Canada into women's World Cup semis for first time since 1986

SYDNEY (AP) — No one on Canada's roster was alive the last time the team won a medal at the women's World Cup. Now the Canadians are a win away from winning one for the first time since 1986, when they captured the bronze.

Kia Nurse scored 17 points to lead a balanced Canada team to a 79-60 win over Puerto Rico on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

“It's really special,” Nurse said. “It's been a work in progress for us and we all felt the disappointments. Quarterfinals have been our downfall for a long time and to be able to get over that hump ... I think our country is continuing to get really excited about basketball in the grassroots programs and this is just the start of what we can accomplish.”

Next up is a matchup Friday with the U.S., which beat Serbia 88-55. In other quarterfinal games later Thursday, China beat France 85-71 and host Australia downed Belgium 86-69.

“This is a great accomplishment for Canada Basketball,” Nurse said. “It’s been a really long time coming. Getting to this point, I think it speaks a lot to those who have come before us to help us grow the game in Canada, to help us to continue to gradually climb the ladder as we have in the last number of years.”

“It’s always our goal to win a quarterfinal and make it to the semifinals. The medal rounds is where we want to be,” Canada's Bridget Carleton said.

Canada (5-1) and Puerto Rico were tied 4-4 before the Canadians scored the next 12 points to start a 22-7 burst to close the quarter.

The lead ballooned to 44-23 at the half. Puerto Rico couldn't really cut into its deficit in the second half thanks in part to Nurse and the fact that Canada committed only four turnovers the entire game. After spending 11 months recovering from an ACL injury, she saw