Canadian women capture 3x3 basketball silver medal in World Cup debut
France prevails 16-13 for 1st gold after men earn bronze in Antwerp, Belgium
Canada dropped a 16-13 decision to France in the women's gold-medal game at the FIBA 3x3 Basketball World Cup on Sunday in Antwerp, Belgium.
France led 15-13 when Marie-eve Paget went to the foul line with 3.1 seconds on the clock. She missed her first free throw but made good on the second for the country's first women's title and first medal since it picked up silver at the inaugural tournament in 2012.
"The Canada team is really a great team," said Paget. "You're not in the final if you're not a great team. We played against them in a friendly game before the World Cup and we lost twice, so this is revenge."
Canada appeared set to tie the contest 15-15 in the final minute but Katherine Plouffe clipped ankles with an opponent while driving to the net.
Hortense Limouzin scored on a fadeaway jumper to give France a three-point lead with less than a minute to play but Katherine Plouffe responded to make it a two-point game.
Michelle Plouffe deflected the ball out of bounds off a French player to give Canada possession with 17.2 seconds remaining. However, the Canadians were unable to score on their next possession.
Laetitia Guapo's free throw opened up a 12-7 lead for France with 4:30 remaining. But the Canadians couldn't narrow the deficit as Katherine Plouffe missed a shot in tight and Paige Crozon failed to connect from the two-point arc.
Limouzin made it 14-8 before a resilient bunch from Canada stepped up its play.
Strong work by Katherine Plouffe and her sister moved the Canadians to within 14-12 with 2:05 to play following a missed deuce by Paget.
France holds edge in Women's Series
But they couldn't draw even as the sisters missed a free throw and layup while France came up big defensively. The Frenchwomen entered Sunday's final with a 3-1 record against Canada on the professional circuit in Women's Series play.
WATCH | Canada falls just short against France in final:
France also gained a measure of revenge earlier Sunday with a 17-16 win over China following a 16-14 loss in last year's Olympic bronze-medal contest.
We grinded to the finish. I'm so proud of this team.— Canada's Michelle Plouffe on Sunday's semifinal win over Lithuania
Meanwhile, the 13th-ranked Canadians held on for a 16-14 semifinal win over Lithuania after leading by as many as nine points with just under four minutes left.
With under 10 seconds left, Michelle Plouffe of Edmonton missed a layup but a key block in the final seconds secured the victory.
WATCH | Canada hangs on to beat Lithuania in semifinals:
'We wanted to get to the podium'
"I think it's one of the hallmarks of this team, having the ability to remain calm," Plouffe said after the game. "We grinded to the finish. I'm so proud of this team.
"I feel like the goal has been accomplished. We wanted to get to the podium."
Michelle Plouffe gave the Canadians a 16-12 advantage before her sister, Katherine, missed a jumper with 45 seconds on the clock.
Lithuania made it a two-point game after Martyna Petrenaite connected on two foul shots.
Canada started the contest with purpose, fresh off a 14-10 quarter-final upset of the two-time champions from the United States on Saturday.
After Lithuania made it 3-3 from the foul line, Canada went on a 9-1 run capped by a Crozon two-pointer to make it 12-4. Katherine Plouffe extended the margin to 15-6.
With files from The Canadian Press
