| FINAL STANDINGS 1. United States 2. Argentina 3. Puerto Rico 4. CANADA 5. Venezuela 6. Mexico 7. Brazil 8. Dominican Republic 9. Uruguay Virgin Islands | CANADA Steve Nash (Johannesburg, South Africa) Rowan Barrett (Scarborough, Ont.) Peter Guarasci (Niagara Falls, Ont.) Greg Newton (Niagara Falls, Ont.) Greg Francis (Toronto, Ont.) Andy Kwiatkowski (Cambridge, Ont.) Prosper Karangwa (Montreal, Que.) Denham Brown (Toronto, Ont.) Jesse Young (Peterborough, Ont.) Mike King (Guelph, Ont.) Sean Swords (Ottawa, Ont.) Novell Thomas (Richmond, B.C.) Jay Triano – coach Mike Katz – assistant Gary Schmidt – assistant Jon Lee – team manager Andrew Pipe – team doctor Ray Chow – massage therapist |
| POOL A | CAN | ARG | MEX | PUR | URU | Record | |||||
| Canada | —– | 90-94 | 108-72 | 89-79 | 90-84 | (3-1) | |||||
| Argentina | 94-90 | —– | 89-91 | 85-80 | 91-60 | (3-1) | |||||
| Mexico | 72-108 | 91-89 | —– | 70-92 | 80-68 | (2-2) | |||||
| Puerto Rico | 79-89 | 80-85 | 92-70 | —– | 91-78 | (2-2) | |||||
| Uruguay | 84-90 | 60-91 | 68-80 | 78-91 | —– | (0-4) | |||||
| POOL B | USA | BRZ | DOM | VEN | ISV | Record | |||||
| United States | —– | 110-76 | 111-73 | 98-69 | 113-55 | (4-0) | |||||
| Brazil | 76-110 | —– | 104-72 | 96-89 | 100-74 | (3-1) | |||||
| Dominican Republic | 73-111 | 72-104 | —– | 78-76 | 69-65 | (2-2) | |||||
| Venezuela | 69-98 | 89-96 | 76-78 | —– | 87-84 | (1-3) | |||||
| Virgin Islands | 55-113 | 74-100 | 65-69 | 84-87 | —– | (0-4) | |||||
| FINALS GROUP | USA | ARG | CAN | PUR | VEN | MEX | BRZ | DOM | Record | ||
| United States | —– | 94-86 | 111-71 | 91-65 | 98-69 | 96-69 | 110-76 | 111-73 | (8-0) | ||
| Argentina | 86-94 | —– | 94-90 | 85-80 | 92-97 | 89-91 | 76-74 | 102-72 | (5-3) | ||
| Canada | 71-111 | 90-94 | —– | 89-79 | 86-93 | 108-72 | 101-97 | 78-75 | (5-3) | ||
| Puerto Rico | 65-91 | 80-85 | 79-89 | —– | 84-59 | 92-70 | 72-70 | 94-61 | (5-3) | ||
| Venezuela | 69-98 | 97-92 | 93-86 | 59-84 | —– | 98-95 | 89-96 | 76-78 | (4-4) | ||
| Mexico | 69-96 | 91-89 | 72-108 | 70-92 | 95-98 | —– | 102-92 | 100-91 | (4-4) | ||
| Brazil | 76-110 | 74-76 | 97-101 | 70-72 | 96-89 | 92-102 | —– | 104-72 | (3-5) | ||
| Dominican Republic | 73-111 | 72-102 | 75-78 | 61-94 | 78-76 | 91-100 | 72-104 | —– | (2-6) | ||
| Semi | Argentina 88 Canada 72 | |
| Semi | United States 87 Puerto Rico 71 | |
| Bronze | Puerto Rico 79 Canada 66 | |
| Final | United States 106 Argentina 73 | |
Three Olympic berths on the line.
