UDINE, Italy — Aislinn Konig erupted for 10 three-pointers and 32 points to lift Canada to a 74-70 victory over Latvia at the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup.
The Canadians (3-0) clinched their group with the win, and will face Mexico in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
"We knew going into this game Latvia was going to be a challenging matchup," coach Carly Clarke said. "They are a tough defensive and disciplined team. We were happy to grind out a win and we knew it would be a forty-minute battle.
"Ace (Konig) had a very special performance with 10 threes and it was exciting as a team to work together to get her the ball to make open shots. We are continuing to buy into that process of togetherness. It's great to take home first place in our pool and we look forward to playing in the round of 16 tomorrow."
Shaina Pellington of Pickering, Ont., added 15 points and five rebounds, while Laeticia Amihere of Mississauga, Ont., had 14 points and five boards, and Hailey Brown of Hamilton grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
Konig, a 5-9 guard from Langley, B.C., shot 10-for-15 from three-point range.
"Today I had the hot hand but all the credit goes to my teammates because they were the ones finding me and trusting me to hit that shot," Konig said. "This was an important win for Canada and a great way to head into bracket play."
Canada also defeated South Korea and France in the group stage. Mexico went 0-3 in the preliminary round to finish last in Group D.
Canada's strong run through the preliminary round comes on the heels of Canada's men's team winning gold at the U19 World Cup in Cairo.
The Canadian Press
