Men's National Team Beats Mexico 96-76 in Final Group-Stage Game at TORONTO 2015

Toronto, ON - The Men's National Team's final group-stage game ended in an 96-76 victory over Mexico at the Pan Am Games in Toronto, Ontario.

"It's now a four-team tournament and our focus has to turn to that right away. The experience so far has been great for our young players and we can take away a lot of positives," said Canada Head Coach, Jay Triano.

Burlington native, Brady Heslip finished the game with 20 points on 8-13 shooting and Andrew Nicholson notched a double-double of 11 points together with 10 rebounds. Mexico's Orlando Mendez finished with 24 points while shooting 44% from the field. For a full box score, click here.

Canada started the game slowly as Mexico jumped out to an early 11-5 lead in the frame. Shooting Guard, Carl English shined in the quarter as he sunk two three-pointers to help guide Canada back into the contest. While shooting 5-7 from three-point range and going on a 24-4 run, Canada was able to take an 11-point lead into the second quarter - 27-16.

Canada looked to keep the momentum going in the second quarter. 18-year old, Jamal Murray made his presence felt in the second frame - scoring 8 points while grabbing two rebounds and dishing out an assist. Team Canada shot the ball well at 50% and managed to make free-throws consistently (9-11) to take a 49-39 lead into the half.

The Men's National Team pulled away in the third quarter as the opened the frame on a 10-2 run. By out-rebounding Mexico 13-5 and shooting 50% from behind the arc in the quarter, Canada was able to take a 14-point lead heading into the fourth - 71-57.

Canada looked to finish the game strongly against the Mexicans. Heslip came into the fourth quarter firing on all cylinders - scoring 10 points. Dillon Brooks and Murray manned Canada's backcourt for the majority of the quarter and played well by collectively scoring 9 points. With solid team defense and efficient offense, Canada was able to beat Mexico 96-76.

"The team has great cohesion right now and we're playing well together," said Mississauga native, Nicholson. Starting Point Guard, Junior Cadougan said "I try to be aggressive and be a mentor for the young guys on the team like Jamal (Murray) and Dillon (Brooks). Things have been going well for us so far."

Team Canada will play either United States or Brazil in the Semi-Finals tomorrow at 6:00PM at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Ontario. The game will be televised live on Rogers Sportsnet.

For the full Men's National Team Roster and coaching staff, click here.



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