Canada Win the Battle of Under-19 World Cup Group B
Canada finish the group stage of the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in a great position to progress to the final. They topped their group, however doing so was anything but easy for them.
They got off to the best possible start, leading Australia by ten points at half time in both teams’ opening game.
Australia’s close-range shooting helped them to close the gap, and with only a point separating the teams for much of the fourth quarter, Canada were able to handle the pressure and close out a 81-76 opening win. Canada's Karim Mane and A.J. Lawson both scored 23 points in the contest.
Game two was a very different story. After leading Mali by nine points in the first half, they flatlined shortly after the start of the second half, and their opponents took full advantage.
Canada narrowed the gap after falling behind by twelve, and the scores were tied in the final minute of the game. Hassan Drame drew a foul and made a free-throw shot that decided the game. Lawson’s last-chance three-pointer fell short and the win was Mali’s by a single point.
Drame recorded a double-double, as did his team mate Fousseyni Dame, while Siriman Kanoute scored 22 points for Mali in their surprise 71-70 win. Meanwhile, Keon Ambrose-Hylton nada team-high 16 points off the bench for Canada.
In the final group game against Latvia, Canada’s superior play in the paint saw them lead by ten in the first quarter and by as many as fourteen points in the game. Arturs Kurucs led Latvia’s offence, one of four players on the team to finish in double digits, to close the gap to as small as two down the stretch.
Canada led by five in the final minute of the game, Kurucs and Ojars Alekss got Latvia to within two points, but with just seconds remaining, there was no time left in the game for another play. Led by an outstanding performance from Tyrese Samuel, with 22 points and 17 rebounds, Canada emerged victorious 78-76.
The late win by Canada, and their earlier result against Australia, saw them top Group B ahead of their first opponents and Mali, who all finished with a 2-1 record, and the final standings came down to results between the teams. Australia finished second and Mali third. Having lost all three group games, Latvia finished last.
Other notable results from the group stage saw Argentina overcoming Russia by two points, then for the Russians to then exact revenge on hosts Greece, with Nikita Mikhailovskii recording the competition’s first triple-double since 2013. The stars of the group stage were undoubtedly New Zealand, who picked up two unexpected wins, the first over Senegal, the second against Lithuania, on both occasions by two points.
The tournament is now entering the knockout phase, where Canada will first be playing Senegal, who finished last in a highly competitive Group A behind Lithuania, New Zealand and the USA. The winner of this game will play the winner of the France-Greece tie on July 5.
Also in this section of the bracket, New Zealand will play Mali and Group C winners Argentina face the fourth place team of Group D, Puerto Rico. In the other half of the bracket, the USA take on Latvia, Russia will play China, Lithuania will face off against Australia and Group D winners Serbia’s next opponents will be Philippines.
Stick and stay with us for regular updates on Canada's Under-19 World Cup journey, as well as the official tournament website.
Picture: FIBA.com