Canada defeated Puerto Rico 89-79 in their opener as Rowan Barrett scored a game high 32 before a raucous host crowd of 9,000 at the Robert Clemente Coliseum. The Canadians trailed 26-18 after one quarter and by as many as 16 in the second quarter before trimming the margin to 51-44 at the half. They took their first lead of the game with five minutes to play in the third quarter when Shawn Swords hit a three-pointer to give Canada a 58-55 lead and then took a 66-64 lead after three-quarters. Centre Greg Newton hit a critical 18-footer with 2:27 to play as Canada moved ahead 79-75. Point guard Steve Nash gave Canada a six-point cushion with two minutes to play on an end-to-end drive before Barrett sealed with two consecutive buckets in the final minute of play. “We really picked up our defence in the second half,” said coach Jay Triano. “We held them to 9-for-25 shooting and rebounded the ball well. We have a long way to go, but this is a really good start for us.” Barrett scored his 32 on 8-13 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Steve Nash added 17 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 6-9 from the line, 9 boards and 7 assists. Greg Newton scored 10 on 4-13 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 14 boards, including 10 on the defensive glass, and 3 assists. Jesse Young scored 8 on 4-8 from the floor and 9 rebounds. Denham Brown scored 6 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 6 boards. Pete Guarasci added 5 on 2-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 2 boards. Shawn Swords added 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4 boards and 4 assists. Prosper Karangwa added 4 on 1-4 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Andy Kwiatkowski added 2, while Greg Francis, Novell Thomas and Mike King were scoreless. Canada shot 25-59 (.424) from the floor, 7-19 (.368) from the arc and 18-21 (.857) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 22 assists, 23 fouls, 18 turnovers, 5 steals and 3 blocks. Eddie Casiano paced Puerto Rico with 24 on 2-7 from the floor, 6-8 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Jose Rafael Ortiz-Rijos added 12 on 5-8 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 3 boards. Sharif Fajardo notched 10 on 5-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Daniel Santiago scored 9 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 3 boards. Carlos Arroyo Bermudez added 9 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 5 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. E. Ayuso added 8 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 steals. Antonio Latimer Rivera added 4, along with 3 boards and 2 assists, Raymond Dalmau Santana 2, Rolando Hourruitiner Ortiz 1, along with 4 boards and 2 assists, while Rick Apodaca, B.J. Hatton, Larry Ayuso and Jorge Rivera were scoreless. Puerto Rico shot 21-48 (.438) from the floor, 9-22 (.409) from the arc and 10-20 from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 23 fouls, 11 turnovers, 9 steals and 5 blocks.
Canada then almost beat the reigning world silver medalists from Argentina but fell 94-90 despite 24 points and 10 assists from Steve Nash. “It was a real difficult loss,” said Nash. “We just didn’t play our best and that was kind of it for us.” Coach Jay Triano said he was “a little bit frustrated when I look at the whole thing, but losing by four is nothing to be ashamed of against this team. They’re a very good team. To come so close, if a shot here or there falls, it’s a different result. But that’s the game of basketball.” Nash missed a shot that rolled off the rim with under a minute to play that would have tied the game. Then Barrett had a shot roll around the rim and out with 30 seconds to play and Canada trailing by three. Canada trailed 21-14 after one quarter and 48-39 at the half but drew within 55-54 in the third when Nash and Shawn Swords hit consecutive three-pointers. Then Brown connected on a three to give Canada a 66-65 lead with one second to play in the third quarter, having outscored the Argentinians 27-17 in the frame. There were three ties and nine lead changes in the final quarter. Canada moved ahead 76-72 early in the fourth but Argentina fought back and a tough bucket by Luis Scola moved Argentina ahead 87-82 with two minutes to play. Canada rallied back to tie it at 87 on a pair of free throws by Peter Guarasci. But Manu Ginobili knocked down a pair of free throws to give Argentina the lead for good with just over a minute to play. Nash countered with a frantic drive but the ball hovered on the rim before falling off as Guarasci attempted to tip it. “We had the layup that just fell out after somebody hit the rim. We had our best player with the basketball so I’d do the same thing again. We just didn’t get it to fall.” Fabricio Oberto corralled the rebound for Argentina and was fouled by Greg Newton. Oberto hit on