BANGKOK — Aaliyah Edwards had 12 points and seven rebounds as Canada defeated Japan 62-59 on Saturday morning in the classification round of the FIBA under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup.
Christina Morra also had 12 points, while Brynn Masikewich scored 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
"There were a lot of runs in that game and I felt like we did a good job of staying composed and working through different situations," said head coach Claire Meadows. "We were successful when we got the ball inside and our bench gave us some good production."
Nanako Todo recorded a game-high 14 points in the loss for Japan.
The Canadians will play China on Sunday in the fifth-place game.
Japan started the game on Saturday in the lead up 10-3 within the first three minutes. Canada began to chip away at the deficit and by the end of the first quarter the Canadians trailed 16-13.
Morra's jump shot within the first few seconds of the second quarter to make it a one-point game. Canada took its first lead of the game at the 8:53 mark of the quarter when Edwards drew a foul and made both free throws to make it 17-16.
Canada stayed in the lead for the remainder of the quarter and entered the halftime up 31-24.
The Canadians extended their lead to 13 points with two minutes left in the third quarter. Though in those two minutes, Japan cut the lead once again making it a four-point difference. Canada entered the fourth up 49-45.
Japan took the lead early in the fourth quarter but Masikewich's three-pointer tied the two teams once again. Canada remained in the lead for the rest of the game as Japan trailed close behind.
The Canadian Press
