LEÓN, Mexico — Canada is back in the gold-medal game at the FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup for the first time since 2018.

Canada will face the United States in Sunday night’s final at 10 p.m. ET, live on YouTube, after cruising past Puerto Rico 115-49 in Saturday’s semifinal at Domo de la Feria.

The result guarantees Canada its best finish at the event since 2018, after the Canadians captured bronze in both 2022 and 2024.

Canada never trailed against Puerto Rico, taking control early and extending the gap throughout all four quarters. The Canadians led 20-12 after the first quarter before breaking the game open with a 35-9 second quarter, taking a 55-21 lead into halftime.

Canada outscored Puerto Rico 28-11 in the third quarter and 32-17 in the fourth, with its final margin of 66 points matching its largest lead of the game.

It was the second meeting between the two teams in the tournament after Canada defeated Puerto Rico 101-48 in group-stage play.

Javion Tyndale helped set the tone in the first half, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, six assists and a game-high plus-40 rating. He also delivered one of the game’s signature moments, knocking down a deep three-pointer at the buzzer to close the first half and send Canada into the break with momentum firmly on its side.

“I saw the clock winding down and Nathan Yambayamba threw a great save pass and I knew I had to get a shot up,” said Tyndale. “I took one dribble to the middle, felt confident and just let it fly. As soon as it left my hands I knew it was going in and gave us some momentum going into halftime.”

Tyndale said his role as a point guard is to bring energy, control the pace and get his teammates involved.

“I try to make good decisions, create opportunities and help the team build momentum whenever I’m on the floor,” he said.

Stefan Ilic anchored Canada inside with 13 points and 14 rebounds in just over 17 minutes. Ilic shot 6-of-8 from the floor and finished plus-35 as Canada controlled the glass and limited Puerto Rico’s second-chance opportunities.

Lyris Robinson had a game-high 18 points, along with three steals and a block, while Malik Olajuwon added 17 points and five rebounds. Settimo Yugu also posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds as Canada’s depth continued to show.

Canada finished with 56 bench points and dominated nearly every statistical category. The Canadians scored 60 points in the paint, 41 fastbreak points and 27 second-chance points. Puerto Rico had four fastbreak points and one second-chance point.

Canada’s most decisive run came late in the first half and carried into the third quarter, when the Canadians scored 16 unanswered points to turn a 49-21 lead into a 65-21 advantage.