Canada staves off U.S fightback in OT to win first ever FIBA World Cup medal

Canada won its first FIBA Basketball World Cup medal on Sunday, defeating World No. 2 United States 127-118 in overtime at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

The third-place game went into overtime in dramatic fashion, with the USA trailing 111-107 with 4.2 seconds remaining in regulation and forward Mikal Bridges at the free throw line.

Bridges made the first free throw but purposefully missed the second. He then chased down the loose ball and drained a corner three with less than a second left to tie the game. Kelly Olynyk of Canada missed a long three at the end of regulation, but it didn't matter because Canada went on to outscore the US 16-7 in overtime.

Dillon Brooks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for Canada, combining for 70 points

Dillon Brooks led the way for Canada with 39 points, the most points scored by a player in a medal-winning game in tournament history. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points, six rebounds and a game-high 12 assists, with RJ Barrett adding another 23 points and seven rebounds.

Canada improved to 2-21 all-time in FIBA senior men's competitions against the United States.

Anthony Edwards led the Americans with 24 points.Bridges finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Austin Reaves contributed 23 points. Following their seventh-place finish in 2019, the United States failed to reach the podium in three consecutive World Cups for the first time since 1963, 1967, and 1970.

SportsLigue