For the second time in a single day, Canada faced Team USA in an epic Olympic showdown. Unfortunately, they didn’t come away with the result they wanted.
While the first match ended in a victory that secured Canada a spot in the beach volleyball quarterfinals, the stakes were even higher in the afternoon when the North American neighbours clashed in the 3×3 women’s basketball bronze medal game.
Canada, who sat seventh on FIBA’s women’s 3×3 rankings before the Paris Games began, was coming off a loss to Germany, who beat them earlier this afternoon.
Playing the underdog once again, Canada opened the scoring against the reigning champions with a long shot worth two points.
Going deep in their Olympic debut, the women’s 3×3 squad carried the lead for more than half of the 10-minute game but were unable to sustain it when it counted most.
🇺🇸 BRONZE MEDAL GOES TO TEAM USA! 🙌🥉#3x3Basketball #Paris2024 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/RH3H0tgkda
— 3×3 Basketball |FIBA3x3 (@FIBA3x3) August 5, 2024
Katherine Plouffe led Canada with five points on the night, while her twin sister Michelle Plouffe, along with Kacie Bosch, each added three of their own.
Meanwhile, the No. 3-ranked Americans, who lost a spot in the gold medal game to Spain, capitalized on multiple fouls, allowing them to claim bronze by a 16-13 score at Paris’ La Concorde stadium.
Unable to add another to their growing tally, Canada’s medal count at the Paris Games stands at 17, putting them in 11th place among all nations.