Canada's women drop 3x3 basketball World Cup quarterfinal to defending champions France
Marie-Eve Paget scores winning point with 2.8 seconds left on clock in Austria
It was heartbreak all over again for Canada at the women's 3x3 basketball World Cup.
Tied 13-13 late in Saturday's quarterfinal against France, the defending champions, the Canadians were dealt another crushing blow by Marie-Eve Paget, who fended off Kacie Bosch while driving the net and converted for a 14-13 victory with 2.8 seconds left on the clock in Vienna, Austria.
Last June 26, Paget went to the foul line with 3.1 seconds remaining in Antwerp, Belgium, missed her first free throw but made good on the second to cap a 16-13 victory, France's first women's title and first medal since it picked up silver at the inaugural tournament in 2012.
Canada earned silver in its tournament debut in 2022 but won't medal this year after winning its pool to earn a quarterfinal berth.
A taller Canadian outfit was a bit too physical early in Saturday's contest and couldn't break the game open after it was assessed the first six fouls.
Canada trailed 10-9 with 3:50 left when Katherine Plouffe scored two of her game-high eight points for a one-point advantage. After Paige Crozon missed from under the net, Katherine's sister Michelle made it 12-10 on a short jumper with two minutes left on the clock.
The Canadians eventually settled down to play physical defence with no fouls but two-point shots from beyond the arc were non-existent throughout the game.
Katherine Plouffe top Canadian with 5 rebounds
France, which faces Australia in Sunday's semifinals, pulled event at 12-12 before Bosch gave Canada a short-lived lead as a Laetitia Guapo shot from inside the two-point line found the basket to even matters.
Guapo led all French players with six points while Paget added five.
Katherine Plouffe also topped the Canadians with five rebounds, followed by Michelle Plouffe and Bosch with four each.
Following an upset loss to the Czech Republic in their tournament opener, the Canadians were in a 7-1 hole to the U.S. but went on to prevail against the Americans. They went on to beat Mongolia and Hungary in Thursday's final group-stage tilts.
Before the tourney, the Canada squad received a boost with the hiring of longtime national team player Kim Gaucher as its first-ever head coach.
Live coverage of the entire tournament is available on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
Medal games are also slated for Sunday.
