Nurse scores 18 as Canada downs France 71-60 at FIBA Women’s World Cup
TENERIFE, Spain — Kia Nurse had a game-high 18 points and six assists as Canada earned a bye into the quarterfinals of the FIBA Women’s World Cup with a come-from-behind 71-60 win over France on Tuesday.
Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Canadians (3-0), who finished at the top of their pool and earned a bye into Friday’s quarterfinals. Canada will face either host Spain or Senegal, who meet in a qualifying game on Wednesday.
“We understand that winning he pool is great but there’s so much more to come,” Nurse said. “So to be able to put ourselves in this situation to go in, have two days off, give us a chance to be able to scout a little extra, get some practice in and work on things we want to get better at, it’s a great situation.”
Canada, ranked fifth in the world, trailed No. 3 France by 15 points in the first quarter and 10 points at the half. But the Canadians chipped away at the lead in the third quarter before taking the lead early in the fourth.