Canada stepped up to the challenge and emerged victorious, defeating the reigning champions Spain with a score of 88-85 in their final second-round match at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
This marks the first instance since 1994 that Spain has failed to reach the World Cup Quarter-Finals, while Canada has secured a place among the top 8 teams for the first time since 1994.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks teamed up to contribute a total of 52 points to their team’s win. On the other side, Willy Hernangomez led Spain with 25 points and 6 rebounds.
Notably, this was Dillon Brooks’ standout performance in the tournament, with 11 of his 22 points coming in the fourth quarter.
“Congratulations to Canada, to their players, to coach Jordi, to the federation,” said Sergio Scariolo, Spain’s coach. “I know how much of a commitment and dedication they put into this effort to rebuild their program.
“Now they have a high-level team, and they can enjoy the fruits of those seeds. But I fully agree with Willy, I can’t be prouder of my team tonight. We made an unbelievable effort, we led practically the whole game, we did a hell of an effort. It’s true that in 4 quarters, floor leadership is crucial, and we had to know that when the opponent is an All-Star.
“When he’s handling it like that, things might happen. We did our best and had extremely fun-to-coach guards who have learned a lot. They did a great job. No regrets. Tonight, we were Spain until the very end.”
Watch the game highlights between Spain and Canada in the First Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023:
