Canadian women dunk Senegal 72-57 in Olympic pre-qualifying tournament opener

Kayla Alexander scored a team-high 16 points and hauled in seven rebounds as Canada’s senior women’s national basketball team opened the FIBA Olympic pre-qualifying tournament with a 72-57 win over Senegal on Monday in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Syla Swords and Delaney Gibb both chipped in with 13 points for Canada.

“I think it’s a good start for us. You always want to start with a win,” said Canadian head coach Nell Fortner. “I thought we played really tough and did a good job on the boards. We know Senegal is a very, very good rebounding team and tough to keep off the boards, so it’s nice to win that battle.

“It’s just nice to get that first win under our belt.”

Canada’s work on the glass was particularly evident at the offensive end, where the Canadians held a 15-8 advantage. Tara Wallack collected four offensive rebounds on her own to help Canada generate additional possessions.

Swords helped Canada take control early, connecting on three three-pointers in the opening quarter. The Canadians led by as many as 17 points and remained in front throughout, but Senegal made its push midway through the third.

Canada held a 26-14 advantage in points in the paint, shooting 52.5 per cent from that area. Points off turnovers were even at 11, while Senegal held a narrow 31-29 edge in bench scoring.

Canada will have a day off Tuesday before facing the Philippines on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.