The Development Men’s National Team (DMNT) has swept the three-game series with host-nation China at the Four Nations’ International Invitational Tournament. The 85-70 win pushed Team Canada’s record in the competition to a perfect 8-0 with one game remaining.

China started the game well. The even match had both sides trading chances and making strong defensive plays. After the opening 10 minutes, China had built a one-point lead at 19-18. Team Canada took over from there with a strong offensive display to build momentum. The Canadians dominated the quarter and more than doubled China’s output to take a 47-33 advantage into the break.

Canada continued to pressure the home side and find ways to score in the second half. The Chinese fell behind as the Red and White used a balanced attack to space the floor and wear down the Chinese defence. Ontarians Daniel Mullings and Brady Heslip led the way for Team Canada with 15 points-a-piece with Heslip connecting on 5-of-6 three point attempts. Dwight Powell continued his strong play with 13 points in the contest. Canada outrebounded China by a margin of 37-18 on the day.

Head coach Jay Triano commended his team of student-athletes on their play. "This was maybe one of our best all-around games. We have battled through a long trip and we have done a good job of maintaining our focus. Let's see if we can do it for one more game. So far it has been a good trip."

Mullings echoed his head coach’s thoughts and also looks forward to tomorrow’s tournament finale. "It was a great game as a collective unit! Our team has battled through adversity throughout this trip and we have prospered. I’m proud of the team and I’m looking forward to closing out this last game on a positive note."

The DMNT will finish the 9-game, 11-day Four Nations’ Tournament tomorrow against Latvia. Canada emerged from the two teams’ first two matches with 82-40 and 102-61 victories.

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