BELÉM, BRAZIL (June 4, 2019) – Canada knocked off hosts Brazil 90-67 on Tuesday night to improve to 2-0 at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2019.

Click here for the box score.

Caleb Houstan recorded a double-double, 28 points and 10 rebounds, to lead Canada to the victory.  Houstan's 28 points tie him with Kevin Pangos (2009 vs. Venezuela) for most by a Canadian at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship.

Shaedon Sharpe finished with 13 points, while Josiah Davis had 10 points of his own in the win.  For the second game in a row, Ryan Nembhard led the team in assists with nine.  Brazil’s Rodolfo Bolis recorded a double-double of his own with 11 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

Canada came out firing in their second game of the tournament, knocking down four of five three pointers in the opening quarter to build a 12 point lead after 10 minutes of play.  Despite being outscored 19-17 in the second quarter, Canada carried a 10 point advantage, 44-34, into halftime.

The Canadians attempted to pull away from the hosts in the second half but a raucous home crowd kept the Brazilians in it for much of the third quarter.  Up ten points with just over three minutes to play in the third, the Canadian lead grew as they entered the fourth with a 14-point advantage.

Leading 76-61 with 6:01 to play in the game, Canada pulled away with a 8-0 run, their largest of the night, to build a 84-61 advantage, as they cruised to a 23-point victory.

The FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2019 in Belém, Brazil (June 3-9) will qualify the top-four teams to the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2020.

Canada is in Group B along with hosts Brazil, Puerto Rico and Uruguay.  Click here for the full tournament schedule.

This is Canada’s sixth appearance since the FIBA U16 Americas Championship began in 2009, with the country medalling in each of their previous five tournaments.

Click here for the roster.

QUOTES

"Tonight was nice to see the guys come out.  I thought we represented Canada really well tonight and I was proud of the improvements we made.  We continued to rebound the ball well but unlike the Uruguay game, we shot the ball well tonight.  Was nice to see guys get their stroke going from three.  That seemed to open up penetrating lanes for us a little bit.  When we're shooting the ball and in transition and dominating the glass like we've been, I think we can be a pretty tough team." - Head Coach Kirby Schepp

UP NEXT

Canada will take on Puerto Rico on Wednesday, June 5 at 5:15 PM ET to conclude the Group Phase at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2019.  Fans can catch the game streaming live on FIBA YouTube or the Canada Basketball Facebook page.

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