free throw with 44.6 seconds to play to give Argentina a 90-87 lead. “I told the guys before the game, I said: ‘we’re playing the second-best team in the world right now’. They lost to Yugoslavia last year in the gold medal game. And we played right with them the whole way. We missed a couple of shots. Steve had a layup roll out. Rowan had a layup roll out. It was just a really good game,” said Triano. “I thought we showed a lot of character in bouncing back again after giving up points early. Obviously, we dug ourselves too big a hole.” Luis Scola led Argentina with 21 points on 10-12 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Manu Ginobili added 19 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 4 boards and 6 assists. Andres Nocioni added 18 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Leonardo Fabian Palladino scored 10 on 1-1 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Pepe Sanchez added 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 6 boards and 2 assists. Fabricio Oberto scored 7 on 1-1 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 2 assists. Ruben Wolkowisky added 5 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 1-3 from the line. Alejandro Ariel Montecchia added 3, along with 4 assists, Gabriel Fernandez 3, while Leonardo Gutierrez, Federico Kammerichs and Lucas Javier Victoriano were scoreless. The Argentinians shot 25-36 (.694) from the floor, 8-27 (.296) from the arc and 20-26 (.769) from the floor, while garnering 26 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 23 fouls, 7 turnovers and 6 steals. Steve Nash led Canada with 24 on 0-4 from the floor, 6-6 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 2 boards and 10 assists. Denham Brown added 16 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 assists. Rowan Barrett scored 13 on 1-4 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc and 2-4 from the line. Greg Newton scored 10 on 5-8 from the floor and 6 boards. Andy Kwiatkowski scored 9 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Jesse Young scored 6 on 3-3 from the floor and 4 boards. Peter Guarasci added 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 4 boards. Greg Francis added 4 on 1-1 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Shawn Swords added 3, along with 2 boards and 2 assists, while Novell Thomas and Prosper Karangwa were scoreless, Canada shot 15-29 (.517) from the floor, 14-24 (.583) from the arc and 18-24 (.750) from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 20 assists, 29 fouls, 18 turnovers and 2 steals.
Canada improved to (2-1) by dumping Uruguay 90-84. Canada trailed 52-44 at the half but outscored Uruguay 21-11 in the third quarter as they roared back to take a 65-63 lead. “The key for us today was that we were able to pick our defensive intensity in the second half,” said Guarasci. “Overall, our defensive play was a lot higher than what it was in the first half.” Rowan Barrett paced Canada with 22 points on 6-9 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Prosper Karangwa added 14 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 7-8 from the line and 5 boards. Peter Guarasci scored 14 on 4-6 from the floor, 6-8 from the line and 6 boards. Jesse Young scored 13 on 5-8 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Denham Brown scored 9 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 3 boards. Greg Newton scored 9 on 4-4 from the floor, 3 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Steve Nash scored 4 on 1-1 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Shawn Swords scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 3 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Novell Thomas added 2 and Andy Kwiatkowski 1, along with 3 boards and 2 assists. Canada shot 27-46 (.587) from the floor, 3-20 (.150) from the arc and 27-33 (.818) from the line, while grabbing 37 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass. They had 19 assists, 22 fouls, 27 turnovers, 13 steals, led by 4 from Swords, and 3 blocks. Trelonnie Dewel Owens led Uruguay with 22 points on 3-4 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 6 boards and 5 assists. Nicola Gallino Mazzarino scored 16 on 2-6 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 3 boards and 4 assists. Emilio Taboada added 15 on 1-1 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Gustavo Szczygielski scored 10 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Luis Silveira scored 9 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Mauricio Aguiar 4, Alejandro Muro Barboza 2, while Marcelo Bouzot Stefano, Joaquin Izuibejeres, Gaston Paez, Esteban Batista and Pablo Daniel Morales Gonzales were scoreless. The Uruguayans shot 16-33 (.485) from the floor, 12-30 (.400) from the arc and 16-21 (.762) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 27 fouls, 21 turnovers, 7 steals and 4 blocks.
