XALAPA, MEXICO (August 23, 2021) - In their first game of the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2021, Canada suffered an 81-70 loss to Argentina.

Mikkel Tyne had an outstanding performance recording 22 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Olivier Rioux (9 rebounds), Char Yeiy (7 rebounds) and AJ Osman (7 rebounds) made a statement on defence in the loss for Canada. 

"I thought our guys played super hard," said head coach Patrick Tatham. "This is a very good first step for these young 14 to 16 year olds and this game will help us really understand what we are getting ourselves into for the next two matches."

Canada led for the majority of the game, heading to the locker room at half with a 40-35 lead over Argentina. Argentina, led by Juan Manuel Bocca and Lucas Nicolas Giovanetti (17 points each), fought to bring the game within one point by the end of the third. However, in the fourth, Argentina outscored Canada by 10, 24-14, to earn the victory.

"We are going to focus on us, tighten up on defence and not turn the ball over as much," said Tatham. "We're definitely looking forward to tomorrow's game against Mexico - we need to take care of some business down here."

Canada will look to lock in their first win tomorrow evening when they face the host team, Mexico, at 9:30PM ET.

All games at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2021 are streamed live and free on the FIBA YouTube Channel. The FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2021 in Xalapa, Mexico runs until August 29th.