‍DAUGAVPILS, LATVIA (July 6, 2021) – The Canadian U19 Men’s National Team closed out Group Phase play this morning with a convincing 85-56 win against Senegal at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021.

Strong performances from Zach Edey (18 points, 17 rebounds), Ryan Nembhard (17 points, 8 assists) and Caleb Houstan (15 points, 10 rebounds) led Canada to the win and a 3-0 record to finish atop Group A. Senegal was led by Dahaba Magassa with 15 points.

Zach Edey led Team Canada in points and rebounds, coming out on top in the matchup with fellow big man, Senegal’s Ibou Dianko Badji. When asked about the matchup with Badji, Edey said “I love it. I took the comparison [to Badji] personal and tried to dominate as early as possible.” Badji was held to just 6 points, 9 rebounds.

Edey has had a great showing in the tournament so far, despite joining the team in Latvia late after spending time in training camp with the Senior Men's National Team.

“Zach answered the call, even after joining the team late and missing training camp,” said head coach Paul Weir. “His confidence and willingness to be part of the team has made his transition to the U19 squad easy. That’s a testament to the type of person he is and he’s a terrific player.”

Canada anticipated Senegal’s physicality and athleticism in the game and rose to the challenge.

“We really hadn’t faced a team like this yet so it was a good challenge for us,” Weir said. “They’re probably the closest to [Team USA] physicality-wise. Our guys were physical and aggressive and didn’t get pushed around the way Senegal has the ability to do.”

With the win, Canada finishes top of Group A and will play the fourth-place team from Group B tomorrow in the Round of 16. The results of Group B and game time for tomorrow’s match will be determined later today.

“We know we can beat anyone in this tournament if we stick to our game plan and do what we need to do,” Edey said.

All games at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup are streamed live on the FIBA YouTube channel. The FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021 in Latvia runs until July 11th.