In their final opening round game, Canada thumped Mexico 108-72 as Rowan Barrett scored 27 on 4-4 from the floor, 3-3 from the arc, 10-10 from the line and 2 boards. “My eyes got real big and the rim was the ocean,” said Barrett. “I just couldn’t miss.” Barrett torched Mexico for 20 points in the first quarter, after which Canada led 31-27. The Canadians extended the margin to 63-45 by the half. “Rowan does a great job of running to spots and Steve Nash does a great job of finding him and getting him the ball,” said coach Jay Triano. “I give a lot of guys credit and Steve’s the quarterback and makes sure everybody gets it in a good situation and that certainly helps our shooters. …Had we not beaten Mexico, our chances of going to the Olympics would have been gone. That’s why it was an important game for us and why we were so focused. I was pleased that everybody was able to play and everybody was able to play well.” Forward Peter Guarasci was suspended for one game after the Mexico match for a scuffle with Mexican forward Edward Najera in the second quarter. Both were ejected. Both Shawn Swords and Greg Francis were cut for stitches, in the chin and cheek, respectively, during the physical affair. “Welcome to international basketball,” said Triano. The dust-up occurred with Canada leading 52-41 when Najera started to mix it up in the paint. Guarasci, upset that refs didn’t detect an errant elbow, followed Najera down the court and two go tangled in the corner and Najera fell out of bounds. Guarasci was back at midcourt when Majera picked himself up and tackled Guarasci at midcourt, where the two rolled around before their teammates jumped in. Guarasci later apologized. “I basically just lost by composure and just lost my cool for a minute out there. I’m not happy about what happened. I thought it was a selfish act on my part.” Denham Brown added 24 on 7-11 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 1-3 from the line and 3 boards. Greg Newton scored 10 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 4 boards. Prosper Karangwa added 10 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 3 steals. Andy Kwiatkowski added 9 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Jesse Young notched 9 on 4-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Steve Nash scored 7 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 7 assists. Peter Guarasci scored 3 on 3-4 from the line and 2 steals. Greg Francis added 3 on 1-4 from the arc, Mike King 2, along with 3 boards and 2 steals, Shawn Swords 2, along with 4 boards and 2 assists, and Novell Thomas 2, along with 2 boards and 3 assists. Canada shot 23-32 (.719) from the floor, 13-25 (.520) from the arc and 23-33 (.697) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 21 fouls, 14 turnovers and 14 steals, led by 3 apiece from Thomas and Karangwa. Omar Quintero paced Mexico with 27 points on 7-10 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 2 boards and 3 steals. Horacio Llamas added 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 2 assists. Victor Mariscal Mata added 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Eduardo Najera added 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 2 assists. Christian Omar Lopez Bottoms added 6 on 1-2 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Jesus Ramses Benitez added 6 on 1-1 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 4 boards. Adam Oswald Parada De Los Reyes added 6 on 3-7 from the floor and 6 boards. Pedro David Meza Rogel added 2, along with 2 boards, and Victor Manuel Avila 1, while Enrique Alejandro Zuniga Castro, Anthony James Pedroza Durazo and Oscar Arturo Castellanos were scoreless. The Mexicans shot 20-39 (.513) from the floor, 4-15 (.267) from the arc and 20-27 (.741) from the line, while garnering 24 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 25 fouls, 21 turnovers, 11 steals and 1 block.
Canada qualifies for second round pool play with (3-1) record.
