Down go the champs: Canada knock out Spain in thriller

JAKARTA (Indonesia) - Canada were up to the task as they successfully knocked off defending champions Spain, 88-85, in their final Second Round matchup at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

This is the first time Spain miss the World Cup Quarter-Finals since 1994. Meanwhile, Canada are assured of a spot in the top 8 for the first time also since 1994.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks combined for 52 points for the victors. Willy Hernangomez paced Spain with 25 points and 6 rebounds. This was Brooks' best game of the tournament so far as he hit 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter.

The turning point​: RJ Barrett was called for his fifth foul with 1:32 left. Willy Hernangomez then hit a couple of free throws for Spain's last taste of the lead, 80-77. After that, however, it was all Canada. Dillon Brooks tied it up with a triple, Gilgeous-Alexander hit a fadeaway to give Canada an 82-80 lead, and Lu Dort had a huge steal with 26 seconds left to help seal the momentous win. Gilgeous-Alexander hit 6-of-6 free throws in the final 21 seconds to keep any Spanish comeback efforts at bay.

TCL Player of the Game​: As good as Brooks was, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to be the main man for Canada. He came up big with the go-ahead basket in the dying minutes and hit the marginal free throws to peg the final score. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 30 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. He also hit 14-of-16 free throws.

Stats don't lie​: Canada trailed for most of the game, but they came up big when it mattered the most. Coach Jordi Fernandez's squad outscored the defending champions, 27-12, in the final period to turn the tables and book their tickets to Manila for the Quarter-Finals.

Bottom Line​: Canada's win propels them to first place in Group P and into the Quarter-Finals with an intriguing matchup with Slovenia. The loss sinks Spain's hopes to repeat as champions. 

 

 

They said:  "It was a really good game, really high-level basketball. It was a lot of adversity. They played a well-rounded game. It's a really good team over there, but our group just wanted it a little bit more. We know what's at stake. We're willing to do whatever it took, and we got it done." - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Canada guard

"I congratulate Spain, a great program. They were a tough one tonight. We faced a lot of adversity. We had to start from the bottom, and now we're here in the Quarter-Finals. It was a win where we all had to come together. Shai took us home, Dillon was amazing. At the end of the day, it was the definition of a winning team. We have to keep growing and believe, and we're much better than this. They took us out of a lot of our stuff. Now we're going to the Philippines thinking the same way -- a lot of things to do, a lot of things to improve." - Jordi Fernandez, Canada coach

"I am super proud of the team. We fought all game, but they just played better for 40 minutes. We say congratulations to Canada, but we fought. I'm proud of my teammates and my coaching staff." - Willy Hernangomez, Spain center

"Congratulations to Canada, to their players, to coach Jordi, to the federation. I know how much of a commitment and dedication they put into this effort to rebuild their program. Now they have a high-level team, and they can enjoy the fruits of those seeds. But I fully agree with Willy, I can't be prouder of my team tonight. We made an unbelievable effort, we led practically the whole game, we did a hell of an effort. It's true that in 4 quarters, floor leadership is crucial, and we had to know that when the opponent is an All-Star. When he's handling it like that, things might happen. We did our best and had extremely fun-to-coach guards who have learned a lot. They did a great job. No regrets. Tonight, we were Spain until the very end." - Sergio Scariolo, Spain coach

 

FIBA