EDMONTON (2015 FIBA AMERICAS WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP) - Canada is about to face now rival Cuba in the last day of the Group Phase of the 2015 FIBA Americas Women’s Championship.

It has been a dominating first three days for the hosts in the Saville Community Sports Centre of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Canadians have beaten their first three opponents by a combined 169 points and have done so with great offensive distribution with 5 players averaging in double figures.

One of those players is Lizanne Murphy, the veteran forward that has been part of the national team since 2007. For her, the team’s hunger for greatness has been key in their dominance so far.

“For us, we just want to get better every single game. We want to come in, keep pushing and attacking on offense. This game against Cuba is very important and we’ve been getting ready for it since the beginning of the championship.”, said Murphy.

Cuba vs. Canada has become a rivalry of this FIBA Americas Women’s Championship. They have played in every edition since 2005, splitting the sic games with 3 win and 3 losses each. Last time they played was in the biggest scenario possible, the Gold Medal game of the championship in 2013, where Cuba was able to pull off the win by a 53-40 score.

For Canada, it is all about focus.

“Our coaches are very strong and on point that we have to be focused, but we also know that we really want to go to Rio. It’s not going to be easy. These games now, with Cuba, the semifinal and hopefully the final we need to be so focused, so we’ve been working the whole summer and we can’t just lose focus now.“, added the forward.

Murphy is part of a bench attack that has been lethal for Canada, averaging 53.3 points per game.

“Our bench takes pride in that. We are on the bench and we are waiting for a chance to get in because we just want to go in and keep pushing the level and getting better and better.”, said Murphy, one of 8 players that average more than 50% from three-point land.

This match-up against Cuba determines more than seeding for the Canadians; the hosts are looking for redemption in this FIBA Americas Women’s Championship stage.

All matches of the FIBA Americas Championship will be seen on television in the following countries, and on the web through the payment service livebasketball.tv.

For more coverage of the FIBA Americas Championship 2015, visit fiba.com/Americaswomen2015 and follow us on social networks @FIBA to keep up with the latest information from the competition.



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