Canada outlasts France to win 3rd 3×3 basketball Women’s Series stop of season

Canada collected its third win of the 2023 3×3 basketball Women’s Series on Saturday with a back-and-forth 20-17 win over France in the final in Prague.

Twin sisters Michelle and Katherine Plouffe of Edmonton were dominant all weekend during a run that saw the Canadians go 5-0 in the Czech Republic. Canada’s winning streak is now at 10 games overall after also going 5-0 to win the Edmonton series stop on Sunday.

The last loss for the Canadians came in the July 20 semifinal of the Bourdeaux, France, stop, when they lost 22-13 to China. The Chinese squad won a simultaneous stop on home soil in Yichang on Saturday for their 4th win of the series.

Competing in six tournaments on the tour this year, Canada has finished first three times (Prague in August, Edmonton in July, and Poitiers, France, in June) and third twice (Bordeaux, France, in July and Orleans, France, in June).

The reigning Women’s Series champion, the Canadians weren’t part of the podium in Fribourg, Switzerland, in July.

France, which won its third tournament of the year at the Bourdeaux stop, overtook the Canadians midway through the game at 10-8 despite looking to be on the ropes early.

WATCH l Back-to-back gold medals for Canada’s 3×3 women’s basketball team:

FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Prague final: Canada vs. France

Watch Canada take on France in the final at the 2023 FIBA Women’s 3×3 Series in Prague.

From that point on, Michelle Plouffe scored 10 of Canada’s last 12 points to finish with a game-high 15 overall and earn Most Valuable Player honours for the second straight series.

She took over the game when Canada was trailing 17-15 with under two minutes to play, driving to the basket to draw an and-one opportunity from Anna Ngo Ndjock to tie the game at 17.

The 30-year-old then executed on two more consecutive drives to guide the Canadian team to a 19-17 lead before setting up sister Katherine in the post to wrap the game with just seconds remaining.

After struggling from beyond the arc earlier in the tournament, Canada didn’t attempt a 2-point shot in the final. Instead, they decided to rely on Michelle’s explosiveness inside as she finished with four converted drives in the final.

After going 2-0 in the group stage on Friday, Canada began the Saturday knockout stage with a 21-17 win over Lithuania in the quarterfinals.

WATCH | Canada takes down Lithuania in quarters:

FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Prague quarterfinals: Canada vs. Lithuania

Watch Canada take on Lithuania in the quarterfinals at the 2023 FIBA Women’s 3×3 Series in Prague.

Michelle led the way with 11 points for Canada, while Katherine was extremely efficient with five rebounds and six points on 5-of-5 shooting.

The Plouffe sisters then combined for all 13 of Canada’s points in a 13-10 semifinal victory over Spain. Both teams combined to go 0-of-11 from 2-point range in the defensive battle.

The 2023 edition runs from May to September, returning to Canada for stops in Quebec City (Aug. 18-19) and Montreal (Sept. 2-3). It culminates with the Ulaanbaatar Final in Mongolia on Sept. 16-17.

WATCH | Canadians top Spain in Semis:

FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Prague semifinals: Canada vs. Spain

Watch Canada take on Spain in the semifinals at the 2023 FIBA Women’s 3×3 Series in Prague.