Source: Agence France Presse
Monday 28 August 2023 11:08:38
Lebanon has been eliminated as Canada, Latvia, Montenegro, Lithuania and Germany all headed to the round of 16 of the Basketball World Cup.
Debutants Latvia beat Lebanon in their opening game and sent heavyweights France crashing to a shock Basketball World Cup first-round exit on Sunday, while Canada underlined their title credentials in a blowout win over Lebanon.
Canada set a new record for the most assists in a World Cup game with 44 in their 128-73 win over Lebanon.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez said he was proud of his players' unselfish attitude.
"It just shows that sharing is caring and these guys were ready to play the right way, play with a pass," he said.
"In games like this, teams have the tendency for players to do it on their own and try to dribble too much."
All 11 Canada players who saw game time registered at least one assist, led by Trae Bell-Haynes on eight.
Canada laid down a marker with their opening 95-65 win over France and Bell-Haynes said he was "super-excited that we kept our momentum" against Lebanon.
"We talked about making sure that there wasn't any fall-off, and I think we did a good job," he said.
Canada plays Latvia on Tuesday in its final group game, while Lebanon faces France in a meaningless game.