Alyssa Jerome and Team Canada dominate Mexico
The U19 Women’s National team used all their depth to breeze past Mexico 64-43 in the Round of 16 in the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Alyssa Jerome led the way for Canada with 12 points and five rebounds. The 6’2 forward shot 50% from the field including stepping out and making a shot from long range.
Summer Masikewich added 10 points for the second time of the tournament. Fresh off an incredible shooting day, Aislinn Konig cooled off a bit shooting 3/9 from deep, scoring 9 points.
Game Recap
Canada established themselves very early in the game with a dominant first quarter. Hailey Brown and Masikewich provided the offense in the opening quarter but it was Canada’s team defense that allowed them to ease past Mexico.
They only allowed Mexico 5 points on 2/17 shooting, breaking any thoughts of an upset.
Canada continued to keep their foot on the gas and put together a great second quarter.
Jerome found her offensive game by doing most of her work down low and at the free throw line but she was also able to show her range and knock down a three.
Konig continued to spot up around the perimeter, and even though her hot hand cooled, she made shots that killed any momentum Mexico would start to have.
Laeticia Amihere only played eight minutes of the game, all in the first half, and finished with an efficient day. She scored 8 points on 4/7 shooting while also being a defensive force, swatting away two Mexican shots.
The U19 girls held a commanding 43-18 lead at halftime.
Canada pulled away even more in the second half outscoring Mexico 16-5 in the third quarter giving most of their starters rest.
The bench went to work in the paint and got Angela Bongomin a lot of touches inside. The Regina, SK native dominated down low with rebounding and put-backs. Mexico didn’t have an answer for her, as she was able to finish through contact on multiple occasions.
The fourth quarter saw Canada’s depth players go scoreless for eight minutes and Mexico close the gap to 20. Although it didn’t hurt them in this game, Canada will need all 12 players ready to contribute moving forward.
Canada shot the ball well for most of the game, but the poor fourth quarter saw their shooting percentage to 38%.
Turnovers and free throws may still be the biggest problem for Team Canada, which has to be cleaned up against the stronger teams in the tournament.
Top Performers
Alyssa Jerome: 12 points | 5 rebounds | 2 assists | 1 block
Summer Masikewich: 10 points | 7 rebounds
Angela Bongomin: 10 points | 7 rebounds | 1 block
Aislinn Konig: 9 points | 5 assists | 2 rebounds
Hailey Brown: 8 points | 7 rebounds | 2 blocks
Laeticia Amihere: 8 points | 5 rebounds | 2 blocks | 1 steal
Up Next
Canada moves onto the Quarter-Finals where they meet China. Both teams will have the day off tomorrow, with the game set to tip off Friday, July 28 with the time to be determined. China defeated Egypt 85-43 in the Round of 16.
North Pole Hoops is proud to host the inaugural girls showcase in Brampton, ON. This is the first-ever girls showcase in Ontario and NPH’s continued effort to shine light on Canadian Girl’s basketball. The showcase is set for Thursday, July 28 and Friday, July 29 at Sheridan College. Sign up here.
