TORONTO — Canada's U23 men's basketball team has earned a spot in Sunday's Globl Jam gold-medal game by rallying from behind to beat Germany 84-81 in overtime on Saturday.
Canada will play Team USA/Kentucky in the championship showdown.
Canada pulled off the upset after falling behind by 17 points late in the third quarter. With 4:32 remaining in the third and Germany leading 57-40, Canada used a furious defensive stand to force overtime and take control in the extra session as they closed the game on a 44-24 run in front of an excited crowd at Mattamy Athletic Centre.
“We went 11 deep today,” Team Canada head coach Nathaniel Mitchell said. “I’m just really proud of their grit and their tenacity on the ball to create turnovers. (I’m) really impressed with how these guys showed some heart and competitive nature, for sure.”
Enoch Boakye led Canada with 18 points (on 8-for-9 field goals), to go with seven assists in the win. Aidan Warnholtz added 17 points, Addison Patterson scored 14 points and Jahmyl Telfort added 12 points.
“I really challenged Enoch after the last game to come out and play hard and he did that,” Mitchell said. “Aidan really stepped up making plays in the pick-and-roll, finding his teammates and making big shots. That’s what he does. I’m really proud of those two, and really proud of my team in general for playing hard.”
Kellen Tynes changed the energy of the game late in the third quarter with his defensive effort and intensity. The Nova Scotia guard finished with 12 points, nine assists and a game-high nine steals as he helped Canada force Germany into 26 turnovers that they turned into 30 points.
“There’s a reason why he was picked to be on the team and there’s a reason why we start him to start our defensive intensity,” Mitchell said of Tynes. “I think it's really special. It's high-level, NBA special (defence), to be honest. As he continues to grow, with the rest of his game, I think he’ll have a chance to make a lot of money. Right now as a good player, as a good defender, he’s helping us win.”
Malte Delow led Germany with 22 points in the loss while Jonas Mattiseck added 19 points and eight assists.
With the victory, the Canadian men’s squad will join the Canadian women’s team in playing for gold in their respective championship games on Sunday.
Canada's women’s team defeated Puerto Rico 81-59 on Saturday to remain undefeated. Canada will face the United States, represented by the Louisville Cardinals, in Sunday’s gold-medal final.
This will be the second consecutive year that Canada has advanced to the final after defeating France in the inaugural 2022 GLOBL Jam to win gold.
Canada was led by an 18-point performance from Keishana Washington in Saturday’s win, as well as a dominant all-around performance from Phillipina Kyei who finished with nine points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots. Niyah Becker added 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Shy Day-Wilson had a game-high eight assists as Canada finished with 26 assists on 30 made field goals. Canada shot 43 per cent in the game while holding Puerto Rico to 35 per cent shooting. After a close first half, Canada broke the game open after halftime, outscoring Puerto Rico 43-24 in the second half.
“Definitely happy after the second half,” Team Canada head coach Christa Eniojukan said. “First half I wasn’t so happy, but a 3-0 (record) is something to be proud of.
"(We) just had to level-up defensively,” Eniojukan continued. “We know we get our confidence offensively when we play good defence."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2023.
The Canadian Press