Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe scores 16, Canada advances at FIBA men’s U17 World Cup

ROSARIO, Argentina – Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe led the way with a game-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds as Canada beat New Zealand 97-61 on Tuesday to advance to the Round of 16 knockout stage at the 2018 FIBA men’s under-17 World Cup.

Cashius McNeilly and Addison Patterson scored 13 points each to help give Canada its third straight win and top spot in Group C.

The Canadians will play their first knockout game on Wednesday against either Argentina or Philippines.

New Zealand was led by Mitchell Dance’s 13 points and seven rebounds.

The Canadians jumped out to a 26-12 lead after the first quarter and turned it into a 20-point margin early in the second quarter. New Zealand trimmed it to a 44-28 advantage for Canada heading into halftime. Any chance of a close game went away in the fourth as Canada went on a 31-12 run to close it out.

Canada beat Montenegro 92-67 to open the tournament and followed that up with a 93-53 victory over Egypt.