong throughout the third quarter, forcing Angola into contested shots and allowing themselves to grow a 43-31 advantage heading into the fourth.

The defence quickly translated into offence for the red and white in the final quarter of play, extending their lead and ultimately cruising to a 66-36 victory.

Click here for the box score.

QUOTES

“From this game, we have to continue bringing energy both on and off the court. We also need to continue to be disruptive on defence and execute on offence.” – Merissah Russell

“We are happy to walk away from this game with a win, but Angola really exposed a few things that can help us learn and narrow our focus as we prepare for a very solid Australia team. Our depth again proved to be the difference as we continue to wear teams down over 40 minutes.” – Head coach Jodi Gram

UP NEXT

Canada will move on and face the Australian national team this Tuesday at 9:00 AM EST in their third game of the tournament.

To get the latest updates on Canada Basketball and the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup, follow Canada Basketball on Twitter.