Canada is one step closer to its first-ever FIBA men’s AmeriCup title.
The Canadians made sure of it, picking up a 94-56 win over Colombia in their quarterfinal matchup on Thursday.
The duo of young NBAers led the way for Canada, as Leonard Miller of the Minnesota Timberwolves had 14 points and nine rebounds, while Kyshawn George had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Also contributing was Team Canada vet Kyle Wiltjer, who had 12 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Colombia, meanwhile, was led by point guard Hansel Atencia, who finished with 19 points on six-of-12 from the field and four-of-nine from three-point range.
Canada got off to a scorching start on both ends, shooting 19-of-35 from the field (54.3 per cent) and eight-of-16 from deep (50 per cent) while holding Colombia to a paltry seven-of-29 (24.1 per cent) from the field and two-of-18 (11.1 per cent) from three-point range.
That, along with a massive 17-0 run in the early portion of the second quarter, cemented an insurmountable 29-point lead for the Red and White heading into halftime.
Though Colombia went on an 18-9 run to open the third quarter, Canada responded with a 14-2 run to close the frame, reasserting its authority and sealing the win.
Canada’s quarterfinal matchup against Colombia came to be after the Red and White earned the top seed for the knockout round following a 3-0 (plus-93 point differential) during group play.
Now, the Canadians will prepare to take on Argentina — which took down Puerto Rico in their quarterfinal contest — in the semis on Saturday.
On the other side of the bracket, Brazil will take on the United States to determine who’ll make the final and take on the winner between Canada and Argentina.
Canada, despite taking part in the AmeriCup since the tournament’s inception in 1980, has yet to win the whole thing. The best the Canadians have done is a pair of runner-up finishes (1980, 1999) and three third-place showings (1984, 1988 and 2015).
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