SWNT picked up a 66-59 victory on Tuesday
(Dubai, UAE) – Kady Dandeneau paced Canada to a 66-59 victory over Great Britain on Tuesday at the IWBF World Championships.
The Pender Island, B.C. native scored a game-high 32 points and added 14 rebounds as the Senior Women’s National Team improved to 2-1 in group play in Dubai.
Cindy Ouellet contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Tamara Steeves chipped in eight points in the win.
“That was a big win for us, especially after Monday’s loss to Spain. We wanted to bounce back strong against Great Britain,” said Dandeneau. “We know GB is gritty. I love how their lower-class athletes play – they’re so aggressive and come out ready every time. It was an absolute battle today.”
Canada led 34-31 at halftime and out-scored Great Britain 17-8 in the third to create a 12-point cushion heading into the fourth.
“We just stuck with our game plan, and we executed well,” Dandeneau said of the third quarter. “When we executed our game plan, Great Britain didn’t have a lot of answers, and that’s when we saw them shifting their game plan. Our execution was really good.”
Great Britain went on an 8-0 run to pull to within four with 3:32 remaining in the fourth and got to within three of Canada with 33 seconds left, but that’s as close as they would come.
“We did a good job of maintaining our composure at the end,” said head coach Marni Abbott-Peter. “GB came in and played well in the fourth quarter, but our veteran players were able to control the tempo of the game and finish strong.
“The defence – Melanie Hawtin and Elodie Tessier – played well above their class defending Great Britain’s 4.5 athletes and did a huge job on defence, and that was the difference in the game. They were just outstanding.”
Complete stats from Tuesday’s victory over Great Britain can be found here.
Both the Senior Men’s National Team and Senior Women’s National team are in action on Wednesday. The men conclude Group B play against Egypt at 2 a.m. ET and the women tip off against Australia at 8:30 a.m. ET.