MANAGUA (Nicaragua) –Argentina handed Canada its first loss of the tournament and will return to the FIBA AmeriCup Final as it claimed an 83-73 victory at the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex in Managua, Nicaragua on Saturday night. The reigning champions will look to claim their fourth title as they meet with Brazil in the title clash. Canada led in many categories, including points off turnovers, fast break points, and second chance points. But they had no answer for Jose Vildoza, Gonzalo Corbalan, and Juan Fernandez— a trio of starters who all shot over 40 percent from the floor and helped push Argentina to the finish line.
Turning point
Argentina took advantage early as it held Canada to just nine points in the first quarter, giving its team a 13-point gap, which would then become 15 at halftime despite Canada scoring 20 points in the second quarter. In the third quarter, Argentina also held Canada to 16 points compared to 22 of its own, leading by more than 20 for most of the third quarter, which gave them enough cushion to ride to the buzzer even after a 28-point effort by Canada in the final frame of action.
TCL player of the game
Vildoza scored 26 points, going 8-of-14 from the floor, with seven of those field goals coming from three-pointers. He also dished out six assists and grabbed two steals in the win.
Corbalan added 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting, notching a double-double as he grabbed 11 rebounds and tallied six assists of his own. Trae-Ball Haynes, Marcus Carr, and Mfiondu Kabengele all scored 14 or more points for Canada, but no other player in the rotation scored more than 7, making it hard for Canada to keep up with Argentina’s scoring rate. Kabengele led Canada with eight rebounds.
Stats don’t lie
While Canada has had a good scoring run during this competition, Argentina’s defense held them to just 16.7 percent shooting from the arc while being able to knock down 42.9 percent of threes themselves. Argentina also moved the ball with ease as it tallied 22 assists as a team to Canada’s 12. Argentina defensively held two of Canada’s top players during this match, Kyshawn George and Leonard Miller, to 16.7 percent shooting each. With just three buckets made from 18 shots between them, they eliminated two scoring threats that have been prominent throughout the tournament. This is the 15th win for Argentina in 21 matchups against Canada. The Argentines have won the last 12 games between the two in the AmeriCup. FIBA AmeriCup 2025 will be the fourth consecutive final for Argentina.
Bottom line
Argentina was able to make a big push to open the game while also executing deep shots and playing hard defense. The team also moved the ball to find open shots, forcing Canada to either play one-on-one or allow them to hit the basket. The difference in being able to find scorers all over the floor instead of relying on the same players was also big for Argentina’s success. Canada had big games from Bell-Haynes, Carr, and Kabengele, but the usual leaders of George and Miller were held to five and six points, respectively. This helped Argentina force the ball into the hands of players who aren’t primary playmakers.
They said
“We’ve got to be focused, stay together, and mostly play defense. We’re a young team that, if we play good defense, we can grab the rebound and run the fast break very fast,” said Corbalan on what Argentina needs to do as defending champions to keep its crown. Corbalán had nothing but praise for Vildoza after his 26-point explosion sent Argentina to the AmeriCup Final. “I’m really happy for him because he’s a great shooter, a great point guard… he made the really important shots for us to go to the finals, so I’m really happy to play with him,” said Corbalan.
FIBA
