Canada scores crucial semifinal win at Olympic basketball qualifier

Canadian men's basketball coach Jay Triano could tell his players needed a moment to regroup after briefly losing a lead in the third quarter of Saturday's FIBA Olympic qualifying semifinal against New Zealand.

He told them to "breathe, just relax," and it worked.

Canada took a step closer to qualifying for the Rio Games with a 78-72 victory over New Zealand. The Canadians will play France in Sunday's final with the winner earning an Olympic berth.

"I think we were getting caught up just a little bit," Triano said of the third-quarter mishap that saw New Zealand take a 66-64 lead. "We missed a defensive assignment, they hit a three, that hurts us.

"The tempo of the game was in our pace early then it kind of slowed down for us. But I still thought at the end of the game our execution, spreading the floor and being able to use our athleticism was our strength."

Cory Joseph poured in 20 points and Tristan Thompson, fresh off an NBA championship-winning run with the Cleveland Cavaliers, added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Canadian squad.

Canada hasn't had a men's basketball team in the Olympics since the 2000 Games in Sydney.

"We came this far, we came to put ourselves in a position to win," Thompson said.

"Coach Jay, the whole coaching staff and front office put a team together to come here and win. We've travelled this far, the guys went to multiple destinations to prepare for this moment. I'm glad I'm able to be a part of this. We have one more game."

Melvin Ejim had 13 points for Canada and Anthony Bennett had nine.

"Melvin is our energy guy," Triano said. "We trust him down the stretch... He's a fierce competitor and was extremely valuable tonight."

Corey Webster recorded a game-high 21 points for New Zealand while Tai Jack Webster had 15 points and 10 boards.

Canada outscored New Zealand 44-28 in the paint but shot 20 per cent from three-point range, compared to New Zealand's 37.9 per cent. Canada also made just 14-of-25 free-throw attempts.

"We're a better shooting team than we've shown," Triano said. "We eventually have to make shots. We have one more game to get that done."

New Zealand took a 25-23 lead in the first quarter and the teams were tied 42-42 at the half. The Canadians had a slim 58-54 lead after three and closed out the fourth by outscoring New Zealand 20-18.

France downed Turkey 75-63 in Saturday's other semifinal.