Canada Crash Out of FIBA World Cup After Second Group Stage Loss

Though they were in the tournament's group of death, hopes were high Canada could make an impact at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China - hopes that ended up being dashed on the courts in Dongguan.

In the opening game for Canada they and their opponents Australia were both strong from close range, but Australia finished shooting 70% from the field. Led by an amazing show from Matthew Dellavedova with 24 points, they led for all of the first half of the game, going as high as fifteen points and finishing the first half ahead by double digits.

Canada briefly went in front in the third quarter, but it didn't last long as Australia asserted their dominance in the low post. After flatlining down the stretch, Australia secured the opening win by a final score line of 108-92. Khem Birch led the scoring for Canada with 18 points.

A win was needed in game two against Lithuania, but it proved to be a much harder task than the first, with the Lithuanians dominating the play in the paint and the defensive boards.

Kyle Wiltjer tried his best to lift the team with a game-high 24 points off the bench, but Canada trailed throughout this game. Flatlining at the end once again, the writing was on the wall with the final scoreline 92-69 against them. With Australia picking up a second win over Senegal, it saw both the African team and Canada eliminated from the championship route in the tournament.

Canada's title hopes may be already over, but they have a chance to salvage some pride in the group against their final opponents Senegal on September 5th. A win here would put them in a more advantageous position when they enter the classification round, along with the other fifteen teams who failed to make the main knockout round.

Have a look at the official China 2019 website for more information on the team's progress and everything there is to know about the FIBA World Cup.