Team Canada weathered the storm outside SaskTel Centre and closed out a perfect weekend of AmeriCup Qualifying in Saskatoon on Sunday.
Canada pulled away late in the fourth quarter following a Mexico comeback, 83-73, moving to 4-0 in the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers.
Four players finished in double digit scoring for Canada, led by captain Trae Bell-Haynes who recorded 20 points, seven assists, five boards, and two steals in the win at Sasktel Centre.
With the score deadlock at 71-71 late in the fourth, Bell-Haynes drove the lane for a tightly contested layup, followed by a steal and a transition two forcing a Mexico timeout, ultimately securing the game.
Although Canada got off to a 20-8 start to open the game, Mexico trimmed the deficit to just five points after applying pressure late in the first half to claw the score back to 41-36 .
Karim Rodriguez led Mexico with a game-high 21 points – shooting 5-14 from beyond the arc – with a trio of his three-pointers coming in the third quarter alone. Mexico outscored Canada by a four-point margin in the penultimate frame, as Canada held a narrow lead heading into the fourth, 66-63.
Canada scored 16 fastbreak points, including a full-court play by veteran Aaron Best, who added eight points in Canada’s win – four of which came down the stretch to close out the game.
With the win, Canada now moves to 4-0, as Mexico evens their record at 2-2. Canada remains the only undefeated team in Group C of the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers with one more window remaining in February.
Canada will face Mexico and Dominican Republic on the road, on February 21 and 24, 2025, respectively, for the final window of these qualifiers. With Nicaragua already securing a spot as hosts for next summer’s FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025, the top two remaining teams in Group C following next February's games will qualify.