They prompted get whacked 111-71 by the United States. Canada took a 28-21 lead after one quarter as point guard Steve Nash had five assists, several on alley-oop dunks. But coach Jay Triano pulled him after one quarter and never put him back as Canada basically surrendered with a lead. The U.S. promptly ripped off a 30-11 second quarter to take control. Allen Iverson hit seven from beyond the arc in the third-quarter to totally put the outcome out of reach. Iverson paced America with 28 points on 3-5 from the floor, 7-8 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 3 steals. Vince Carter adds 16 on 4-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 assists. Ray Allen added 16 on 2-3 from the floor and 4-4 from the arc. Tim Duncan notched 16 on 5-9 from the floor, 6-6 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Elton Brand scored 11 on 5-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the line, 5 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Jermaine O’Neal scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Nick Collison added 7 on 2-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2 assists. Richard Jefferson added 3, along with 2 boards, Jason Kidd 2, along with 2 boards and 3 assists, Kenyon Martin 2, along with 7 boards and 3 assists, and Mike Bibby 2, along with 2 boards and 9 assists. The USA shoots 28-46 (.609) from the floor, 14-18 (.778) from the arc and 13-16 (.813) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass. They had 40 assists, led by Bibby’s 9 and Jefferson’s 6, and committed 16 fouls, 17 turnovers, had 8 steals, led by Iverson’s 3, and 5 blocks. Rowan Barrett paced Canada with 15 on 2-4 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 2 steals. Andy Kwiatkowski scored 13 on 1-2 from the floor, 3-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 steals. Greg Newton scored 12 on 4-10 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 7 boards. Denham Brown scored 8 on 1-7 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 3 boards. Prosper Karangwa scored 6 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 4-5 from the line. Jesse Young added 6 on 3-8 from the floor and 3 boards. Greg Francis added 4 on 1-4 from the arc and 1-1 from the line. Mike King scored 3, along with 2 boards, Shawn Swords 2, along with 2 boards and Steve Nash 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 5 assists in 10 minutes of play. Peter Guarasci and Novell Thomas were scoreless. Thomas had 2 boards and 3 assists. Canada shot 14-44 (.318) from the floor, 9-17 (.529) from the arc and 16-19 (.842), while garnering only 26 boards, half on the offensive glass. They had 15 assists, 18 turnovers and 7 steals.
Canada defeated Brazil 101-97. “This was a game we knew we had to win if we wanted to control our own destiny,” said coach Jay Triano. “If we can win one of our next two that will secure the third spot for us.” Steve Nash paced Canada with 24 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 12-12 from the line, 4 rebounds and 9 assists. Rowan Barrett added 20 on 2-9 from the floor, 5-8 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Andy Kwiatkowski scored 15 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Jesse Young notched 13 on 3-11 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 5 boards. Prosper Karangwa scored 8 on 1-1 from the floor and 2-2 from the arc. Shawn Swords scored 8 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Greg Newton scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Pete Guarasci added 6 on 1-3 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 5 boards, while Greg Francis, Novell Thomas and Denham Brown were scoreless. Brown had 3 boards. Thomas had 2 steals. Canada shot 18-49 (.367) from the floor, 13-23 (.565) from the arc and 26-29 (.897) from the line, while garnering 38 rebounds, including 14 on the offensive glass, 20 assists, 26 fouls, 17 turnovers, 10 steals and 2 blocks. Marcelinho Magalhes Machado paced Brazil with 39 points on 2-5 from the floor, 8-13 from the arc, 11-12 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Alex Ribeiro Garcia added 16 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 8-8 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Guilherme Giovannoni added 12 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Valter Apolinario Da Silva scored 10 on 5-5 from the floor and 4 boards. Anderson Franca Varejao scored 8 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards, 6 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks. Maybner Rodney Hilario scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Leandro Mateus Barbosa added 2 and Tiago Splitter 2, along with 2 boards and 2 blocks, while Demetrius Conrado Ferraciu, Renato Lamas Pinto, Murilo Da Rosa and Luis Fernando De Souza were scoreless. The Brazilians shot 23-45 (.511) from the floor, 9-27 (.333) from the arc, and 24-26 (.923) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 21 assists, 29 fouls, 17 turnovers, 11 steals and 8 blocks, including 4 by Varejao.
