Canada's women's 3x3 team beats France to capture FIBA world series title

CONSTANȚA, Romania — Canada's women's 3x3 team captured the 2022 FIBA series title on Sunday, beating France 21-16 to cap an undefeated weekend.

Michelle Plouffe scored 14 points against France, while twin sister Katherine Plouffe grabbed nine rebounds.

"It's been a crazy, crazy summer," Michelle Plouffe said. "I just feel so blessed to be here. I'm just so grateful. I love these ladies with my whole heart and I'm so happy to share this with them."

Kacie Bosch and Paige Crozon rounded out the Canada team.

Canada trailed 12-5 against France before a 9-0 run put them in front by three points with 4:31 remaining.

‍"I think we had confidence in each other, we knew we could make stops," said, Michelle Plouffe, who shot 5-for-9, including 3-for-3 from outside the arc. "Our defence is really important. We know if we can make stops, we can turn them into buckets, so we just stayed consistent. We were gritty . . . I'm so proud of us."

‍‍Canada defeated Germany 21-8 in the semifinal behind a nine-point effort from Michelle Plouffe. Crozon added seven rebounds.

‍‍"We had lofty goals when we came here to take it all home," Michelle said. "It was step by step. We played a great Germany team that has really pushed us since we started 3x3."‍

Canada opened Sunday with a 21-12 victory over Lithuania.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2022.