ST. LOUIS — Tugce Canitez is another step closer to becoming the third Olympic athlete in Westmont history after the Turkish Women’s Basketball National Team defeated Japan 65-49 on Tuesday to win the Group A pool.
Canitez, who saw just five minutes of playing time against Japan, made her only shot of the game to score two points. She also had one rebound. Yesterday, Canitez scored eight points and pulled down four rebounds while playing 17 minutes in Turkey’s 65-53 win over Puerto Rico.
Turkey will advance to the knockout round with a quarterfinal game against the loser in tomorrow’s Group B game between Argentina and the Czech Republic. The four winners of Thursday’s quarterfinal games secure Olympic berths. The losers advance to the semifinals to compete for the fifth and final Olympic spot.
The opportunity to play in the Olympics while representing her home country of Turkey would cap a year in which Canitez has received many honors. The State Farm Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NAIA Player of the Year was also a first team NAIA All-American and Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year. In May, Canitez was honored as the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Collegiate Women’s Basketball Player of the Year.
Westmont’s last Olympic competitor was Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa who competed for Madagascar in the 100 meters and the 4 x 100 meter relay at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He was preceded by Paul Herman who finished fourth in the decathlon in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics while competing for the United States.
