Canadian women fall to France in Olympic basketball opener after scoring 2 points in 2nd quarter
5th-ranked Canada will face No. 3 Australia on Thursday, No. 12 Nigeria on Sunday
Marieme Badiane had game-high 13 points and France trounced Canada 75-54 to open its women's basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics on Monday in Lille.
Shay Colley of Brampton, Ont., led the fifth-ranked Canadians with 11 points and six assists as they struggled with shooting and turnovers.
Canada held an 18-15 lead after the opening frame but couldn't get anything going during disastrous second quarter that saw the French go on a 22-0 run before Bridget Carleton of Chatham, Ont., put in a shot from the paint.
FIBA said the two points allowed, as part of a 23-2 period for France, were the fewest in any quarter of an Olympic game — male or female.
Many Canadian fans punctuated the boisterous French crowd, including the men's national team, who won their tournament opener against Greece on Saturday.
WATCH l Canada thumped by France in opening game:
Canada's women's squad will face world No. 3 Australia on Thursday before closing out pool play against 12th-ranked Nigeria on Sunday.
The Canadians have four active WNBA players: Carleton (Minnesota Lynx), Kia Nurse (Los Angeles Sparks), Laeticia Amihere (Atlanta Dream) and rookie Aaliyah Edwards (Washington Mystics).
United States 102, Japan 76
A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner dominated the paint and helped the U.S. win its Olympic opener as the Americans chase an unprecedented eighth straight gold medal.
Wilson had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocked shots to help the U.S. beat Japan 102-76 on Monday night.
Stewart scored 22 points and the Americans now have a 56-game Olympic winning streak that dates to the 1992 Barcelona Games.
WHO CAN STOP THEM? 🔥<br><br>USA 🇺🇸 have now extended their winning streak to 56 consecutive games in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Olympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Olympics</a> 😳<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Paris2024?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Paris2024</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Basketball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/esR9oi9XcG">pic.twitter.com/esR9oi9XcG</a>
—@FIBAThe U.S. also beat Japan in the final at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago for its seventh straight gold medal.
Now Monday's victory tipped off the run to keep that streak going.
"We played this team for a gold medal, you know, not too long ago. And the way they play is unorthodox. They shoot a lot of threes. They're fast. They make you play in a different style," said Diana Taurasi, who is trying to win an unprecedented sixth gold medal. "And I think you saw those different moments where we struggled a little bit, and then we got used to it."
The U.S. now look ahead to their second game against Germany on Aug. 1.
Nigeria 75, Australia 62
Ezinne Kalu made her first four 3-pointers and scored 17 of her 19 points in the first half Monday as Nigeria earned its first win in women's basketball at the Olympics since 2004, upsetting Australia 75-62 in their group play opener.
Fans inside Pierre Mauroy Stadium were on their feet cheering and applauding Nigeria in the final seconds before the players and coaches ran to midcourt to jump, hug and celebrate. Then they high-fived the Australians.
It may have helped erase a painful start to the Games for the Nigeria team, which was denied access to the country's boat during the opening ceremony.
Germany 83, Belgium 69
Nyara Sabally scored 16 points to help Germany turn its Olympic debut into a historic 83-69 victory over Belgium. But she went to the locker room after she collided with a New York Liberty teammate in the third quarter.
The Germans announced their Olympic arrival by scoring six points in the first minute against the 2023 EuroBasket champs. Ranked 19th in the world, Germany led 25-11 after the first quarter, 46-25 at halftime and 60-42 after the third.
Satou Sabally, who plays with Dallas in the WNBA, led Germany with 17 points. Alexis Peterson had 15, Fiebich finished with 14 and Frieda Buhner added 11 in a big win in a group featuring the reigning Olympic champs in the United States and 2021 silver medalist Japan.
Canada's Olympic roster
- Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, Ont.)
- Kayla Alexander (Milton, Ont.)
- Laeticia Amihere (Mississauga, Ont.)
- Bridget Carleton (Chatham, Ont.)
- Shay Colley (Brampton, Ont.)
- Aaliyah Edwards (Kingston, Ont.)
- Yvonne Ejim (Calgary)
- Nirra Fields (Montreal)
- Sami Hill (Toronto)
- Kia Nurse (Hamilton)
- Cassandre Prosper (Montreal)
- Syla Swords (Sudbury, Ont.)
With files from The Associated Press, CBC Sports
