SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Jamie Scott had 21 points, including five three-pointers, and Kayla Alexander had 18 points and 11 rebounds as Canada opened the FIBA AmeriCup women’s basketball tournament with a 109-53 victory over Mexico on Sunday.
The tournament is the first step in qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe and Bridget Carleton scored 15 points apiece for the Canadians and Miranda Ayim chipped in with 13 points. Sami Hill added eight points and nine assists.
"Good first game and we have plenty to build on from today," Scott said. "It was great to be back on the court with contributions from everyone against Mexico. Looking forward to building on the momentum together moving forward at the tournament."
Jacqueline Luna-Castro led Mexico with 12 points and Paola Estraded had 10.
The Canadians were 12-for-27 from three-point range and outrebounded Mexico 46-18.
Canada is the two-time defending FIBA AmeriCup champion, and has climbed the medal podium in seven of the last eight AmeriCup tournaments.
The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals, with the winners of each semifinal advancing to the Sept. 29 final.
Canada, ranked fifth in the world, is in Group A with Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and host Puerto Rico.
The Canadians play Cuba on Monday, Puerto Rico on Tuesday, and the Dominican Republic on Sept. 26. The semifinals and final are Sept. 28 and 29, respectively.
As part of the new women’s Olympic qualifying format, the top eight teams earn spots in FIBA women’s Olympic pre-qualifying tournaments in November.
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