Bennedict Mathurin and Canada are moving on to the FIBA U19 World Cup semifinals after squeaking out an 81-77 win over Spain.
Mathurin had a quiet game with three points, three rebounds, a block and an assist in 32 minutes. He only took four shots, making one 2-pointer and missing his lone 3-point attempt. Still, Mathurin was a team-high +7.
Canada will play Team USA, the favorites, on Saturday. The game time is set for 8 a.m. PT on ESPN+.
In another quarterfinals game, Azuolas Tubelis had 19 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and three turnovers in 42 minutes, but Lithuania fell to France 84-79 in overtime. The UA forward shot 7 for 21 from the field, 1 for 3 from 3 and 7 for 8 from the free-throw line.
Azuolas Tubelis (11pts) goes STRAIGHT at Victor Wembanyama (13pts) JUST as we go into the half
A real battle here at #FIBAU19 with both stars leading their teams ⭐️
One of these tournament favourites will be heading to the Semis! Join us to find out who pic.twitter.com/k4AEwKLFiS
— FIBA (@FIBA) July 9, 2021
Lithuania will play Argentina or Serbia in a classification game on Saturday.
Oumar Ballo was in a similar boat as Tubelis on Friday, posting a double-double in a losing effort. The UA center had 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four blocks in 35 minutes. He shot 8 for 14 from the field—all 2s—but missed five of his six free throw attempts.
Mali drops to 0-5 and will face Japan or Turkey in another classification game Saturday.
How they have fared so far…
- Tubelis (Lithuania): 27.4 MPG, 17.4 PPG, 8 RPG, 2 APG, 2.6 SPG, 1 BPG, 2.6 TPG, 47.4 FG%, 3-8 3PT, 10-17 FT
- Mathurin (Canada): 26.2 MPG, 12.6 PPG, 4 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.8 TPG, 43.8 FG%, 35 3PT%, 77.8 FT%
- Ballo (Mali): 30.1 MPG, 11.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG. 3 BPG, 3.2 APG. 1 SPG, 44.8 FG%, 5-14 FT
All three are starters.