Canada is going to the FIBA World Cup.
Kassius Robertson's 16-point performance helped Canada's men's basketball team beat Venezuela 94-56 on Thursday for a place in next summer's major international tournament.
The win boosted Canada's record to 9-0 in the Americas qualifying zone. Venezuela fell to 7-2.
Owen Klassen had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Canada (9-0) while Kenny Chery had 12 points and six assists.
Canada completely dominated Venezuela in the glass, surpassing the visitors 54-26. Venezuela couldn't get the offensive board to stretch possession, earning just five second-chance points on the night.
Jhornan Zamora leads Venezuela (7-2) with 14 points and three rebounds.
Canada came out hard early in the first quarter and put pressure on Venezuela, who had just stepped off the plane a few hours before the game. The start time was pushed back by 25 minutes due to the late arrival of the Venezuelan team.
With Canada putting high pressure on the ball, and often doubling down on dribbling, Venezuela missed their first six shots. Of their first eight tries, three were air balls. It took Venezuela almost four minutes to fire a shot, a Zamora three-pointer.
A towering block by Klassen, overwhelms Windi Graterol's lay-up effort, brought the Edmonton crowd to their feet. Canada finished the first quarter with a 25-10 advantage.
Venezuela went on to nine points in the second quarter to reduce the deficit to 10 points, but that's as close as they got.
In the second quarter. Klassen got the spotlight in the first half, completing a pass from Chery.
Canada extended their lead in the third quarter, beating Venezuela 24-11 in the quarter. If there was any life left in the visitors, it was taken from them by Robertson, who hit a three-pointer, was fouled in the act of shooting, and froze the four-pointer with a free throw.
In the fourth quarter, with good results, the visitors' basket resulted in a polite round of applause from the home crowd.
NEXT FOR CANADA: The Panama national team (2-6) will play Canada on Sunday in Edmonton.
NOTE: Canada is ranked No. 15 in men's basketball by FIBA. Venezuela is 17th. …At 9-0, Canada are the only unbeaten team out of the remaining 12 teams in America's two qualifying groups…. In FIBA, teams get two points for a win, but one for a loss. The only way to get anything out of the game is through forfeit…. Of the 12 teams in the Americas qualifiers, Canada has the most points, with 914 over nine games. Canada is the only team averaging over 100 points per game. This article was written by EDUKASI CAMPUS.