The Canadian senior women’s national basketball team kicked off the FIBA Olympic pre-qualifying tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico with a strong 72-57 victory over Senegal. Kayla Alexander led the team with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Syla Swords and Delaney Gibb contributed 13 points each.

Head coach Nell Fortner expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, highlighting their toughness and dominance on the boards against a formidable rebounding team like Senegal. Canada excelled on the offensive glass, securing a 15-8 advantage, with Tara Wallack making a significant impact with four offensive rebounds.

Swords’ early three-pointers set the tone for Canada’s lead, which reached as high as 17 points and was maintained throughout the game, despite Senegal’s resurgence in the third quarter. Canada outscored Senegal 26-14 in points in the paint, shooting 52.5% from that area. Both teams had 11 points from turnovers, but Senegal narrowly edged out Canada 31-29 in bench scoring.

With a day of rest on Tuesday, Canada will next face the Philippines on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET in their quest for continued success in the tournament.