Jakarta –
Canada beat Latvia 101–75 to secure Group H victory at the 2023 FIBA World Championship. Meanwhile, the Philippines and Japan, as hosts, were eliminated early.
Playing at the “Indonesian Arena” on Tuesday (August 29), Latvia immediately took a 9–5 lead in the first two minutes thanks to three three-pointers from Arturs Žagars, Rodion Kuruc and Arturs Kuruc, which forced France to take a timeout.
Latvia then led 11-8, but R.J. Barrett equalized with a three-pointer. Latvia responded with a three-pointer by Artur Kuruc and returned the score 14-11.
Latvia pulled away to 18-12 before a three-point shot from Kristers Zoriks turned the scoreline to 21-12. A quick break from Aigars Shkele resulted in a layup for Rodion Kuruc, bringing the score to 23-12. Canada closed the gap thanks to a free throw from Kelly Olynyk to end the first quarter 13-23.
Canada moved up in the second quarter with 30 points, 9 of which came from Olynyk. Meanwhile, Latvia managed only 19 points and failed to score on 10 shots. So Canada ended the first half with a slight lead of 43-42.
Canada maintained momentum in the third quarter. They scored 10 points in the first 90 seconds, including a Shai Gilges-Alexander dunk, and gave Latvia just two points to take the score to 53-44.
Latvia had a chance to rise to 54-55 with three and a half minutes left, but Canada pulled back again until they were 10 points ahead by the end of the third quarter, taking a position of 67-57.
In the last quarter, Canada was unstoppable. They scored 34 points and gave Latvia just 18 points to seal the win 101-75 at the end of the game. Canada won the group after three wins. Latvia nevertheless passed to the second round, but already with the status of the runner-up.
Meanwhile, in the rest of the matches, the two hosts of the 2023 World Cup – the Philippines and Japan – will surely not be able to qualify for the second round after losing in the final group stage match. The Philippines lost to Italy 83–90, while Japan lost to last year’s FIBA Asian Champion Australia 89–109.
(adp/rin)