Canada then nipped the Dominican Republic 78-75. The teams were tied at 41 at the half and the Canadians didn’t pull away till late, when they connected on eight free throws in the final five minutes of play. The Dominicans rallied to within 76-75 on a pair of free throws by Amaury Filion with 47.7 seconds to play. Rowan Barrett turned over the ball and the Dominicans got a chance to win it but Franklin Western missed a pair of free throws with 4.4 seconds on the clock after being fouled by Peter Guarasci. Jesse Young corralled the rebounded and fed it up court to Nash, who as fouled and hit two free throws to ice it. “It was very tiring,” said Nash. “I think, considering the circumstances, it was a great win for us. … I just had no legs, no energy. But you just try to stay with it, stay positive. I think, amazing things happen if you don’t give up and you stay positive no matter how tired you are.” Coach Jay Triano said “we are really proud of our guys for the way they battled. It was very difficult for our players to play on such a short turnaround, but the guys were able to stay mentally tough, enabling us to pull out the victory. Denham Brown paced Canada with 16 points on 5-13 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Rowan Barrett added 12 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 3-3 from the line. Peter Guarasci scored 11 on 2-4 from the floor, 7-8 from the line and 5 boards. Steve Nash scored 9 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 3 boards, 8 assists and 2 steals. Jesse Young scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 6 boards. Greg Newton scored 6 on 3-5 from the floor and 2 boards. Shawn Swords added 6 on 3-4 from the floor and 2 boards. Andy Kwiatkowski scored 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 6 boards. Prosper Karangwa added 4 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Mike King added 2, while Greg Francis and Novell Thomas were scoreless. Thomas had 2 boards and 3 assists. Canada shot 23-50 (.460) from the floor, 4-16 (.250) from the arc and 20-23 (.870) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass. They had 18 assists, 16 fouls, 12 turnovers, 3 steals and 1 block. Jose Vargas led the Dominican Republic with 17 points on 8-20 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 10 boards and 2 assists. Franklin Western Canales added 13 on 5-12 from the floor, 3-6 from the line and 3 steals. Carlos Paniagua added 12 on 4-6 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 2 assists. Amaury A. Filion Fernandez notched 11 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 4 boards. Carlos Payano scored 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 2 assists. Henry Manuel Lalane Peguero added 6 on 2-5 from the arc and 3 boards. Victor Ortega Rodriguez scored 5 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 assists. Otto Vantroy Ramirez Jiminez added 3, along with 4 boards and 2 assists, while Jaime Peterson, Carlos Rivera Morban, Henry Antonio Paulino and Miguel Angel Pichardo Sosa were scoreless. The Dominican Republic shot 21-54 (.389) from the floor, 6-16 (.375) from the arc and 15-20 (.750) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass. They had 17 assists, 24 fouls, 9 turnovers, 7 steals, including 3 by Canales, and 3 blocks, including a pair by Peterson.
