Kia Nurse leads Canada to Pan-Am Gold

It may be fewer than some previous days at the Games, but Canada took home six medals, one of them gold on Monday. “Emotion. Hard work pays off and honestly that’s what happened tonight”.

Win next month and it would be the biggest basketball moment in Edmonton since the men’s team beat the Americans to win the gold medal at the 1983 Universiade.

Canada fashioned a 5-0 won-lost record in Toronto, played before packed crowds of more than 3,000 fans, and learned to deal with the scrutiny and pressure that comes with being the home team at a multi-sport Games.

Kia Nurse paced Canada with 33 points while Natalie Achonwa added 13 and Tamara Tatham was ideal from the foul line on the way to 10 points.

“I’m not sure how unknown we are to our opponents”, Canadian coach Lisa Thomaidis said. All told, the Fighting Irish have developed 18 worldwide basketball veterans, and counting Monday’s twin medals, Notre Dame women’s basketball players have earned a total of 29 medals (15 gold) during the program’s 38-year history.

“So, out here, it was a big physical struggle to get touch by touch, most importantly, I kept my cool, I didn’t freak out”.

“Probably just from the competitive family that I have, just being raised in such a competitive way and getting to watch my brother do all those insane things for himself and you know you get to try and one-up him…it’s a good feeling”, she said, laughing. She is done just her freshman year at Connecticut.

As she has throughout the Pan American Games, Langlois was in the starting lineup Monday.

“We still have a lot of areas where we need to improve”, Thorburn said. “At shootaround I was like ‘She’s really amped up, might have to bring her down a little.’ She can stay like that all day if that’s how she’s going to play every night”.

“I might break into tears”, Murphy said. “I can’t even describe the feeling”. They went to their zone defense, and we struggled against their zone. Another win there and Canada will book its place in Rio for 2016.

Now, Langlois is hoping Canada can carry the momentum from this tournament to Edmonton for FIBA Americas Women’s basketball championships and Olympic Qualifier. Despite there being little enthusiasm for the competition among locals when the games commenced, some positive results have since produced unexpectedly high TV ratings in the host country.

The Americans – including Nurse’s UConn teammates Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson – dominated a frazzled-looking Canadian squad in the first quarter, taking a 23-13 lead into the second. High-powered offense by Nurse and poised open-court skills by UCLA’s Nirra Fields led Canada to tie the game at 36, at the half.

Brazil scored the first three goals and led Panama 3-1 at halftime, but were pegged back by goals from Jorman Aguilar and Fidel Escobar in the 51st and 56th minute respectively before both teams took their foot off the gas.

However, not everything about the Pan Am Games is pleasing the usually jovial Canadians, and the cause of their outrage can be pinpointed on one man; Kanye West.