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Japan overwhelms Canada in women's basketball at Memorial Centre

Japanese win 80-60
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Canada’s Cassandre Prosper gets around Japan’s Nanako Todo during RIM2RIM women's basketball action at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. (DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST)

All seemed in order Friday, including Canadian national teams and Toronto Raptors Super Fan Nav Bhatia sitting in the front row at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

But this night was all about Japan.

From Blanshard Street to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy basketball venue in Lille next year, the journey has begun to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Japan, the hosts and silver medallists from the last Olympics in Tokyo, showed they will also be a factor in France with a comprehensive 80-60 women’s hoops victory over Canada before 4,549 lively fans.

The tenacious Japanese national team led 39-32 at the half and extended that to 59-48 at three-quarters as it smothered Canada on defence while destroying the Canucks offensively from the three-point line.

“Japan is one of the best teams in the world and they really shot the three-pointers tonight. Japan plays so fast and got us to play their speed,” said Olympian Sami Hill, Canada’s best player on the night.

“There were a lot of nerves on our part. But Japan is an incredible team and a great test for us. If you want to be the best, you have to test yourself against the best, and then eventually beat them.”

Canada was missing its four WNBA players.

“We have incredible talent coming up in Canada and it’s great to play with these young players,” said Hill, 28, a pro in Germany out of NCAA Div. 1 Virginia Tech.

Canada is preparing for the FIBA AmeriCup 2023 from July 1-9 in León, Mexico, out of which eight teams will move on to the FIBA 2024 Paris Olympics qualifying Tournament of the Americas from Nov. 5-13, with the top two teams from that advancing to the FIBA 2024 Olympic qualifying tournaments in February.

Canada, fourth last year in the FIBA 2022 World Cup, is in a pool with Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia and the Dominican Republic in the first stage of Olympic qualifying next month in León.

While the Canadian men haven’t qualified for the Olympics in basketball since 2000 in Sydney, when captained by Steve Nash of Victoria, the Canadian women have been regular customers in the Summer Games as quarter-finalists at both London 2012 and Rio 2016 before placing ninth at the last Olympics in Tokyo.

Friday’s was Canada’s first game at home since 2019. Canada will also play Japan today and Sunday at the Memorial Centre in closed-door sessions not open to the public.

“We have a lack of exhibition games heading into the Olympic qualifying process so games like these against the defending Olympic silver medallists are essential to us,” said Canadian head coach Victor Lapena, who is from Spain.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com