Canada’s men’s basketball team came up just short of a chance to play for a trip to the Tokyo Olympics, losing 103-101 in overtime to the Czech Republic in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Victoria BC on Saturday afternoon.
The host Canadian team battled back with 34 points in the fourth quarter to erase a seven point deficit and push the game into overtime. The game remained tightly contested in OT, with the Czech Republic outscoring the Canadians 9-7 in the extra frame to punch their ticket to the finals. RJ Barrett led the way with 23 points for Canada, followed by Andrew Wiggins with 22 and Nickeil Alexander-Walker with 21. Odessa’s Aaron Doornekamp didn’t see any action in the game.
The Czech Republic will face the winner of the matchup between Turkey and Greece in Sunday’s final with the winner qualifying for the Olympic games.