Canada falls to hosts Brazil in semifinal at AmeriCup tournament

Canada will play the United States for bronze on Sunday, following a tough AmeriCup semifinal battle with Brazil on Saturday.

Despite closing the deficit to three points late in the fourth quarter on Saturday, the Canadian men couldn't pull even with the hosts and eventually lost 86-76. Earlier in the day, the United States lost 82-73 to Argentina in the other semifinal.

Jahvon Henry-Blair paced Canada's offence with 24 points, including 4-of-5 three-point attempts. Dalano Banton had 12 points, while Abu Kigab chipped in with 10 points and Lloyd Pandi had nine.

Brazil led 44-34 at the half and 67-54 after three quarters.

Despite the loss, it has been a rewarding journey for Team Canada at the AmeriCup. The team has shown growth with each game, despite its youth.

"It means a lot," Team Canada head coach Nathaniel Mitchell said. "It's my first time head coaching and to have a team like this that plays so hard, an opportunity to represent my country, I can't say enough."

"I think you don't get these opportunities [very often], and then guys like this who come out and play so hard, you just want them to win so badly for them to feel the opportunity to represent their country and to win a medal," Mitchell said.

"Even with this [loss], against a good team, we're going to wipe it from our memory and try to figure out how to win tomorrow and leave here with a medal. That's the only focus I have right now.

"My team, my players, my staff, giving me the amount of confidence to be able to represent the country, it's an unbelievable honour."

Sunday's bronze-medal final is scheduled to tip off at 4:10 p.m. ET.