Canada opens FIBA U16 Men's AmeriCup with gritty win over Venezuela

Canada’s U16 Men’s National Team kicked off the FIBA U16 Men's AmeriCup 2025 with a hard-fought 66-62 win over Venezuela on Monday afternoon. Isaiah Hamilton (198-SF-2009) led all scorers with 24 points, to go with four rebounds and four steals, helping Canada stave off a fourth-quarter push from Venezuela and start group play with a victory. Canada built a 28-23 lead at halftime and held off Venezuela down the stretch in a back-and-forth final quarter that saw several lead changes. A late scoring run sealed the result, with Canada outscoring Venezuela 21-18 in the final frame. Despite shooting just 16 per cent from beyond the arc, Canada found other ways to get it done — converting 51.3 per cent of their two-point attempts and outscoring Venezuela on the fastbreak 14-4. Venezuela was led by Julio Vasquez (190-SG-2009), who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Canada returns to the court on Tuesday against Braizl. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. local.
Courtesy of: basketball.ca