LILLE, France – Bridget Carleton and her teammates know their Olympic journey is not over.

Canada's women's basketball tournament has had a difficult start, with the team losing games to hosts France and world number three Australia in the group stage.

The team still has a chance to reach the quarterfinals, though, and Carleton said that's what they're focusing on ahead of Sunday's game against Nigeria.

“It's still in our control,” the Chatham, Ont., forward said after Canada's practice Saturday. “One more game and you never know what can happen. So we're focused on that.”

The world number five Canadians can take second place in their group if they beat Nigeria by 10 points or more on Sunday and France beats Australia later in the day. A second-place finish guarantees a spot in the round of 16.

A third-place finish also has the potential to get them there, provided they are one of the two best third-placed teams in the 12-team, three-group tournament.

Finishing third still requires a win against 12th-place Nigeria, a team that stunned Australia with a 75-62 victory to open the tournament. It was the first time in 20 years that the Nigerian women's team had won an Olympic title.

The Canadians knew from the moment they arrived how tough the opposition would be, Carleton said.

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“We have experienced the qualifying round, we know how good all the countries are,” he said. “In this tournament, they are there for a reason.”

Led by Ezinne Kalu, Nigeria have a troublesome opponent at the Olympics, scoring 43 points from turnovers and 29 from fast breaks.

The Canadians know what to expect Sunday, said forward Aaliyah Edwards.

“They're very physical, very aggressive, they try to deny any entry,” he said. “So we just have to combat that by playing smart and playing against the physicality, and using it more to our advantage than trying to beat physicality with physicality.”

Edwards, a rookie with the WNBA's Washington Mystics, leads Canada with four steals through the first two games.

Carleton scored a team-high 27 points and made five three-pointers in Thursday's 70-65 loss to Australia, tying the Canadian record for three-pointers made in a women's Olympic game.

“I love shooting threes, so I’m going to continue to do that,” the Minnesota Lynx star said. “We’re not a big three-point shooting team and that’s something I can bring. And hopefully I can do that consistently on Sunday, too.”

Canada coach Victor Lapeña wants his players to simply take a break before the match against Nigeria.

The team has struggled to bounce back from adversity throughout the tournament and he wants them to get back to basics in tough times.

“Be patient because we are only two or three points behind,” he said after Thursday's defeat. “And it's time to face the last part of the game in a smarter way.”

All members of Team Canada have extensive big-game experience, Edwards said, and they'll be able to take those lessons with them Sunday.

The 22-year-old from Kingston, Ont., will remember what she learned during the four conference championships she played in with the University of Connecticut.

“I think every one of those games, as a team, we all came together and played for the person next to us,” Edwards said.

“So I think I just look at those moments and see how much…. As a leader, I’ve helped my team be successful. You know, making sure that I’m accountable to myself, but also to each other. I think as long as we do that in this last game and get the win, we’ll be fine.”

The Olympic journey hasn't gone the way the Canadians wanted so far, but the players still have confidence in themselves and each other, Carleton said.

“We’re going through some challenges right now, but we all lean on each other and trust each other,” he said. “And I think we’re building on that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2024.