Although this game meant nothing in the grand scheme of things for Canada, they were able to walk out of Globl Jam 2025 at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Mattamy Athletic Centre with their heads held high Saturday night, taking down Japan 89-74.
Canada was already eliminated from the gold medal match, with Georgetown, who are representing the USA, taking down Brazil 76-74 earlier in the day.
Elijah Mahi got things going early for the Canadians, scoring the first four points for the squad by first, cleaning up a rebound for a put back, before making a nice cut towards the middle of the paint. Then it was Vasean Allette’s turn, as the UTSA guard snagged the next six points for Canada, fighting through contact for three straight physical layups.
Then, Japan would storm back, going on a 7-2 run to take a four-point lead. The Japanese would continue to push, getting their lead up to as much as nine to make it 21-12 behind Troy Murphy Jr. and Shawn Marion Williams. But the Canadians wouldn’t end the quarter without a fight, which was a switch up from how the game began, with sluggishness coming from the Canada side. Long bombs from Aden Holloway and Xaivian Lee, plus a David Simon layup at the buzzer would cap off a 12-4 Canada run as they would trail Japan by only one after one (25-24).
“Anybody who knows me knows that the first quarter, no matter what the scenario is, should never happen defensively,” said Canada head coach Dave Smart.
“I don’t think it was our greatest defensive game. I mean, certainly, the first quarter we didn’t do a lot of things that we needed to do and we didn’t react great when we got in foul trouble.”
“You come out and you think if you win the game, you go to the gold medal game, then you know that [even if] you win, you don’t go to the gold medal game. Your intensity level probably drops. It shouldn’t, but it does. But I thought it was pretty impressive what we did.”
The Canadians would bring the momentum they finished the first quarter with into the second frame, beginning the quarter on a 10-3 run to push their lead up to 34-28, finished off by a Justin Rochelin hoop plus the harm.
It would be dead even for the rest of the quarter, as the teams would go 15-15, though Canada’s pace and willingness to push it in transition was noticeably up, something the team has done in spurts throughout Globl Jam. Ultimately, the Canadians would hold a 49-43 lead heading into the break.
To start the third, the Canadians would come out firing. Mahi and Lee nailed 3-pointers early, before Enoch Boakye would boom on a Japanese defender at the rim, the second time he’s put someone on a t-shirt this tournament. That capped an 18-7 run throughout the first six minutes of the frame.
Overall, Canada’s defence was tough to penetrate in the third quarter, only allowing Japan to score 12 points, as the Canadians held a 73-55 lead going into the fourth.
The final frame was back-and-forth, as the themes that were present throughout the game continued into the final quarter. Though the Canadians would take their foot off the gas pedal towards the end and be outscored 19-16 in the quarter, Canada ultimately took down Japan 89-74 to end Globl Jam 2025 with a 2-1 record.
Key performers:
Canada
Aden Holloway, 18 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Xaivian Lee, 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and one steal.
Elijah Mahi, 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal.
Enoch Boakye, 13 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
Justin Rochelin, 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals.
Japan
Yuto Kawashima, 17 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and two steals.
Shawn Marion Williams, eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Koki Hirose, 10 points, two assists, one steal, and one block.
