Canada faces New Zealand in must-win semifinal at Olympic basketball qualifier
2 more victories needed to earn spot in Rio
By Matthew Cullen
The Canadian men's basketball team is two wins away from qualifying for the Rio Olympics.
After beating both Turkey and Senegal to finish atop the Group A standings at the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in the Philippines, Canada faces New Zealand in the semifinals Saturday at 6:30 a.m. ET.
The winner will face whomever emerges from the France vs. Turkey semifinal in a winner-take-all showdown for a spot in Rio.
Canada has showed moments of brilliance in the tournament but has also looked uninspiring at times.
In the tournament opener against Turkey, Canada received a big performance from Cory Joseph in a 77-69 win. The Raptors guard scored 21 points and added five assists and three rebounds.
Canada's second game proved a tougher test. Taking on Senegal, Canada shot only 32 per cent from the field, including 12 per cent from beyond the arc — and 61 per cent from the free-throw line.
Canada's saving grace was its defence, which held the Senegalese to 28 per cent from the field while forcing 16 turnovers in a 58-55 victory.
"It was a great game if you love defence," Canadian head coach Jay Triano said. "I thought both teams were very good defensively. It was a very well-fought game ... and we're fortunate to get the victory."
Senegal's combination of tall and athletic defenders blocked eight shots and gave Canada significant problems throughout the game.
Joseph led Canada with 13 points but was pestered all evening by the Lions' defence. He got some much-needed relief from the bench, courtesy of Italian Serie A forward Melvin Ejim, who added 11 points and eight rebounds, as well as 12 points from Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Ennis.
"We've had a mixture of games. We've had some blowouts or close to blowouts," the 21-year old Ennis said. "Tonight was a close game. I think it is great for us heading into the next couple of games, just having one that was close under our belt and we had to really seal it the game at the end."
Dangerous opponent
New Zealand finished the group phase with a 1-1 record after opening the tournament with a 89-80 victory over the host Philippines followed by a 66-59 defeat to France.
The Tall Blacks' loss to France particularly stung. They led by 12 points in the four quarter before Les Bleus ripped off a 22-2 run to take the lead for good.
Like Canada, New Zealand will be looking to bounce back from a poor shooting performance after they managed to connect on just 30 per cent of their attempts against France. The Tall Blacks especially struggled when it mattered most in the final quarter, where they were outscored 28-11.
The Kiwis have two main threats in the form of the Webster brothers: Corey and Tai. Corey, the older one, ranks second in tournament scoring, averaging 22 points in over 30 minutes per game. Tai is third in tournament scoring with 17 points per game as well as third in rebounds at 9.5 per contest.