Canada to go for men's basketball gold at Pan Am Games after OT win over U.S.

TORONTO - Canada will go for men's basketball gold at the Pan American Games after defeating the United States 111-108 in an overtime thriller Friday.
The Canadians, who have never finished better than fourth at the Games, needed a rousing fourth-quarter comeback and overtime charge to dispose of the
Americans.
They will be hoping to join the Canadian women atop the Pan Am medal podium.
Canada will play Brazil, which downed the Dominican Republic 68-62 in the earlier semifinal. Both finalists are 4-0.
The game went to overtime at 97-97 after Canadian Jamal Murray's last-ditch shot missed.
The U.S. led 97-94 with 50 seconds remaining thanks to a Bobby Brown bucket. Murray, an 18-year-old Kentucky recruit, calmly sank a three-pointer to tie the game and the Canadian defence stopped the U.S. in their tracks.
Murray had eight points in overtime to seal the deal. Brown missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game.
It was a roller-coaster game that saw the Americans pull ahead in the third to lead 80-74 going into the final quarter.
But Canada clawed its way back with an 11-2 run that saw Murray scored nine points, much to the delight of the raucous crowd at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
An Anthony Bennett dunk put Canada ahead 92-91 with less than three minutes remaining. A Bennett block at other end also helped. But the Americans wouldn't go away.
Andrew Nicholson led Canada with 31 points.
Brown led the U.S. with 25 points while Anthony Randolph added 21.
Nicholson was a force in the first half and scored seven of Canada's first eight points in the second half. But the Americans erased a five-point halftime deficit and reeled off an 11-3 run fuelled by three straight three-pointers by Denzel Valentine to lead by seven.
The U.S. leads the Pan Am all-time men's basketball standings with eight gold, three silver and two bronze but has not won the competition since 1983. Canada's previous best finish was fourth in 1983.
Coached by Gonzaga's Mark Few, the 2015 American team features Sacramento Kings centre Ryan Hollins, four players at overseas clubs plus seven collegiate players.
Overseas pros Brown, Damien Wilkins and Randolph all have NBA experience.
Nicholson (Orlando), Bennett (Minnesota) and Sim Bhullar (Sacramento) are the only three players with NBA experience on Canada's roster.
The Americans missed their first five two-point shot attempts but kept in the game by sinking four three-pointers early.
Canada's Aaron Doornekamp was forced to the bench midway through the first quarter with three fouls. Canada led 24-23 at the end of the quarter.
Two fouls to Bennett brought Bhullar onto the floor to cheers and the seven-foot-five behemoth obliged with a bucket from in close.
Back-to-back Brady Heslip baskets gave Canada a 41-34 lead, its biggest of the game. The U.S. closed the gap, only to see Nicholson sink back-to-back three-pointers to restore a seven-point lead.
At one point during the quarter, Jay Triano and his fellow coaches on the Canadian bench hung their heads at the officiating.
Canada led 52-47 after a first half that saw Nicholson score 16 points and pull down seven rebounds. The Americans were outrebounded 26-14.
A third foul midway through the third sent Bennett back to the bench, leaving Nicholson to carry the load.
The U.S. finished runner-up in Pool A, handily beating Venezuela and Puerto Rico before losing 93-83 to Brazil on Thursday night. Canada eased through Pool B, dispatching the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Mexico.
The U.S. is ranked No. 1 in the world by FIBA while Canada is No. 25. But those numbers mean little here given countries are not fielding their top squads.
Canada is saving that for the FIBA Americas Championship, which opens Aug. 31 in Mexico City. Coach Jay Triano hopes to have NBAers Andrew Wiggins, Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph and Kelly Olynyk in the fold then.
The two finalists from the 10-team tournament will qualify for the 2016 Olympics while teams three through five will go to an Olympic qualification tournament.
The U.S., which has already qualified for Rio in 2016 by virtue of winning the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, is skipping the Mexico City competition. The U.S. World Cup-winning team was an all-NBA squad featuring the likes of Stephen Curry, Derek Rose, James Harden and Toronto's DeMar DeRozan.Source