Canada will play for seventh place at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup after a 98-81 loss to Puerto Rico on Saturday.
Karim Mane had 14 points, while Thomas Kennedy contributed 11 points and five rebounds for the Canadians, who came into the tournament as the defending World Cup champions.
Charles Bediako and Damion Squire each had 10 points in the loss. Andre Jael Curbelo Rodriguez scored a game-high 24 points for Puerto Rico.
Canada was relegated to the losing side of the draw after an 85-80 loss to France in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Puerto Rico led 30-19 after the first quarter before Canada pulled even 47-47 to start the second half. Puerto Rico took a 73-66 advantage into the fourth, then outscored the Canadians 25-15 down the stretch.
At the 2017 World Cup in Cairo, Roy Rana coached Canada to gold — the country’s first basketball title in an international FIBA tournament — and RJ Barrett was named the tournament MVP.
Canada will tip off against Serbia in the 7th-8th classification game on Sunday.
The Canadian Press
