Washington Huskies guard Avery Howell has continued to improve as a senior player for Canada's women's national team to help secure a semifinal appearance in the 2026 Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament.
Howell, who made her senior team debut on Monday, scored 5 points against the Philippines and 3 points in a 70-64 win over Mexico to advance from Group B in Guadalajara. The junior guard for coach Tina Langley has continued to rely on her three-point shooting, converting 3-of-12 shots from behind the arc combined over Canada's first three games in the FIBA pre-Olympic qualifiers.
Previously, Howell had been called up to the senior team while training with the Canadian U18 team, but she hadn't made her official debut until this past week
along with three other players.
"It was a great basketball experience, but it also left me wanting more," Howell wrote in a letter while at USC. "My ultimate goal is to play for Team Canada in the 2028 Olympics and to play professionally in the WNBA for as long as I can."
With wins over Senegal (72-57) and the Philippines (85-38), Canada has secured a spot in the semifinals at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Guadalajara.🏀
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) August 20, 2026
The tournament winner advances to the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in February 2028. pic.twitter.com/GjHRsxZlh2
As a sophomore in her first season at UW, the Boise, Idaho native finished fourth in the country in 3-point shooting percentage (43.1 percent) and third in the Big Ten Conference with 85 made shots from deep for the 2025-26 campaign.
Not only has the standout sharpshooter been a force offensively, but she's also been equally impactful on the boards, having led the Huskies in rebounds per game (7.8).
Over her first three games for Canada's senior women's basketball team at the FIBA pre-Olympic qualifiers, Howell has averaged 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds for her country coming off the bench. Howell recorded a career-high 5 rebounds and added 3 points in Friday's six-point victory over Mexico to advance to the semifinals on Saturday against New Zealand at Arena Astros in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The winner will face either Brazil or Mexico, the other two semifinalists who aim to clinch a spot in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in February 2028.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington WBB Star Helps Canada to FIBA Semifinal Appearance
