Canada's 3x3 Women’s National Team went 2-0 in Day 1 action at the FIBA 3x3 Women's Series 2023 Poitiers Stop in Poitiers, France on Tuesday.

In their first game of the day, Canada opened event play with an 18-11 victory against Azerbaijan squad Neftchi. It was a team effort for Canada as Michelle Plouffe had seven points and six rebounds while recording three highlights, Katherine Plouffe finished with four points and a game-high nine rebounds, and Paige Crozon added seven points and four rebounds. Crozon and Kacie Bosch each recorded three highlights in the victory as Canada shot 50% from inside the arc as they connected on 12-of-24 field goals, compared to just 6-for-16 field goals from Neftchi.

With the score tied at three points apiece, Crozon scored on an offensive put-back of her own miss and then connected on a two-point shot, to give Canada a 6-3 lead. Crozon’s seventh point of the game kicked off a 7-0 run by the Canadians, as Michelle Plouffe connected on back-to-back two-pointers and Canada went in front 16-6 with 2:20 remaining and went on to the victory from there.

“I was just saying this was my favourite stop in France, so far, that I've been to," Michelle Plouffe said. "I love the buildings, the ambiance, and the city. We just came out ready [today]. After the last tournament, we had the same two teams [today] so we watched a lot of film, prepped, and came out super aggressive. I think we had more rhythm and we were together. It was fun.”

Canada’s second game of the day was a dominant 21-11 win against Italy. Crozon scored a game-high nine points, connecting on 3-of-8 attempts from deep as the Canadians made six two-pointers, compared to just one make in 10 attempts from Italy.

Michelle Plouffe scored six points to go with eight rebounds in the win, while Katherine Plouffe added five points and seven rebounds while recording five highlights. Canada dominated on the glass in the victory, out-rebounding Italy 20-14 as Michelle Plouffe finished just one rebound shy of Italy’s total as a team.

The Plouffe sisters started the game with a two-pointer each, giving Canada a quick 4-0 lead. Crozon scored seven straight points for the Canadians, including a pair of two-pointers, to extend Canada’s advantage to 11-4 with 6:19 remaining. 

Katherine Plouffe found a cutting Bosch for a layup and then Crozon drilled her third two-pointer of the game to give Canada a 15-4 lead with 5:48 remaining. A two-point play for Michelle Plouffe made it 17-5, Canada and then a two-pointer from Michelle Plouffe got Canada to 19 points with 4:20 remaining on the clock. Canada closed out the victory with 1:36 remaining on the clock as Katherine Plouffe found Crozon under the hoop for a layup and then Katherine Plouffe drilled a fadeaway to get the 21-11 victory.

Crozon finished Day 1 as the third-leading scorer, with 16 points, while Katherine Plouffe and Michelle Plouffe were second and third in rebounding, respectively. Canada finished the day leading all teams with nine made two-pointers, as well as five blocked shots.

Canada’s undefeated record places them in first place in Pool A, moving them into a quarterfinals matchup against the United States on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. ET. Fans can watch all of the action live on the official FIBA 3x3 YouTube Channel. 

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