ST. CATHARINE'S, Ont. - The Senior Men’s National Team opened the first window of the FIBA Men’s Basketball AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers with a 96-51 statement victory over Nicaragua on Friday.

Playing in front of Canadian fans at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada had five players finish in double figures as a 21-point performance from Aaron Best led the way in a dominant victory from opening tip to the final buzzer.

“It was excellent playing here in front of the home crowd,” Team Canada associate head coach Nate Bjorkgren said. “I hope everyone that attended the game really enjoyed it. It’s such a fun basketball brand to watch and to be a part of and to be able to coach this group of guys, it’s amazing. I say it to them every day, every time I first see them, and every day that I’m with them.

"They play basketball the right way," Bjorkgren said. "The way it’s supposed to be played. They play team defence. They share the ball and play team offence and hopefully there were some young kids in the stands that really fell in love with the game because of these guys.”

Jackson Rowe added 14 points, Phil Scrubb scored 13 points, Kadre Gray added 11 points and Thomas Kennedy added 10 points for the Canadians.

“It was great to play on home soil in front of the home fans,” Best said. “Like Coach said, we just try to play the right way on both ends and just be a team out there. Just make it as difficult as possible. I think we were able to do that for 40 minutes and we’re looking forward to the challenge of playing them again on the road.”

Francisco Garth led Nicaragua with 14 points while Jared Ruiz added 12 points in the loss.

Canada dominated in every facet of the game, finishing with 17 three-pointers compared to just six for Nicaragua. The Canadians recorded 33 assists on 30 made field goals, and outrebounded Nicaragua 49-34, including 23-9 on the offensive glass. Canada also committed just 10 turnovers while helping to force 27 turnovers on their opponent.

Hot shooting from beyond the arc helped Canada open up an early lead as seven of Canada’s eight field goals in the opening quarter were from deep. Best had four three-pointers and Rowe connected on a pair in the quarter to help the Canadians build a 28-18 after the first 10 minutes of action.

“I just tried to stick to the game plan,” Best said. “As far as shooting, offence is always secondary. It comes and goes, but I just try to find my rhythm on the defensive end and we have a committed group of guys that are willing to sacrifice and do what is necessary on that side of the ball and we don’t really care who gets the credit for things. It’s really a team first mentality and I think that’s what makes us a good defensive team.”

While Best was quick to deflect praise, Bjorkgren took the time to single out his leading scorer for the work he put in on both ends of the floor in the victory.

“Obviously, I’ve had an opportunity to coach [Aaron] a few different times, a number of times the past few years,” Bjorkgren said. “I ask so much from him. I ask so much of him. I ask him to go out there and guard the best player. I ask him to put pressure on the rim. I ask him to keep moving on the perimeter. Everything I'm asking of him requires a lot of energy and consistency and being relentless. He is all of that. I would take him anywhere with me because he plays the right way and you saw how he impacted the game. I know his three-point shots and the points that he scored in the first quarter, it’s obviously huge, but he impacts the game even more on the defensive end and his defence creates his offence,” Bjorkgren continued. “His defence creates our team's offence. That’s what we talk about a lot. They were relentless in how they defended and Aaron Best is a big, big part of that.”

With a double-figure lead to open the second quarter, shots continued to fall from deep as Gray hit a three to extend the lead to 13 points for Canada.

A three-point play for Jared Ruiz brought Nicaragua within 10, but Bell-Haynes split a pair of defenders on a drive to the rim for an open layup. After an offensive rebound and putback from Gray, Ruiz connected on a three to get Nicaragua back within eight with 4:24 remaining in the quarter.  Gray responded to Ruiz with a three of his own to make it an 11-point lead for the Canadians with 3:49 remaining in the half. After a three from Scrubb extended Canada’s lead back to 14, Nicaragua called timeout with 3:24 remaining in the half but were unable to make up any ground on the Canadians as free throws from Scrubb and then a steal and score from Kennedy extended the lead to 16 points at the half.

The second half started just as the game started; with a three-pointer from Best. This one extended Canada’s lead to 19 points. Bell-Haynes delivered an alley-oop pass to Kalif Young under the basket for an easy two in transition. Next it was Scrubb who found Bell-Haynes for a three to put Canada up 59-37 with eight minutes remaining in the third.

Farell Pauth connected on a three for Nicaragua, but this time it was Bell-Haynes returning the favor and finding Scrubb for his own three-pointer. Canada forced a turnover out of the timeout as Rowe was credited with the steal and assist, finding Scrubb for a layup. A lucky bounce on a last-second three from Rowe gave Canada a 29-point advantage, 77-48, heading into the fourth.

Scrubb opened the final quarter with a three and Canada continued to stretch their lead, maintaining their defensive pressure despite the advantage ballooning to 45 points when the final buzzer sounded.

Up next, the Canadians will head to Nicaragua for the second game in their “home and away” with Team Nicaragua which will be played Monday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Fans in Canada can catch the game live on Sportsnet Plus.