Tristan Thompson Leads Team Canada to Olympic Qualifying Tournament Final with 78-72 Win Over New Zealand

The Canadian Men’s Basketball Team is one win away from clinching a spot in the 2016 Olympics, as Tristan Thompson and company defeated New Zealand 78-72 in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Semi-Final on Saturday morning in the Philippines.

It was a classic Tristan Thompson type game, as the Cavalier put up a double-double with 13 points (4-of-5) and ten rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass.

Thompson was named the FIBA Player of the Game and had a +20 plus/minus ratio. Thompson has put up 30 points and 26 rebounds in the three games of the tournament, averaging ten points and 8.7 rebounds, tied for third in rebounding in the tournament.

Team Canada also received great play from Raptors point guard Cory Joseph, who has been a star in Canada’s 3-0 start to the tournament.

Joseph scored a game-high 23 points. Joseph has scored 57 points in the three games (19 per game,) which ranks third of all players in the tournament.

After the game, Thompson said, “Coach Jay (Triano) put a team together to win, I’m glad I was able to join and be a part of this, we have one more game. We broke this tournament down into four quarters it’s the fourth quarter we have to be prepared we’re ready, we came this far and we put our self in a position to win.”

Team Canada takes on France in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament Championship on Sunday at 9 AM ET. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the Rio Games.

It will be an interesting match to say the least as both teams are 3-0 in the tournament and both teams have a few notable NBA players that will go head-to-head.

Some recognizable names on the French side include Tony Parker, who will be matched up against Joseph at the point guard battle; Nicolas Batum, who had one of the best seasons of his career in 2015-2016 with the Charlotte Hornets; Joffrey Lauvergne, a power forward/center, who is coming off a good rookie season with the Denver Nuggets; and Boris Diaw, who is most well-known for his time with the Spurs and was recently traded to Utah.

Canada will have their hands full in this matchup, as France is certainly the most star-studded and deepest team of any in the Philippines Tournament.

Thompson will likely be matched up against either Diaw or Lauvergne for most of the game, and for Canada to come away victorious, they will need solid performances from some of the lesser-known players, including Anthony Bennett, Tyler Ennis, Thomas Scrubb, and Melvin Ejim, who have all made big contributions in the first three wins of the tournament, and now go up against stiffer competition in the Final.

The game can be streamed live at 9 AM on Sunday on ESPN3 via the WatchESPN app or WatchESPN.com.

Here are full highlights from Saturday’s Semi-Final between Canada and New Zealand: