ST. CATHARINES, ON (JUNE 14, 2018) - Team Canada's U18 team defeated Puerto Rico 95-89 in the semi-finals to stay alive and advance to the final round of the FIBA U18 Americas Championship.  

With the win, Canada earns their way to the FIBA U18 Americas Championship Final, where they will take on the United States for the gold medal.

Emanuel Miller led the way for the red and white, posting an enormous double-double with a game-high 31 points and 14 rebounds. Andrew Nembhard was consistent as always, chipping in 14 points and an incredible 17 assists. AJ Lawson also posted an impressive 14 points in his return from injury.

Click here for the full box score.

Lawson returned back into the lineup for Canada following a back injury earlier this week, but showed no signs of rust, knocking down the long-range shot to open the scoring for the red and white and following it up soon after. However, despite the early spark from Lawson, Canada's defence was unable to stop Puerto Rico in the paint, as the first quarter proved to be a back and fourth affair. But following the slow start for Canada, Addison Patterson once again played a key role in sparking the offence, pushing the team to a slim 23-22 lead heading into the second frame.

The second quarter belonged to Miller, who showed relentless energy and helped carry the offence with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the first half for Team Canada. Miller's effort proved necessary throughout the entire frame, as Puerto Rico couldn't be stopped on the other side of the floor, scoring at will and cutting into the Canadian lead. By the end of the half, Team Canada would once again be ending the frame with a slim lead, finishing the quarter with a 47-41 advantage.

Miller continued to produce for the red and white into the third quarter on both ends of the floor, but Puerto Rico's offence was free-flowing from beyond the arc. Canada continued to produce points in the paint for the remainder of the frame, but turnovers and consistent shot-making from Puerto Rico would allow Canada to lead by just a slim 68-64 margin heading into the final quarter of play.

Canada would come out blazing to start the fourth quarter, igniting the fast break and earning easy baskets at the rim. Miller, as he was all night long, would be the catalyst for Canada's success one final time as he continued to rebound with a frenzy and offer Canada extra chances. Miller's effort to the Canadian cause would ultimately be enough to allow them to pull away and head into the Championship game with a 95-89 victory.

Click here for full team roster.

QUOTES

"At this point in the tournament, there's always going to be a lot of big-time players who can hit big-time shots against us, so we just have to stay focused and stay true to our identity on defence," said Miller. "At the end of the day, I'm coming into every game with the same approach. Andrew [Nembhard] and I have been in these situations before, so we try to approach them with a different type of maturity."

"It felt great to be back out on the court today and it felt even better to hit my first three and follow it up with a dunk," said Lawson. "I think tonight was all about building my confidence back up for tomorrow. I had some strong minutes, made some mistakes, but I'm ready to get back out there tomorrow."

UP NEXT

Canada's pursuit of a FIBA U18 Americas Championship will continue in the Championship Finals as Canada will take on the United States on Saturday evening in the Meridian Centre. Tickets are available at the Meridian Centre box office and fans can catch the action live on Facebook.

For the latest updates regarding Canada Basketball and the Americas Championship, follow Canada Basketball on Twitter.

For more information, contact:
Matt Walker, mwalker@basketball.ca

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