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July 2022
11 Illan Pietrus (FRA)
03/07/2022
Review
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U17 World Cup Day 2: France out-class Canada, Spain bounce back, Poland wins after 12 years

MALAGA (Spain) - The marque matchup of Day 2 at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 was not close at all as France registered an impressive blowout over Canada while hosts Spain bounced back and took their frustration out on Japan and Poland collected their first win in 12 years.  

France out-class Canada, stay perfect

 
Canada vs France was one of the most anticipated games in the Group Phase, with fans of both teams dreaming of a spot high on the podium when it's all said and done. But France made sure things wouldn't be close very long in a dominant 87-55 drubbing of Canada.

The Europeans raced away to a 26-9 lead after 10 minutes with an impressive start from point guard Illan Pietrus and Canada never really made it a fight the rest of the way. Ilane Fibleuil poured in 15 points off the bench to lead four players in double figures for France, who never trailed and had a 28-7 advantage on points off turnovers.

"It was a good game for us. We stayed strong and kept up the intensity. That's what we have to do," said Zaccharie RIsarcher, who picked up 8 points and 6 rebounds for France, who improved to 2-0 while Canada dropped to 1-1 in Group A.

Spain take out frustration on Japan

Hosts Spain were hungry to get back on the court after their opening night upset loss to Lithuania, and Javier Zamora's team took out their anger on Japan with a resounding 109-60 triumph to move to 1-1 and drop Japan to 0-2 in Group B.

Spain led 33-11 after just 10 minutes and never stopped pouring it on. All 12 Spain players scored at least 5 points while Izan Almansa picked up 15 points and 16 rebounds in the win. Bruno Vidarte scored 13 points and Lucas Langarita added 12 points.

Poland win first game since role models from 2010

 
Poland tasted victory at the U17 World Cup for the first time in 12 years as they rolled past Argentina 71-48 to give both teams a 1-1 record in Group D.

Szymon Nowicki collected 17 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks for Poland, who are competing in the U17 World Cup for the first time since 2010, when the country finished second. 

"It was amazing to get the first W. We worked hard the whole preparations and it feels amazing," said Nowicki, who also said those players from 2010 are role models for the 2022 team. "For us, they are someone to look up to. We want to be like some of them in the future and play professional basketball. And it gives us pleasure to be the second World Cup team from Poland."

USA stomp down Slovenia's upset dreams

 
United States made sure any dreams of Slovenia becoming the first team in U17 World Cup history to beat them did not come true, rolling to an 88-55 victory for a 2-0 mark in Group C.

Slovenia actually led 21-20 midway through the second quarter before the Americans unleashed a 20-4 run and the game was decided. Ron Holland's 14 points paced four USA players in double figures while Cooper Flagg had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Jan Vide poured in 20 points to lead Slovenia, who dropped to 1-1.

Top Highlight of the day

Aday Mara is more than just a normal big man - as he proved here for Spain. By the way ... click here to read about his excellent passing.

Picture of the day

Jan Vide did all he could (6/26 shooting, plus 11 free throws, 2 assists and 7 turnovers) for Slovenia in a tough game against United States - but his strong showing did provide us with this nice picture.

Other results:

- Serbia trounced New Zealand 120-72 for their first win.
- Lithuania stayed undefeated by knocking off Dominican Republic 108-60.
- Mali secured their first victory in a 93-48 win over Lebanon.
- Australia had no problems with Egypt, winning 91-46 for a second victory.

Rest day

The FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 will have a rest day on Monday July 4 and return to action with the final games in Group Phase play on Tuesday July 5.

FIBA