Canadian under-19 women’s basketball team off to World Cup quarterfinals

BANGKOK – Canada advanced to the quarterfinals at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup with an 82-50 win over Argentina on Wednesday.

Justina King of Scarborough, Ont., led Canada (3-1) with 19 points, while Aaliyah Edwards of Kingston, Ont., recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Christina Morra of Mississauga, Ont., had 11 points and seven rebounds in the win, while Montreal’s Sarah Te-Biasu notched 13 points.

Florencia Chagas recorded a game-high 20 points in the loss for Argentina (1-3).

After a 17-17 first quarter, Canada outscored Argentina 22-7 in the second to take a commanding 39-24 lead at halftime.

“I thought we played with great energy all game,” Canada coach Claire Meadows said. “We were disciplined on the defensive end and we did a good job sharing the ball on offence. We had great contributions from all players.”

Canada will play the United States (4-0) in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Canada won bronze at the most recent U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2017 in Italy. The team earned a silver at the FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship last year in Mexico City.