Victoria, B.C. - Following Game One of the Pacific Rim Classic, which was an exciting and energetic game played in Rogers Arena, Team Canada and Team China headed to Vancouver Island for their rematch. Played in the Save-On Foods Memorial Centre, Canada started the game hot and didn’t look back.
Despite some tense moments early on, a carry-over from Game One in Vancouver between the teams, Team Canada held a 22-4 lead after the first quarter. Team China would play nearly even in the second quarter, but couldn’t close the gap entering the locker rooms as Team Canada held the lead 49-25.
Content on letting their young players gain experience on the National Stage, RJ Barrett and Andrew Nembhard made the most of their opportunity as they were the top two point getters for Team Canada. Combined they shot 10/13 from three point land making half of Team Canada’s 20 three pointers on the night. Barrett would finish with 21 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds taking Player of The Game Honours while Nembard would add 18 points, 3 assists and a rebound.
When the final buzzer sounded, Team Canada was ahead by a score of 108-72 having never trailed in the game. This brought to a close a successful inaugural Pacific Rim Classic here on the West Coast setting the stage for the tournament to return for years to come.
Team Canada heads to Ontario now to continue the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers. They will play the Dominican Republic on June 29th in Toronto followed by the U.S. Virgin Islands on July 2nd.
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