MANAGUA — Canada jumped out to a 26-13 first quarter lead and never looked back, beating Venezuela 88-54 in the opening game of the FIBA men's AmeriCup 2025 tournament on Friday.
Canada — playing in Group B with Puerto Rico, Panama and Venezuela — was led by Kyshawn George with 18 points and three assists.
Leonard Miller and Mfiondu Kabengele each had 14 points for the Canucks, while David Muenkat chipped in with nine rebounds.
Yohanner Sifontes had 14 points and five rebounds for Venezuela, while David Cubillan chipped in with 11 points.
Canada led 41-26 at halftime and 66-44 heading into the final quarter.
“Really proud of our effort, especially defensively — we really turned up the pressure on Venezuela,” said Canadian head coach Nathaniel Mitchell. “We controlled the paint, rebounded well and moved the ball.”
Canada outshot Venezuela (55 per cent to 31), had more rebounds (42-32) and more assists (24-13).
The Canadians scored 13 points off turnovers, 12 off fast breaks, 38 in the pain and outscored the Venezuela bench 35-13.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Kabengele said. “We had a really good training camp, and to see flashes of that execution carry over into the game was really encouraging.”
Trae Bell-Haynes directed the offence with nine assists, bringing his career total with the program to 108. Eleven Canadians scored in the win, with four reaching double figures, as the team recorded 24 assists on 34 made field goals.
The 34-point margin was Canada’s largest AmeriCup victory since 2015, while George’s 18 points tied for the ninth-most in a senior debut in program history.
In an earlier game Friday, Puerto Rico whipped Panama 93-59.
Canada will play Panama on Saturday night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2025.
The Canadian Press
