Canadian women set to square off with U.S. in AmeriCup semifinals

SANTIAGO — Canada and the United States will square off in Saturday’s semifinal at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup tournament.

Canada punched its ticket to the final four for a ninth consecutive time in the event with a 73-49 win over Colombia in Friday’s quarterfinals. The U.S. squashed the Dominican Republic 110-44.

Brazil and Argentina will meet in the other semifinal.

Canada, which has a 4-1 record in the 2025 tournament, broke Friday’s game wide open in the second quarter, turning a seven-point lead into a 21-point advantage at halftime.

Shay Colley led Canada with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting from two-point range, while adding eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. She now has 212 career points at the Women’s AmeriCup, moving to sixth all-time among Canadians since 2003.

“We’re excited about being able to move on to the next round and play in the semifinals,” said Canadian head coach Nell Fortner. “I thought our defence was pretty strong today. There are some areas we need to clean up, but we were locked in defensively. If we can smooth out the offence (on Saturday), it’ll put us in a better position.”

Yvonne Ejim matched Colley’s 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Kayla Alexander contributed across the board with eight points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks in the win.

“I thought we did a great job as a team coming in and applying pressure, pushing the pace at the start of the game,” said Colley.

Canada dominated the glass with a 46-32 rebounding advantage and generated 15 points off 18 Colombian turnovers. Six players scored seven or more points, and the team collected 12 steals in a well-rounded defensive performance. Canada also outscored Colombia 13-4 in fast-break points and held its opponent to zero second-chance opportunities.

Through five games, Canada’s average margin of victory stands at plus-28 — the team’s highest at the AmeriCup since 2015.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.