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ANKARA, Turkey - Canada locked up a quarter-final berth at the FIBA womens world basketball championship Wednesday with a 91-71 victory over the Czech Republic.Kim Gaucher of Mission, B.C., led Canada with 17 points and Nirra Fields of Montreal added 15 points. Canada will play Australia on Friday.Canada jumped out to an early lead against the Czechs and kept the pressure on throughout the game. Canada led 22-13 after the first quarter and 44-32 at the half before pulling away in the fourth quarter.Our speed negates their size, Canadian head coach Lisa Thomaidis said on a conference call. We really had advantages all over the floor with our speed and you could see it really was what (helped us) dominate at the offensive end tonight. Later Wednesday, France will play Brazil, Belarus will take on China and Serbia meets Cuba.Canada finished third in its group phase after posting a win over Mozambique and losses to Turkey and France. The Czechs, meanwhile, posted comfortable wins over Brazil and Japan before falling to Spain.It was an impressive bounceback performance from the Canadians after a tough four-point loss to France a day earlier.Were ecstatic to get to the top eight, the last time we got there was 1994, Thomaidis said. As happy as we are with this win, were carrying on with business as usual and moving on. Weve got a tough opponent in two days and weve got to see what we can do here.These opportunities dont roll around very often. We had a great win at the perfect time but weve got to keep this thing rolling because we seem to be getting better each game.Australia, the United States, Spain and host Turkey all earned direct quarter-final berths after posting unbeaten records in the group phase. Japan, Angola, Mozambique and Korea were eliminated after going winless in pool play.The other quarter-final games were also scheduled for Friday. The semifinals were set for Saturday and the championship game was scheduled for Sunday.The Czechs reached the final of the 2010 world championship before falling to the United States. Canada finished 12th at that tournament.Canada is making its third consecutive womens world championship appearance. Edson Alvarez Jersey . -- Valentin Zykov scored in overtime as the Baie-Comeau Drakkar rallied to a 3-2 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Sunday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action. Carlos Vela Jersey . "Yeah, [I heard them]," he said. "They made me miss the free throw." A year ago, Lowrys post-game antics may not have been so well received but what was snide and snarky is now endearing quick wit. http://www.nationalsoccermexico.com/carlos-salcedo-mexico-jersey/ . Gomes drove in all three runs, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, and Cleveland rallied for a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Jesus Molina Jersey . While plenty of statistics illustrate Torontos turnaround in the second year of manager Ryan Nelsens tenure, stopping goals is not one of them. Hector Moreno Jersey . -- Stanley Johnson scored all 18 of his points in the second half, T.MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens have traded veteran forward Daniel Briere to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for forward Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau and a fifth-round pick in 2015 draft. The 36-year-old Briere, who is heading into the final year of his contract, recorded 13 goals and 12 assists in 69 games with the Canadiens last season. Parenteau, 31, had 14 goals and 19 assists with Colorado. The Boucherville, Que., native was selected 264th overall by the Anaheim Ducks at the 2001 NHL draft. Prior to joining the Avalanche, Parenteau suited up for the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and New York Islanders. Briere, who has also played for Phoenix, Buffalo, and Philadelphia, joined the Canadiens as a free agent on July 4, 2013. "I think for one year it was a great experience," Briere said of his time in Montreal. "What we did in the playoffs was pretty amazing. This is what Ill remember the most. I think sometimes certain coaches like certain players. I dont think it was anything personal. But my responsibilities that I had probably were a little lower than I had expected coming in. Thats why Im looking forward to a new chance in Colorado.dddddddddddd" Briere said it was difficult to watch from the sidelines as a healthy scratch. "Its tough watching your teammates going out there and sacrificing their body while you have to just watch," he said in an interview. "But I kept saying to myself good things are going to happen, just be a good team player. And I feel in a sense its a little bit of whats happening today." Parenteau said he happy to be returning to his home province. "I think Im at a stage of my career where Im old enough to deal with all the pressure that comes with it," he told a conference call. "Its a pretty big deal for a kid, Im pretty much playing in my hometown. . . Its a huge deal for me, my family, everyone that surrounds me." He also thinks hes a good fit in Montreal. "Im pretty good friends with Brandon Prust and Dale Weise and David Desharnais," he said. "Im not coming into a locker-room that I dont know anybody, so that makes it even more exciting for myself. Its a great challenge, its a great opportunity and Im going to make the best out of it." ' ' '