TENERIFE, SPAIN – September 28, 2018 – For the third game in a row, Kia Nurse led the team in scoring, but the Canada Basketball’s Senior Women’s National Team fell to hosts no. 2 Spain, 68-53, on Friday night in the quarterfinals at FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018.
Kia Nurse’s team-high 15 points which accompanied three rebounds and one assist. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe netted five points on 50-percent shooting and a near team-high six rebounds.
After Spain opened the game with a three-pointer, Canada rattled off a 9-0 run to take a 9-3 lead. Canada carried a three-point advantage into the second quarter thanks in large part to the sharpshooting of Colley, who was a perfect 3-for-3 and scored 10 points in the opening frame.
However, an 8-2 run by Spain to open the second quarter erased the deficit and gave them the lead. After a back and forth second, Canada entered halftime trailing the hosts by just two points, 29-27.
Tied 40-40 midway through the third quarter, Canada finished the quarter strong, outscoring Spain by six points and carried a three-point lead into the final 10 minutes.
Backed by a raucous crowd of 3,553 at the Santiago Martin Arena in San Cristobal de la Laguna, Spain went on a dominant 19-0 run in the fourth quarter on their way to the 68-53 victory.
Canada will now play China on Saturday at 9:00 AM ET in the classification round at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018.