FIBA men’s World Cup: Canada routs Panama in qualifying
PANAMA CITY –
Canada’s males’s basketball crew stays undefeated in World Cup qualifying with a 106-50 rout of Panama on Monday.
Detroit Pistons ahead Kelly Olynyk scored 18 factors, whereas Kevin Pangos added 17 and the Canadians, the one unbeaten crew within the Americas zone, improved to 8-0, and all however locked down their spot within the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Melvin Ejim added 15 factors, Zach Edey chipped in with 15 factors and 7 rebounds, and Kassius Robertson completed with 11.
Jhivvan Jameel Jackson Melendez had 16 factors to high the Panamians.
Canada took the ground Monday already a step nearer to qualifying, due to Venezuela’s 76-72 win over the Dominican Republic earlier within the night time. The Canadians then wanted each to beat Panama and the Bahamas to upset Argentina within the late recreation. Whereas they beat Panama, the Bahamas could not beat Argentina, dropping 95-77.
The Canadians had been coming off a 99-87 win over Argentina on Thursday in Victoria, their hardest qualifying take a look at to date.
They established their dominance early Monday, racing out to a 16-0 lead earlier than Panama lastly obtained on the scoreboard with 5:56 to play within the first quarter. Canada’s smothering defence held Panama to 3-for-16 taking pictures, and compelled 5 turnovers. The Canadians took a 33-7 lead into the second.
Rating differential counts in FIBA tiebreaks and so there was no letup by Canada within the second quarter. Pangos’ three-pointer 50 seconds earlier than the break gave the Canadians a 42-point lead.
Edward Lopez’s buzzer-beater from past half courtroom gave the Panamanian followers in Area Roberto Duran one thing to cheer about, and sliced Canada’s result in 64-25 heading into halftime.
The Canadians continued to construct their lead, and had been up 92-36 with one quarter to play.
Coach Nick Nurse was in a position to go deep into his bench for a lot of the second half, as younger gamers reminiscent of 20-year-old Edey, a seven-foot-four ahead for Purdue, got essential taking part in time.
The Canadians dominated throughout the board, forcing 20 Panama turnovers. They outrebounded the house crew 50-34, shot 56.7 per cent from the sphere to Panama’s 34.1 per cent.
Canada was with out three NBA gamers on Monday: Oklahoma Metropolis guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was Canada’s greatest participant within the three video games he performed this summer time, Utah Jazz guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Detroit Pistons guard Cory Joseph. Trae Bell-Haynes, Abu Kigab and Jean-Victory Mukama changed them.
Monday’s recreation was the ultimate time Nurse had NBA gamers at his disposal, as the ultimate two qualifying home windows are in the midst of the NBA season, Nov. 7-15, 2022, and Feb. 20-28, 2023. Nurse possible will not coach in these home windows both, as he’ll be busy with the Toronto Raptors.
The highest three in every of Group E and F, and the highest fourth-place finisher, will advance to the 32-team 2023 FIBA World Cup from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10, 2023, within the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
The World Cup is a direct qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 4 ultimate Olympic spots will even be determined in last-chance qualifiers, one thing Canada desires to keep away from after the crew’s heartbreaking elimination by the Czech Republic in a last-chance qualifier in 2021 in Victoria.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Aug. 29, 2022.
