BELGRADE, Serbia - The Canadian development women's basketball team wrapped up the preliminary round at the 2009 Summer Universiade with an 80-50 loss to defending champion Australia Friday afternoon.

Summer Universiade website: www.universiade-belgrade2009.org
Team Canada website: www.universitysport.ca/belgrade

Canada finishes the preliminary round at 0-3 and moves to the consolation side of the bracket, with games against Hungary and Mozambique scheduled for Sunday and Monday.

The Aussies, who ended Canada's medal hopes at the 2007 Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand with a 66-53 quarterfinal victory en route to a gold medal win, opened up a 13-point lead in the first quarter. Canada was unable to generate any offensive punch in the game, with a 16-point fourth stanza the Canadians' highest 10-minute total of the afternoon.

Australia dominated in the paint and on the glass, out-rebounding Canada by nearly a two-to-one margin at 49-25. Canada shot just 34 per cent from the field and 54 per cent from the line.

Simon Fraser University's Laurelle Weigl of Stony Plain, Alta., led the way for Canada with 14 points, with St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, Quebec's Carolann Cloutier following closely at 11.

Emma Langford and Amy Lewis paced the defending champion Aussies with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

STAT LEADERS

Boxscore: http://results.ub2009.org/results/ENG/BK/BKR173A_BK1400P0200017ENG.htm

AUS 23-15-19-23: 80
CAN 10-11-13-16: 50

Canada
Points: Laurelle Weigl (14), Carolann Cloutier (11), Kalisha Keane (8)
Rebounds: Courtnay Pilypaitis (6), Vanessa Kabongo (5), Laurelle Weigl (4)
Assists: Courtnay Pilypaitis (3), Vanessa Kabongo (2), Kalisha Keane (2)

Australia
Points: Emma Langford (15), Amy Lewis (14), Sarah Graham (12)
Rebounds: Louella Tomlinson (10), Emma Langford (8)
Assists: Sally Potocki (3), Emma Langford (2)

TEAM CANADA SCHEDULE (all times Belgrade time)

July 1 Group B: Slovakia 85, Canada 79
July 2 Group B: Japan 90, Canada 78
July 3 Group B: Australia 80, Canada 50
July 5 20:00 2nd Phase (consolation bracket): Canada vs. Hungary
July 6 15:00 2nd Phase (consolation bracket): Canada vs. Mozambique
July 8 TBD Placement games
July 9 TBD Placement games
July 10 TBD Placement games

About the Summer Universiade

The Summer Universiade is an international multi-sport event that takes place every two years, and is second only to the Olympic Games in the number of participating athletes and countries. The Universiade is open to competitors between the ages of 17 and 28 in the year of the Games who are full-time students at a post-secondary institution (university, college, CEGEP) or have graduated from a post-secondary institution in the year preceding the event.

-CIS-