QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES — The Canadian men’s national team defeated a competitive Slovenian team on Wednesday afternoon, advancing to their first ever semifinal at the FIBA World Cup with a 100-89 victory.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Canada with 31 points and 10 rebounds, while RJ Barrett had his best game of the tournament, with 24 points.
The game stayed competitive for the first 10 minutes, with Canada leading 26-24 after one quarter, getting eight points from Gilgeous-Alexander as well as two three-pointers from Lu Dort.
Slovenia’s Klemen Prepelic hit a three to make the count 31-30 in the second quarter, and Luka Doncic scored 11 points over the final six minutes of the first half, and finished the half with 17 points, as Slovenia tied the contest at 50 after one half of play. Doncic’s 17 first half points were just six fewer than he scored the entire game against Germany, where he was just 2-for-11 on three-pointers. Slovenia as a whole made 10 shots from downtown in the opening half, also more than they scored against Germany.
Canada took their largest lead of the game, 59-52, with 6:35 to go in the third quarter after a left wing three-pointer from Dillon Brooks. The team stretched their lead even further in the quarter, to 16, on a corner triple from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, with 1:57 remaining in the third. However, Slovenia battled back, scoring seven points over the last minute and change of the quarter. A Doncic three from the left wing over Kyle Alexander got Slovenia within 11, 80-69, and Prepelic added two free-throws late in the quarter to close the gap to nine, 80-71.
In the fourth, peculiar sequences changed things up for both sides, and Canada was able to expand their lead.
Barrett scored the first five points for Canada, including a two-handed dunk off of a baseline cut on a great pass from Kelly Olynyk, and a transition layup with 8:42 remaining, making the count 85-71.
After Gilgeous-Alexander scored four quick points on free-throws, Brooks nailed a three from the left wing, giving Canada a 92-76 lead with 7:06 to play. Brooks, however, was called for a disqualifying foul during the ensuing timeout, and Doncic, a mere 29 seconds later, was called for a technical foul after arguing a non-call. The technical was Doncic’s second of the game, and he too, was ejected.
While it appeared as though Slovenia was finished, down double digits with their superstar now out, the team did fight its way back to make things interesting.
Gregor Hrovat, following a three-pointer from Prepelic that made the score 94-81, retrieved the ball on a turnover from Dwight Powell, and scored on a transition layup with 4:43 to go, forcing Canadian head coach Jordi Fernandez to call a timeout.
On the ensuing Canadian possession, Barrett missed a step-back jumper, and Hrovat scored once again, this time with a crafty reverse layup, getting Slovenia within single digits, 94-85, with 4:15 remaining in the game. Although a blocking foul from Hrovat at the other end, his fifth of the game, put Alexander-Walker at the line, the guard missed both, keeping Slovenia within striking distance. With an opportunity to get the score within six, Prepelic missed a three, and Gilgeous-Alexander came through clutch once again.
Following an Olynyk missed three, Barrett retrieved the ball and got it in the hands of Gilgeous-Alexander, who calmly took one dribble inside to the left elbow, took a bump from Zoran Dragic, the younger brother of NBAer Goran, and banked the jumper off glass plus the foul. Though he missed the free-throw, he imposed his will on the next Canadian offensive possession.
Missing a three from the top of the arc, Gilgeous-Alexander found Barrett in the corner, who missed. Gilgeous-Alexander battled for the rebound, and was fouled, going to the line with 2:17 on the clock. Both free throws put Canada up 98-85, and they went on for the 11-point victory, withstanding a late run from a Slovenian team that did not have their best player over the last 6:37 of the game. Canada shot 51 percent from the field in the contest, while Slovenia cooled off in the second half, scoring just 39 points over the final 20 minutes, and shot just 44 percent for the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander, not surprisingly, made the big plays and came up major when his country needed him the most. He once again established himself as now, the best player remaining in the tournament.
The win for Canada was a scrappy one, with second effort plays and their ability to get to the line proving to be crucial. Though Doncic scored 26 points, he made just eight-of-20 field goal attempts, and just four-out-of-14 three-point attempts. Brooks and Dort did a quality job of getting into him and not giving him much space. Prepelic had a strong outing for Slovenia, scoring 22, while Dragic scored 10. For the Canadians, Alexander-Walker and Brooks scored 14 apiece. In addition to his 31 points and 10 rebounds, Gilgeous-Alexander added four assists and two steals. He also scored his 31 on just 12 field-goal attempts, making eight, while going 16-for-18 from the charity stripe. Most impressively though, his 31 points tied for the third-most in a single game in Canadian history at the World Championships, tying Bob Molinsky, Leo Rautins, Stewart Granger, and Kory Hallas.
The next step in Canada’s quest is a semifinal matchup with Serbia on Friday at 4:45 am eastern time. Serbia defeated Lithuania 87-68 in the quarterfinals, and is led by Atlanta Hawk guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is averaging 18.8 points per game in the tournament. Serbia also boasts Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic.
“It feels good,” said Gilgeous-Alexander to reporters after the game about the win. “Job’s not finished. We didn’t come here just to get to the semifinals. We want to win gold. We’re not satisfied.”
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