Thanks to a game-high 26 points from soon-to-be Syracuse Orange freshman guard Tyler Ennis on Saturday, the under-19 Canadian National team earned its first FIBA World Championship victory, 93-75, over Korea and advanced to the next round of play.
Ennis added four assists and two steals for Canada (1-2, 3 points), which never trailed in the contest and earned an extra point in the standings because of a 15-point-or-better victory. Canada will now play Lithuania in what is called an Eighth Final Round on Sunday.
When asked about the team's performance, Ennis replied, "We stayed mentally tough. We adjusted to Korea's style of play while continuing to play our game. By staying tough and focused, we were able to outlast them."
Over three games, Ennis is the tournament's leading scoring averaging 23.7 point per game. He and teammate Trey Lyles, an undeclared Class of 2014 prospect who's netting 20 ppg and is the event's third highest scorer, seem to be the Great White North's only offense. Ennis has jacked up the most shots (58) in the tournament's first three games, he also is averaging 3.7 assists and rebounds per game.
Meanwhile, the Jerami Grant-less Team USA went undefeated through the preliminary round, earning the top seed in the next round, and will play Brazil on Sunday.
