Canada's women down Austria, Latvia on Day 1 of 3x3 basketball World Cup

Canada's women, minus star 3x3 basketball players Katherine and Michelle Plouffe, Canada's women's team opened World Cup play Monday with a pair of victories in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Cassandra Brown and Saicha Grant-Allen filled in admirably, taking turns dominating on the court against Austria and Latvia.

The Plouffes, who are twin sisters, were unable to play due to a scheduling conflict and minor injuries.

Brown scored a game-high nine points to lead the Canadians to their second win of the day, 20-15 over Austria.

The 33-year-old from Vernon, B.C., extended her team's lead to 17-13 and led it victory by making good on two foul shots with nine seconds left on the clock.

Brown was a member of Canada's five-on-five squad at the 2019 Pan Am Games and spent 10 years plying her trade internationally before committing to the 3x3 format, which sees games end when a team reaches 21 points, or the 10-minute time limit expires.

Also, the standard three-point line serves as the two-point line in 3-on-3, while baskets made from inside the arc are worth one.

Grant-Allen had six points against Austria while Paige Crozon posted nine rebounds, tops among all players.

Before the 20-team tournament, Crozon told CBC Sports the goal is to establish chemistry with Grant-Allen and Brown as she and Kacie Bosch have had with the Plouffes.

"There was a level of comfort because we understood each other's tendencies and there was a lot of trust that was built," said Crozon. "There's not as much comfort going into this tournament. However, I think we're all excited because we get to explore ways that we can expand our game."

Live coverage of the World Cup will be available on CBC Gem and CBCSports.ca continuing Monday at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT