Boilermakers Country

Purdue Basketball Players Help USA, Canada Teams to Victory in FIBA U19 Round of 16

The USA and Canada FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup teams, led by players from the Purdue basketball program, came away with victories in the first round of the bracket stage Wednesday. Both teams need one more victory to force a matchup between them in the semifinals.

D.J. Fezler

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After sweeping through the group stage of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup with unblemished records, both the USA and Canada teams cruised past their opponents in the Round of 16 on Wednesday in Riga, Latvia.

Purdue basketball's Jaden Ivey and Caleb Furst each scored in double figures to help the USA to a 132-60 victory over Korea, while Zach Edey narrowly missed out on his fourth double-double in Canada's 86-56 win over Puerto Rico.

Both teams are on a collision course for a face off in the semifinals on Saturday and will each need one more win to secure the matchup.

The USA dominated its first opponent in the bracket stage, having eight of its 12 players on the roster recording a double-digit point total. Ivey, who shined during the group stage, scored 11 points on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting. He also registered three assists, two rebounds and one steal.

Furst tied a team-high after making 87.5% of his shots from the field. He scored 14 points while also snatching five rebounds and recording one steal and one block.

In four games at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, the USA has yet to trail at any point. The team is scheduled for a matchup with Senegal on Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

The Canada team had similar success Wednesday, coming away with a 30-point win over Puerto Rico. In a game that the team never trailed, Edey scored 10 points while coming down with a team-high eight rebounds. Prior to the matchup, he registered a double-double in all three of Canada's games in the group stage.

The team will play Spain in the quarterfinals on Friday at 5 a.m. ET. The complete game schedule for all teams can be found HERE.

Stories Related to Purdue Basketball

  • BIG TEN DAILY, JULY 7: Ohio Stadium plans for full capacity during the 2021 football season, Rutgers freshman wide receiver Carnell Davis was injured in a fight this weekend and Michigan State forward Aaron Henry is projected as a second-round NBA Draft pick. CLICK HERE 
  • USA FINISHES UNDEFEATED IN GROUP STAGE: Purdue basketball's Jaden Ivey and Caleb Furst were productive contributors during the group stage for the USA Men's U19 FIBA World Cup Team. In an 85-56 win over Australia on Tuesday, Ivey was one of five USA players to score double figures. CLICK HERE
  • ZACH EDEY LEADS CANADA TO VICTORY: Purdue center Zach Edey record three double-doubles in as many games during the group stage for the Canada Men's U19 FIBA World Cup Team. In an 85-56 win over Senegal on Tuesday, he led the team in both points and rebounds. CLICK HERE

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D.J. Fezler
D.J. FEZLER

D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball. 

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