Canada nearly spoils July 4 for U.S. at FIBA U19 World Cup

Canada nearly played spoiler on July 4 — but the U.S. ultimately prevailed.

The Americans edged Canada 108-102 in the quarterfinals of the FIBA men’s under-19 World Cup on Friday in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Next up for the U.S., which has won the tournament a record eight times, will be either New Zealand or the host Swiss in Saturday’s semifinals.

Canada, meanwhile, bows out early despite a valiant effort against the basketball superpower.

After falling behind by as many as 13 points in the first half, Canada fought back to take a one-point lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter.

It was a tight contest from there, as the North American foes traded buckets down the stretch.

The U.S. opened a six-point lead midway through the frame, only to see Canada claw back once more and get within one point at the 4:20 mark.

But it’s as close as the Canadians would come.

Jordan Charles of London, Ont., led Canada with 19 points while adding five assists. Tristan Beckford, of Thornhill, Ont., had 16 points and six rebounds on six-for-nine shooting from the field.

Aziz Olajuwon — a son of Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon who was born in Toronto — contributed seven points and two rebounds off Canada’s bench.

For the Americans, potential 2026 No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa led the way with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Canada won its first and only U19 World Cup in 2017 as Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett led the squad past the U.S. in the semifinals and Italy in the gold-medal game.