Canada closes out the second round by losing 93-86 to Venezuela in overtime. Coach Jay Triano noted the squad isn’t playing well in the so-called unimportant games. “We’re heading into a tough spot. I don’t trust the fact that we can just turn it on when we want to. We need to become habit forming right now. And we need to set the tone right now with how well we’re going to play the rest of the tournament.” Star guard Steve Nash only played 9.5 minutes. Canada rallied from a 19-point deficit to force overtime, holding the Venezuelans to 25 points in second half. Two free throws by Prosper Karangwa with 6.1 seconds to play forced overtime. Venezuela took a 7-0 run in the extra session to race past the leg-weary Canadians. Still, Nash was proud of the team. “We’re all waiting for Saturday and it’s tough to get up for this. We came out and were really ineffective but it showed a lot of heart by our guys in the second half to come all the way back.” Triano wasn’t pleased by the loss but said the starters needed a rest. Denham Brown and Prosper Karangwa each scored 20 off the bench to lead Canada. Brown scored 20 on 6-14 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc and 8-10 from the line, 8 boards and 3 steals. Karangwa scored 20 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 13-14 from the line and 5 boards. Rowan Barrett added 12 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 3-3 from the line. Greg Newton scored 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the floor and 6 boards. Jesse Young scored 7 on 2-3 from the floor on 3-3 from the floor and 2 assists. Peter Guarasci scored 6 on 6-8 from the line and 2 boards. Shawn Swords added 6 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 steals. Andy Kwiatkowski added 4, along with 2 boards, Greg Francis 2 and Steve Nash 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 3 assists in 10 minutes of play. Novell Thomas and Mike King were scoreless. Canada shot 23-49 (.469) from the floor, 2-18 (.111) from the arc and 34-41 (.829) from the line, while grabbing 37 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass. They had 11 assists, 21 fouls, 16 turnovers and 9 steals, with Kwiatkowski, Karangwa and Thomas each registering 3. The Venezuelans were paced by Victor Diaz’s 23 points on 3-9 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 8-8 from the line and 3 assists. Diego Alejandro Guevara Salas added 20 on 4-7 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 3 boards, 8 assists and 2 steals. Carlos Morris Salazar added 12 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 2 steals. Rogue Jose Osoroio Puche scored 10 on 2-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 4 boards. Oscar Torres Martinez added 10 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 4 boards and 6 assists. Miguel Marriaga Herrera added 8 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 9 boards and 2 assists. Rosmel Leonel Blanco Pantonja added 5 on 1-1 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Yumerving Mijares Luna added 2, along with 3 boards, Luis Julio Torres 2, along with 3 boards, and Tomas Aguilera 1, along with 3 boards, while Rafael Guevara and Heberth Bayona were scoreless. They shot 20-38 (.526) from the floor, 13-31 (.419) from the arc and 14-16 (.875) from the line, while grabbing 34 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass. They had 23 assists, 31 fouls, 15 turnovers, 8 steals and 2 blocks.
Canada finishes at (4-3) tied for second and qualifies for the semis.
In the semis, Canada was pounded by Argentina 88-72 as Manu Ginobili scored 26. The Argentines broke the game open in the second quarter. NBA all-star Steve Nash had just returned to the court when the Argentines began to pull ahead with ball movement to create layups and open three-pointers. A three by Ginobili, one of five in the half, gave Argentina a 42-30 lead and another three by Ginobili extended the margin to 51-34. A driving dunk by Ruben Wolkowyski in the third quarter upped the margin to 24 and an Andres Nocioni turnaround jumper while being closely guarded by Nash extended the margin to 67-40. Ginobili found Luis Scola from the top of the key for a layup to give Argentina a 75-44 lead after three-quarters, so head coach Jay Triano pulled his starters. “They got on us really early and we were not able to regroup,” said coach Jay Triano. “All we can do is move on and focus our attention to tomorrow’s game. … It was frustrating but at the same time we got beat by a better team. We knew that Argentina was the second-best team in the world.” Argentina coach Ruben Magnano said “there is no perfect game but I think they were extremely intelligent to read the Canadian defence and to perform as one on offence.” Manu Ginobili paced Argentina with 26 on 2-6 from the floor, 5-7 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 3 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Luis Scola added 18 on 9-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Fabricio Oberto scored 13 on 6-9 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Andres Nicioni notched 10 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Ruben Wolkowisky added 9 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Pepe Sanchez added 4, along with 3 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals, Lucas Javier Victoriano 3, along with 2 assists, Alejandro Ariel Montecchia 3, along with 4 assists and 2 steals, and Leonardo Guitierrez 2, while Gabriel Fernandez, Federico Kammerichs and Leandro Fabian Palladino were scoreless. The Argentines shot 25-40 (.625) from the floor, 9-22 (.409) from the arc and 11-17 (.647) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 27 assists, 19 fouls, 16 turnovers, 12 steals and 1 block. Denham Brown led Canada with 13 on 5-12 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 0-1 from the line and 4 boards. Steve Nash added 12 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 4 assists. Rowan Barrett scored 10 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Andy Kwiatkowski added 7 on 2-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 3-3 from the line. Novell Thomas scored 7 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Peter Guarasci notched 6 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Jesse Young scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Mike King added 4 on 2-3 from the floor. Greg Francis added 3, Prosper Karangwa 2, Greg Newton 2, along with 5 boards, and Shawn Swords 1, along with 3 boards. Canada shot 21-41 (.512) from the floor, 6-14 (.429) from the arc, and 12-19 (.632) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 19 turnovers, 19 fouls, 5 steals and 1 block.
