A Vernon basketball player has been instrumental in wins to open up the FIBA 3x3 World Cup.
The tournament, hosted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia features the top 20 basketball national teams in 3x3 (three-on-three) basketball.
Cassandra Brown, a graduate of Fulton Secondary, helped Team Canada to opening day wins on Monday, June 23 against Latvia (17-10) and Austria (20-15).
鈥淚 think we showed a lot of unity today,鈥� said Brown. 鈥淚t was a full team effort. Everybody stayed locked in and did their job, and I think that鈥檚 what got us two wins.鈥�
Canada set the tone early against Latvia, holding their opponents to just 10 points in a defensively sharp opener.
In their second game of the day, Canada overcame a lengthy rain delay before returning to the court hours later to secure a gritty win over Austria and close the day undefeated.
Brown led the way offensively in their win against Austria, securing nine points, three rebounds and hitting three two-pointers.
"Going into a World Cup competition, there are nerves, but we try to reframe it as excitement," Brown said. "We鈥檝e worked hard for this moment, so it鈥檚 just about being ready and embracing it. It鈥檚 the highest honour as a player and being able to represent your country and wear Canada across your chest, there鈥檚 nothing better than that.鈥�
Saicha Grant-Allen led the offence in the game against Latvia, with nine points. Brown chipped in with four and five rebounds.
Grant-Allen (Hamilton, Ont) and Brown are also joined by Kacie Bosch (Lethbridge, Alta) and Paige Crozon (Humboldt, Sask.) on the team.
Next up for Canada is another doubleheader on Wednesday, June 25, against France and Hungary, which will wrap up round-robin play.
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