Canada upset by Brazil in physical loss to open men's GLOBL JAM campaign

TORONTO — One of the consequences of a condensed, five-day tournament like GLOBL JAM is that the preparation is equally as swift, giving those involved little time to dive into the intricacies of a given roster.

A concern Canadian men's under-23 head coach Dave Smart made clear leading into the showcase event.

"(It) worries me in that we don't have a lot of time to evaluate our toughness level," the men's bench boss told Sportsnet a day before action began. "And our fight level, it's hard to predict what's going to happen when you get punched in the mouth. That's my biggest worry."

Well, Smart got some answers on Wednesday, and unfortunately for his team and the crowd in attendance at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, they came in the form of a schedule-opening 85-78 loss to Brazil.

Xaivian Lee led Canada's effort as the guard finished with team-highs of 16 points and nine assists to go with six rebounds in 31 minutes of action. Aden Holloway, in his debut with Canada Basketball, was right behind with 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, while captain Vasean Allette rounded out the red-and-white's double-digit scoring performances with 11 points on a less-than-ideal 5-of-17 showing from the field.

Ultimately, it was Brazil's aggression that proved to be the difference maker as the visitors committed to a rim-pressure game plan and capitalized early, both at the basket and the charity stripe. The Brazilians carved out a plus-10 edge on paint points and nailed 13 free throws on 20 attempts — twice as many as the Canadians through the first half. They flipped a 14-5 deficit to start the game into a surprising, yet modest, one-point lead after the opening quarter, and then into a 43-36 advantage at the break.

"It's a tough team to play against, they're physical, they attack a lot at the rim and they're smart in terms of getting themselves to the foul line, and we just didn't do a great job defensively," Smart said following the loss.

Brazil eventually finished the game 21-of-30 from the charity stripe, while Canada marginally caught up at 15-of-23.

"Because we're inexperienced together, we're kind of a half-step late in most places, so you put yourself in foul situations," Smart explained. "But then some of the foul trouble was just, you know, being aggressive at times that we didn't need to be aggressive and not being aggressive when we needed to be aggressive."

Meanwhile, another catalyst for Canada's problems was Nathan Mariano, a brolic six-foot-seven 21-year-old who's already been part of Brazil's senior men's squad. The young forward finished with 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and five blocks after putting up 16 points in the first half with just one miss and two made threes.

Canada, on the other hand, converted at 33.3 per cent from the field and 22.2 per cent from distance as the trio of Allette, Lee and Anoch Boakye led the way with six points apiece at halftime.

"Offensively, we weren't great, but we were pretty good considering the limited time in camp," Smart added.

That sense of unfamiliarity the coach kept referring to after the loss stemmed from more than the team getting just three days together to prep before the tournament got underway. For starters, Wednesday marked Smart's return to the Canadian sidelines after an extended absence. And beyond that, there were multiple players like Holloway and Elias Ralph, who were stepping onto an international stage with Canada Basketball for the first time.

In stark contrast to the Canadian women's squad, whose headlining characteristic entering the tournament was its continuity. The kind of chemistry that showed as they dominated their Brazilian opponents to the tune of a 48-point win earlier on the night.

Meanwhile, the men did have their fair share of Canada Basketball returnees, namely Allette and Lee, the starting backcourt pairing that was touted as pivotal for the red-and-whites' success by Smart leading into the showcase. And although it was their defence the coach had concerns over, it was the duo's offensive struggles early on that stuck out as they combined to shoot 5-of-16 from the field at the half.

Lee, however, did buck that trend coming out of the break as the guard — who prepares to join the national champion Florida Gators in the fall after transferring from Princeton — chipped in eight points on 3-of-4 shooting in the third en route to his team-high showing. An effort punctuated with a tough and-one finish that not only helped cut Canada's deficit as low as five points in the frame, but also had the local crowd — including many Canadian Olympians — the loudest it had been since tip-off.

Yet when it appeared that Canada had finally thrown a meaningful punch of its own, Brazil swiftly responded with a counter jab in the form of a Mariano step-back triple at the third-quarter buzzer to put his squad up 60-52. The forward finished 3-of-6 from beyond the arc to go with an already impressive 7-of-9 showing from two-point range.

The finishing blow followed soon after, when Canada had cut what was once a 14-point deficit to just three at the 3:54 mark of the final frame — thanks to an eight-point fourth-quarter from Holloway — but saw that momentum wiped away due to a Michael Nwoko unsportsmanlike foul while attempting to box out at the free throw line. The moment was indicative of Canada's struggles on the night, as Brazil once again took advantage and held on for a statement win against the GLOBL JAM host.

"I mean, we just have to be better," Smart said. "And it's a tough team, because they shot so many foul shots that it gets to a point where, you know, at first we trusted our help in the back row and then, with a lack of time (together) you don't trust when things get tense. So it's just a learning experience."

Up next

Both squads return on Thursday, starting with Brazil taking on Japan (0-1) at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT.

Canada, meanwhile, will match up against Georgetown (1-0), presumably needing a win to keep its hopes of advancing to the gold medal game on Sunday alive. The U23 Canadian men have yet to earn first place at the showcase event, entering its third iteration. The Hoyas, representing the USA, opened their GLOBL JAM schedule with an emphatic 35-point win over Japan on Wednesday. Tip-off between the North American opponents is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.