Zach Edey Pushes Canada Past Spain in FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup Quarterfinal
Purdue center Zach Edey has dominated the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, and Canada needed all that he could muster to stay undefeated.
The Canada Men's U19 Team was locked in a back-and-forth game with Spain on Friday in Riga, Latvia. In a quarterfinal matchup that featured 17 lead changes, Edey posted his fourth double-double of the tournament to help his team earn an 81-77 victory.
😱 @zach_edey went all @SHAQ mode in Latvia. #FIBAU19
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) July 9, 2021
🇨🇦: 81
🇪🇸: 77
📊: Edey’s numbers.
PTS: 24
REBS: 15 (8 off.)
BLK: 4
STLS: 1
FGs: 7-10
FTs: 10-15
MINS: 25:39
Absolutely dominating performance. pic.twitter.com/eAmlScl6Sv
Edey recorded 24 points and a team-high 15 rebounds in the win. He also registered four blocks and a steal. Eight of his rebounds came on the offensive end of the court, helping Canada earn 29 second-chance points.
Not only did Edey fill up the stat sheet, but he did so with efficiency. The 7-foot-3 center made 7-of-10 shots from the field and knocked down 10-of-15 free throws in under 26 minutes on the court.
Canada's largest lead of the game was seven points, and it spent more time trailing Spain than it did with the scoring advantage. But the team managed to pull away just enough with under five minutes to play, scoring 14 points in that span to secure the four-point victory.
Edey owned Canada's highest efficiency rating as the team's top performer. His 24 points against Spain were his highest of the event, but he came two rebounds shy of tying his best performance on the glass.
Dominant outing for 7'3 Purdue Center Zach Edey helping Canada to the semifinals with 24 points, 15 rebounds, 4 blocks in 26 minutes. Made his FTs, played exceptionally hard and was a super reliable presence around the rim. Going to have a breakout season next year it looks. pic.twitter.com/KxePqQes82
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) July 9, 2021
Through five games, Canada has a 5-0 record and will face the USA in a semifinal matchup on Saturday. The USA team earned an 88-58 victory over Senegal on Friday. Edey is averaging 15.6 points, 14.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- USA MEN'S U19 TEAM DEFEATS SENEGAL: Purdue basketball's Jaden Ivey led the USA Men's U19 FIBA World Cup Team in scoring during an 88-58 win over Senegal on Friday. Teammate Caleb Furst recorded four points and two rebounds. CLICK HERE
- MYLES COLVIN COMMITS TO PURDUE: Myles Colvin, a rising junior basketball player from Heritage Christian High School, committed to coach Matt Painter and Boilermakers on Wednesday. He is the son of former Boilermaker football star Rosevelt Colvin. CLICK HERE
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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.