WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM WINS FIRST GAME OF 2015 SEASON, 53-49

Canada earns a victory in European exhibition play against Poland

Toronto, ON - The Women's National Team opened the 2015 competitive season on a winning note, beating Poland 53-49 in exhibition play in Logrono, Spain.

"It was a typical first game of the summer. We got out of sync offensively but thankfully our defence won the game in the last three minutes," said head coach Lisa Thomaidis.

Team Canada was led by Miranda Ayim, who scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds. On the Polish side, Katarzyna Krezel scored 12 points with three rebounds to lead her team. Click here for full box score.

In the first quarter, Canada started slow before grabbing control for the majority of the period. The Women's National Team would push their lead to five but a 7-0 Polish run gave the European side a 22-20 advantage at the break.

Canada would open the second quarter on a 9-0, holding Poland scoreless for over seven minutes. A two-point bucket at the 2:23 mark of the second quarter would be Poland's lone score of the period. After the first 20 minutes, Canada held a 34-24 lead.

Poland would not go quietly, putting together a 17-point quarter to make it a tight contest. Canada's offence could not keep pace and the squad led 42-41 heading into the fourth quarter.

The scoring trend continued for Poland in the fourth, with Canada falling behind 49-44 with 4:47 left in the game. Miah-Marie Langlois and Katherine Plouffe would hit key shots while the rest of the team put the defensive clamps down. Poland failed to score down the stretch and Canada would win 53-49.

"It was very physical and a bit sloppy, but that's what we expect from the first game in a season. We definitely have a lot of things that we have to work on, but that's what we are looking for because we're just going to grow from here," said Ayim post-game.

Next, Canada will have quick turn-around for their game against Great Britain. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. EST. Live stats for the game will be shared on @CanBall and on Canada Basketball's Facebook page.

Full roster and European exhibition schedule: http://www.basketball.ca/en/team_programs/womens-team

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Bailey Williams
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E-mail: bwilliams@basketball.ca
Cell: 647-460-7976