Canada pulls out a big victory over Angola winning 87-65, out scoring them 45-23 in the 2nd half.
Entering the round of 16 vs. Angola, Canada was shooting 26.9% from 3pt land. But Canada came out in the first quarter with a strong punch, shooting 7 of 12 from behind the arc in the opening frame, lead by Harvard commit Danilo Djuricic who was 4 of 5 for 12 points & Rowan Barrett Jr., who chipped in with 7 points. Lindell Wigginton continued his versatility on the rebounding side of things and passing with 4 rebounds and 5 assists early. Silvio de Sousa (Angola), who once played alongside Barrett Jr. at Montverde (FL) was an issue inside for the African nation and kept the game close. Canada led 30-23 after 1.
Angola returned the punch in the second frame as Geraldo Santos hit big threes to cut the gap. Canada shot a dismal 5/18 from the field in the 2nd, forcing many possessions, which led to turnovers and missed shots. Angola capitalized and came back to tie it up at 34 half way through the second, forcing Canada’s Head Coach Roy Rana to call timeout. However Angola benefitted from that timeout as their hustle and intensity picked up, allowing them to take their first lead with 4:35 left in the half and held it until the final buzzer where Abu Kigab hit a three, to tie it up at 42-42 going into the break.
Canada opened up a quick 6-0 run to begin the 3rd, and never looked back. Angola managed only 3 points in the first 8 minutes of the 3rd, allowing Canada to go up by as much as 19 points, behind superb shooting by Djuricic and Kigab. Angola then scored a quick five points to end the 3rd to cut the deficit to 64-50 going into the fourth.
The final frame was more of the same as Canada continued to pour it on and led by as much as 25 points. With the bench coming in for the final three minutes, Canada continued to push the ball to maintain their large lead, despite some fight still left in Angola.
Canada shot considerably better from the free throw line in this one at 78% and they’ll need to continue that in the next round. Canada definitely will have to clean up the turnovers if they want to advance to the semi finals, as they averaged 16 giveaways a game in the round robin and had 19 today vs. Angola. Also, they need to be more selective with their 3 point shooting, as they were a little trigger happy at times, finishing today at 31% from behind the arc. Djuricic and Kigab shot 9/14 from three, the rest of team 1/18.
Team Canada during the National Anthems
Impressive game put forth by Prince Oduro, who did a lot of little things, playing heavy minutes for Canada with 25. He finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds.
Kigab, whose defense and rebounding resulted in the massive 2nd half onslaught for Canada, finished with 17 points (4/5 3PT; 5/6 FT) to go along with 16 rebounds. Kigab is now averaging a double-double after 4 games.
Barrett Jr. is lethal in transition with those long strides, which allows him the ability to get to the rim with ease. He finished with 18 points (7/15 FG), 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Djuricic finished the day scoring 22 points on an impressive 8 for 11 FG (5/8 3PT), 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 24 minutes of action.
Wigginton didn’t shoot the ball well today, but his quickness and aggressiveness was stellar. The Nova Scotia product shot 90% from the charity stripe, finishing with 13 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, making him a vital player for the team, as he has been all tournament.
Canada has Thursday off and will play Friday, July 7, 2017 vs. France, who took down Puerto Rico in their round of 16 tilt. FIBA has yet to announce times for Friday’s game.
Written by Mark Williamson
Photos courtesy of Canada Basketball
Edited by Drew Ebanks
