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27 September, 2014
05 October
Canada
01/07/2014
News
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CAN - Thomaidis satisfied with series sweep against Brazil

EDMONTON (FIBA World Championship for Women) - Canada head coach Lisa Thomaidis has expressed her satisfaction with the outcome of the recent Edmonton Grads International Classic series against Brazil which proved to be a perfect launch-pad to get the team's preparation programme for the FIBA World Championship for Women underway.

Thomaidis and her team matched up with their visitors in three exhibition games and the play-caller could barely have asked for any more from the event - either on or off the court.

"Having the opportunity to play Brazil on our home court was fantastic for us.

"This was our first phase of training and we were integrating several new players into a core group of seasoned veterans.

"Evaluating where we are right now was the purpose, but winning all three games was the icing on the cake."

Bringing something of an experimental side, Brazil struggled to adapt in the opening encounter and went down 64-43 in a one-sided encounter.

Hometown favourite Michelle Plouffe thrilled the crowd by leading Canada in points and rebounds with an impressive 16 and 7 display to push her case for a return, having last featured at London 2012.

Brazil found their feet after the opener and pushed Canada hard in the second meeting, eventually going down 79-72 with Patricia Ribeiro claiming an eye-catching 17 points.

Kim Gaucher had 13 points and six rebounds for the winning team, with Miranda Ayim also registering 13 points.

Canada completed their sweep with a narrow 68-63 success, although Clarissa Dos Santos almost won the game for Brazil with another influential display which harvested a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. Tamara Tatham stood out for the hosts with 11 points and eight boards.

Meanwhile, Thomaidis also took time to pay tribute to the crowd of almost 1,800 fans who came along to support the team in the last of the friendly fixtures.

"It was a tremendous way to showcase our players and team in front of an enthusiastic Edmonton crowd," added the play-caller.

Both teams will be based in Ankara when the action gets underway in Turkey (27 September-5 October), although Brazil are in Group A and Canada will compete in Group B. They could however meet each other in the second phase of the tournament.

FIBA