"You gotta get on her a**": Canada HC Nell Fortner lays out gameplan to stop Hannah Hidalgo in new sideline footage

Coach Nell Fortner and Team Canada had an impressive run in the 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup. The Canadians advanced to the semifinals of the tournament after a win over Colombia on Friday. Unfortunately for the Canadians, they drew the toughest matchup in the tournament against Team USA.

In the semifinal matchup, Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo had a stellar performance, putting up 19 points as the United States won 65-53. During the game, coach Nell Fortner pulled her team to the side for a pep talk. She encouraged her players not to be afraid of Hidalgo despite her impressive play.

"You gotta get on her a** and give it right back to her," Forner said. "Give it right back to her. You cannot be afraid of that, you cannot let it change how you play. She's playing her a** off, good for her. We gotta do the same thing, alright."

Fortner then spoke about what she wanted her players to do in the coming plays, encouraging them to be aggressive.

"Listen to me, rotate, don't call it when you're out there. Just rotate. We push pace, reverse it, dribble hand off and let's go. Let's attack them. If we can get to the hole, get there, draw the foul. If not, kick it and let's see what we get. Let's go!"

Shabazz

@ShowCaseShabazz

LINK

Grown women getting belt by a college kid 🤣🤣

Nell Fortner and Team Canada expressed excitement about playing Team USA before their semifinal matchup

While a game against the United States was always going to be a difficult matchup for Canada, coach Nell Fortner and her Canadian squad were not subdued before the game. Instead, they express excitement and the challenge. Fortner spoke about this after their quarterfinal win.

"We're excited about being able to move on to the next round and play in the semifinals," Fortner said. "I thought our defence was pretty strong today. There are some areas we need to clean up, but we were locked in defensively. If we can smooth out the offence tomorrow, it’ll put us in a better position."

While the Canadians would go on to lose the game, they still put together an impressive performance. They kept the game competitive and limited the United States to 65 points. The issue for them was that they were unable to get anything going offensively.

While Canada did not advance to the final, they will play on Sunday in the 3rd place game against Argentina.