China's "not yet" versus Canada's "lots to come" the storyline in Fifth-Place Game

ISTANBUL (FIBA World Championship for Women) - For both China and Canada, reaching the Quarter-Finals of the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women was only the first successful step in "the right direction" for the development programme of their respective national team.

Therefore Sunday's contest between the two countries, albeit coming in the 5-8 Classification Games, certainly goes beyond the fifth place they will earn at FIBA's leading national team tournament for women.

Against Serbia on Saturday, China spread the floor open right from the start, scoring the first 10 points of the game and went on to win 85-69.

In the next game, Canada achieved a similarly comprehensive win, leaving France behind with a scorching 15-0 run at the start of the second quarter on their way to a 55-40 triumph.

The ranking does matter when you factor in the following.
China are in line for their highest-ever finish in an international competition outside Chinese soil in more than 20 years after finishing runners-up at the 1994 FIBA World Championship for Women in Australia.

In the interim period, they've made it to the Semi-Finals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished sixth at the 2002 FIBA World Championship for Women, but both are events which they hosted.

Canada, meanwhile, are already assured of their best finish at a FIBA World Championship for Women since the third-place finish they achieved at the 1986 edition of the event in the former Soviet Union. The Canadians did achieve an eighth-place finish at the 2012 London Olympics.

"We showed we are a team that learns from our mistakes," China coach Tom Maher said recalling the close game China lost to Serbia in the Group Phase.

"We are not yet the team that we want to be. We are not yet playing at a level we are capable of playing when we are at our best. But we are moving ahead."

Maher has long back made it clear what the ultimate aim is for this Chinese tea: a top finish at Rio 2016.

"I think we are taking some steps in the forward direction with every game we play," said Shao Ting, who on her national team debut is China's leading scorer with an average of 12.3 points per game.

We are making a lot of mistakes. But we are learning from them. - Ting

"We hope to finish the tournament with a win," added the 1.84m forward after pouring in a personal best 24 points against Serbia.

France had beaten Canada in the Group Phase, but the latter looked hungrier in the re-match.

"We are in a programme that is aimed at the long term," said Canada head coach Lisa Thomaidis.

"It's important that the team spends as much time as possible together to play the kind of basketball we want to play."

We want to win as many games possible. - Ayim

Power forward Miranda Ayim, who again was a driving force in Canada's win on Saturday said: "We want to carry it forward to Edmonton (where Canada will host the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship for Women and aim to finish on the podium and qualify for the 2016 Olympics) and make some noise."

Sunday's Fifth-Place Game could well be the first step for both teams in their quest for a place, and glory, at the 2016 Olympics.

FIBA