In the bronze medal match, Canada failed to become one of the three Olympic qualifiers when it dropped a 79-66 decision to Puerto Rico. Jose Ortiz-Rijos had a triple double, with 21 points, 10-17 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 10 boards and 10 assists, 7 blocks and 3 steals, while defender Carlos Arroyo all but totally neutralized Canadian star Steve Nash, as Puerto Rico dominated. “We almost had a perfect game,” said Puerto Rico coach Julia Toro. “We played very smart and we were able to harness our emotions during the game.” Nash was held to 2-13 from the floor. Ortiz said he had his best game in a Puerto Rico uniform. “I think, it’s my best game, as important as this was. We could not afford to be two cycles out of the Olympics. It was going to be my last game if we didn’t win.” Puerto Rico outshot, outmuscled and outhustled the Canadians. The jumped out to a 24-13 lead after a quarter. Canada rallied to within 26-21 on a free throw by Peter Guarasci. But turnovers proved their undoing. Andy Kwiatkowski was unable to hang on to a Nash feed in the line, while Newton fumbled a Nash pass out-of-bounds. Puerto Rico extended their lead to 44-30 at the half on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Eddie Casiano. Triano unsuccessfully argued that it hadn’t beat the buzzer. 6-10 Ortiz-Rijos and 7-1 Daniel Santiago gave Canada fits all night. Puerto Rico led 66-47 after three-quarters and romped, outrebounding Canada 41-33. Larry Ayuso added 16 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Daniel Santiago scored 15 on 7-12 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 11 boards and 6 assists. Eddie Casiano scored 9 on 0-3 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 2 boards and 4 assists. Antonio Latimer Rivera added 6 on 3-3 from the floor, 4 boards and 2 assists. B.J. Hatton notched 6 on 3-6 from the floor. Rolando Hourruitner Ortiz added 6 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists, while Carlos Bermudez Arroyo, Sharif Fajardo, Rick Apodaca, Raymond Dalmau Santana and Jorge Rivera were scoreless. The Puerto Ricans shot 27-63 (.509) from the floor, 7-16 (.438) from the arc and 4-6 (.667) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 31 assists, 18 fouls, 15 turnovers, 7 steals and 9 blocks. Rowan Barrett paced Canada with 18 on 6-16 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 2 boards. Denham Brown added 12 on 2-10 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 6 boards. Steve Nash scored 10 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 6-6 from the arc, 4 boards, 7 assists and 4 steals. Andy Kwiatkowski scored 9 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Peter Guarasci notched 8 points on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-3 from the line and 3 boards. Jesse Young added 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 3 boards. Greg Newton scored 3 on 1-1 from the arc and 9 boards. Shawn Swords scored 2, while Greg Francis, Novell Thomas, Prosper Karangwa and Mike King were scoreless. Canada shot 17-49 (.347) from the floor, 7-21 (.333) from the arc and 11-16 (.688) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 14 fouls, 13 turnovers, 5 steals and 2 blocks.
Canada finishes
fourth in the tournament and fails to qualify for the Olympics. Nash was selected
the tournament MVP by the international media. A disappointed Triano says he
was unsure what needed to be done to make Canada more competitive. “I don’t
know. That’s a huge debate that goes on all the time. It’s something that we even
talked about after the success of the Olympics, where we have to find a way to
do something for our players between the ages of 25 and 29 when they’re
starting to reach their international prime.”