FIBA World Cup 2019: Canada breaks record in classification round win over Jordan

Sammi Silber

FIBA World Cup 2019: Canada breaks record in classification round win over Jordan image

Canada's FIBA World Cup run hasn't gone smoothly, but the tide turned with Saturday's dominant 126-71 win over Jordan in the first game of the classification round on Saturday.

Not only did the Canadians never trail, but they also managed to break a FIBA Basketball World Cup record.

Canada made 24-of-44 3-point attempts, and those 24 makes are the most in a game in World Cup history. Team USA had held the record before Saturday with 19 3-pointers against Puerto Rico and Russia in 1994.

Forward Kyle Wiltjer led the way for Canada, scoring 29 points and shooting 11-for-14 from the floor (7-for-9 from 3-point range).

"For us, our main goal is to make the Olympics, so every game we have to get better as a program," Wiltjer said after the win. "I think we did that today, building that camaraderie and moving forward, learning things as we go every day and improving from our mistakes in the past. We just want to continue to get better."

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From the get-go, Canada was unstoppable, shooting 63 percent in the first quarter as it took a 31-13 lead in the first 10 minutes, extending that to a 63-35 lead at the half. The Canadians then kicked off the third quarter with a 25-7 run and saw each player record a basket as they took the 126-71 win.

 

The team shot 59 percent from the floor and racked up 37 assists on 44 made field goals.

Canada will face Germany in the second game of the classification round on Monday at 8 a.m. ET, marking the team's final game in China.

Sammi Silber