07/08/2005
FIBA U21 Day 2 - Canada falls and Australia top group A
CORDOBA (FIBA U21 World Championship) - Making their first-ever appearance at the FIBA U21 World Championship, Canada lost their debut game to Australia 88-71. Australia remains the only team without loss in Group A, in Cordoba, following Argentina's defeat against Greece.
The loss was especially hard for Canada, as they had defeated the same Australian team twice last month, including a 100-80 win in the Gold Medal Game of the Jack Donohue International Classic, July 28th in Mississauga, Ontario.
Australia jumped out to an early lead going on an 8-0 run in the first quarter. Canada ran into foul trouble in the second quarter and the result was a 45-35 advantage for Australia at halftime, a lead that they would never relinquish.
Shooting proved to be the difference in the game as Canada recorded a .378 (25-66) shooting percentage compared to .500 (31-62) by Australia. Canada had an especially difficult night from three-point range, going five-of-24 from beyond the arc.
Vlad Kuljanin (Toronto, ON) paced Canada with a team-high 18 points while adding six rebounds. Other double figure scorers for Canada included Levon Kendall (Vancouver, BC) and Kingsley Costain (Toronto, ON), both whom contributed 11 points apiece. Kendall also led the team in rebounding with eight.
"We didn't shoot well, which was our strength at the Jack Donohue International Classic," said Canadian Head Coach Dave Crook. "Losing Andy Rautins early in the game really hurt us. They had a single digit lead with four minutes to go in the game and they made their shots while we missed ours."
FIBA U21 Day 2 - Canada falls and Australia top group A
CORDOBA (FIBA U21 World Championship) - Making their first-ever appearance at the FIBA U21 World Championship, Canada lost their debut game to Australia 88-71. Australia remains the only team without loss in Group A, in Cordoba, following Argentina's defeat against Greece.
The loss was especially hard for Canada, as they had defeated the same Australian team twice last month, including a 100-80 win in the Gold Medal Game of the Jack Donohue International Classic, July 28th in Mississauga, Ontario.
Australia jumped out to an early lead going on an 8-0 run in the first quarter. Canada ran into foul trouble in the second quarter and the result was a 45-35 advantage for Australia at halftime, a lead that they would never relinquish.
Shooting proved to be the difference in the game as Canada recorded a .378 (25-66) shooting percentage compared to .500 (31-62) by Australia. Canada had an especially difficult night from three-point range, going five-of-24 from beyond the arc.
Vlad Kuljanin (Toronto, ON) paced Canada with a team-high 18 points while adding six rebounds. Other double figure scorers for Canada included Levon Kendall (Vancouver, BC) and Kingsley Costain (Toronto, ON), both whom contributed 11 points apiece. Kendall also led the team in rebounding with eight.
"We didn't shoot well, which was our strength at the Jack Donohue International Classic," said Canadian Head Coach Dave Crook. "Losing Andy Rautins early in the game really hurt us. They had a single digit lead with four minutes to go in the game and they made their shots while we missed ours."
