Canada falls to 1-1 at FIBA U19 World Cup after 78-73 loss to Spain

CAIRO – Canada dropped a 78-73 decision to Spain on Sunday, to fall to 1-1 at the FIBA U19 World Cup.

Abu Kigab of St. Catharines, Ont., had 16 points and eight rebounds, while Toronto’s Prince Oduro finished with 14 points, and Lindell Wigginton of Dartmouth, N.S., had 11 points and seven boards.

The Canadians, who’d beaten Spain 88-72 in an exhibition game last week in France, trailed 22-18 after the first quarter, and 39-33 at halftime.

“We started off slow, and because of that we had to climb back in the second half and didn’t have enough left in the tank at the end,” said Toronto guard Jordan Henry.

Canada opened the tournament with a 91-42 rout of Mali on Saturday. They’ll wrap up the preliminary round against Japan on Tuesday.

“(We) hope to bounce back with a better performance against Japan in game three,” said Canada’s coach Roy Rana. “These tournaments are about character and resilience and we’re going to keep fighting for Canada.”

The tournament’s round of 16 is Wednesday, followed by the quarter-finals on Friday. The semis are Saturday, and the final next Sunday.