via Sportsnet

TORONTO — A second chance isn't a guarantee, especially against a Texas Longhorns side that was a No. 1 seed at March Madness earlier this year.

But the Canadian women's U23 squad made the most of it, overcoming the Texas Longhorns 72-65 on Sunday to secure gold at GLOBL JAM for a second time since the tournament's inception in 2022.

"Super special to win any event, especially representing Canada. To do it here, with this group of players — they've just worked their tail off — just really happy for them," Canada head coach Carly Clarke said after the win. "I think the more experience our young players get winning, the more prepared they're gonna be for the next moments that come at world championships, AmeriCup's, etc."

That development was a key goal for Canada coming into GLOBL JAM, as the players donning the red and white this week will be those doing the same years from now, as the stakes only get higher. Consider that goal accomplished.

Coming into Sunday's final at Mattamy Athletic Centre, Canada's biggest test at the tourney had been its earlier game against Texas on Thursday. In a nine-point loss, Canada struggled to get its offence going against the Longhorns' physical, high-pressure defence.

The Canadians passed that test this time around, growing since their last matchup four days ago and over the course of Sunday's 40-minute showdown.

Canada played a hardened style in the win, getting gritty and confident performances from across the lineup while Avery Howell, the tourney MVP, and Shy Day-Wilson carried the offence.

Howell, who netted 28 points in Saturday's win over Puerto Rico, never left the zone in the time between games, continuing her ridiculous run of form to finish with a game-high 24 points on eight-of-10 from the field and a perfect six-of-six from three-point range. Day-Wilson, meanwhile, finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

While Howell kept Canada's head above water in the first half, giving the side just enough breathing room to force a comeback, Day-Wilson was the team's catalyst late, flipping the game on its head in the fourth quarter with 11 in the frame and an incredibly clutch three-pointer with 8:30 to go, putting Canada up seven.

"She's not afraid of the moment," Clarke said about Day-Wilson. "She's willing to take those shots and I think this team had a couple of those players, that aren't afraid to miss in these moments. I think that's an important aspect to winning that she demonstrated today."

While it wasn't a perfect game for Day-Wilson, it was a showcase of why she's been selected to three different Canadian GLOBL JAM rosters, and why she's on the floor late in games.

She started the day one-of-six from the field and had five turnovers in the first half. None of that mattered when she hoisted the trophy by the end of it, knowing full well how much her contributions, in the second half especially, made a difference.

"That's just confidence. That's just believing in my craft, I'm in the gym every day," Day-Wilson said. "Just not being attached to the outcome, never too high, never too low. Your ball's not always gonna go in, things are not always gonna go your way. So, me just doing the little things my team needed and me just staying composed."

Complementing the clutch baskets was a strong defensive performance, with Day-Wilson working at the point-of-attack, Latasha Lattimore using her length to protect the rim and disrupt, and the team as a whole being more than willing physically.

The home team tied up the game with three minutes left in the quarter off an impressive 24-second violation on one end and a Howell three-pointer on the other.

Then, with 34 seconds left in the third, Canada forced another 24-second violation and took the lead on the other end off a Lattimore layup. It was the team's first lead since the opening basket of the game.

"We made a couple little adjustments defensively, but just really locked in that way," Clarke said of the team's second-half shift. "That, I thought, really got our offensive transition going, and we were able to just focus possession by possession."

Texas, meanwhile, was led by its front court duo of Madison Booker and Breya Cunningham, who scored 11 and 13 points, respectively. Point guard Rori Harmon added 10 points, nine assists and five rebounds, but had five turnovers.

It was a back-and-forth affair in the early going, with the two sides tied at 9-9 through the first six minutes as defence ruled the day.

Rebounds fell out of bounds and arms flailed around as box-outs turned into wars, knowing that an offensive board or a putback layup could be the difference between winning and losing.

But Texas began to pull away late in the frame, establishing a six-point lead with a 7-0 run after some costly turnovers from Canada — eight in the frame — fouls, and easy fastbreak opportunities for Booker.

The two sides kept it tight once again in the second, with defence mucking up every action. Lattimore was a force to be reckoned with inside for Canada, using her length to disrupt shots at the basket and jump passing lanes.

However, getting Texas out of its rhythm wasn't enough; a response on the other end was needed for Canada. The teams went into halftime with Texas up six.

The Longhorns looked ready to deal the killing blow coming out of their locker room, as their lead quickly ballooned to 11 points less than two minutes into the third. But when Canada needed her most, Howell showed up.

She hit a triple to bring the deficit back to single digits and followed it up with two more three-pointers throughout the frame.

"Her threes are like layups when she's open. So clean out of her hand, really drills them," Clarke said about Howell. "But I think what really makes her special is her motor and her competitive nature. She never stops. She's not discouraged if she misses."

It's all the better when she doesn't miss, though.

"I knew that's what my team needed from me tonight, and if I have any space, I'm gonna let it go," Howell said. "That's what my team needed, for me to hit shots, and I executed."

Howell also sank the dagger for Canada, as she came off a screen on the perimeter and quickly pulled up for a triple. Though her attempt was short, she was fouled by Bryanna Preston on the play, giving her three shots from the charity stripe. She netted two of them and put Canada up seven points with 1:27 left in regulation.

The defence would do the rest, as Booker turned the ball over off a bad pass, Cunningham missed a hook shot, and the five-foot-six Day-Wilson grabbed a defensive rebound, giving her the chance to bring the ball up one last time while the Toronto native's hometown crowd cheered her on, louder than ever.

It's not often that Canadian basketball players can celebrate on home soil, with international tournaments in the country being a rarity. But on Sunday, they made it all count, for now and for the future.