Rebounding keyed Canada to a 101-64 win over Mexico to give them their second-straight win in the FIBA Americas tournament in Bahia Blanca, Argentina.

"Another great effort tonight from everyone. We started off well. We knew Mexico is a team that will not go away. They made a run but we responded especially in the 2nd half," said Head Coach Dave DeAveiro.

"We have to clean some things up in preparation for tomorrow's game against Argentina. No question their home crowd will play a factor so we have to focus on being composed and continue to play together."

Canada outrebounded Mexico 72-36 and held their opponent to 27% shooting from the field. Simisola Shittu was the leading rebounder for the U16 Men's National Team, grabbing 17 rebounds with six on the offensive end. Rowan Barrett Jr. paced Team Canada in scoring, dropping 22 points on 9-14 shooting. Mexico's efforts were led by Salvador Martinez, who led all scorers with 27 points. A full box score can be found here.

Team Canada started the game on a 11-0 run in the first four minutes of the game. Mexico's offence struggled to find room to work between the length of Team Canada and were consistently forced into tough shots. A press from the Mexican squad troubled the Canada but defence and rebounding gave Canada a 20-7 lead after one period.

The second quarter would be more physical. Canada drew fouls while driving to the basket, but turned the ball over often in the opening minutes of the period. But four made 3s from Mexico's Salvador Martinez would trim their deficit to 8. Team Canada would steady after a timeout and lead 44-30 after 20 minutes of play.

After a back-and-forth first half, Canada used the third quarter to put away Mexico. Team Canada hit the glass on offence and created extra possessions but they also continued to stifle the Mexican offence with solid defence. A Simisola Shittu dunk in the final minute capped the impressive period to give Canada a 73-40 advantage.

With a wide margin between the two teams, the tempo increased and Mexico scored in transition. Canada would exert themselves on the offensive end, attacking the rim and getting to the free throw line to win the quarter 28-24 and set the final score at 101-64.

Canada will wrap up preliminary play tomorrow with a game against Argentina. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST. Games will be streamed at youtube.com/FIBA with score updates and links provided on @CanBBall.

For a full roster and coaching staff, click here.

Ceci est disponible egalement en francais. Contactez Bailey Williams ci-dessous pour l'obtenir.

For more information, please contact:

Bailey Williams

Manager, Communications

E-mail: bwilliams@basketball.ca

Cell: 647-460-7976

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