Canada, USA, Dominican Republic and Argentina all winners on Day 1 of Americas U16 Championship

BAHIA BLANCA (2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship) - There were wins for Canada, defending champions USA, the Dominican Republic and Argentina on Day 1 of the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Bahia, Blanca, the capital of basketball in South America.

The eight-team event began with the game between Canada and Venezuela. From the start, the Canadians controlled the tempo to take a 23-point lead. Thanks to an exciting transition game, they opened their campaign with an 84-55 win. Danilo Djuricic had 17 points to lead all scorers in the winning cause, while Carlos Paez had 14 points in the losing effort.

The reigning champions USA opened their title defense with a dominating and powerful performance, defeating Puerto Rico, 105-54. With five players scoring in double figures, they dominated every aspect of the game in an impressive athletic display that wowed the crowd in Bahia Blanca. Markus Howard led the way with 19 points for the USA, while Eric Ayala led Puerto Rico with 17 points, in large part due to an effective outside shot.

The upset of the day came from the Dominican Republic, who defeated the South American champion Brazil by the score of 66-58. 

The defensive pressure of the Dominicans was key in the victory that had newcomer to the national team program Alanzo Frink contributing 22 points and 11 rebounds. Yago Santos was the top scorer for the Brazilians, finishing with 15 points.

The first day concluded with tournament hosts Argentina defeating Mexico 85-70 in a packed Osvaldo Casanova Arena. 

Even though the Argentineans took a quick lead, Mexico came back in a gutsy and resilient performance, behind a 13-point quarter by Salvador Martinez. But fatigue seemed to set in for the Mexicans against an Argentina side that stayed patient in its offensive execution. Lautaro Lopez led the way for the home team with 20 points. Martinez ended up with 24 points in defeat. 

The 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship continues on Thursday. In Group A, the Dominican Republic take on the USA and Puerto Rico face Brazil. In Group B, Canada square off against Mexico and Argentina go head to head with Venezuela. 

The top four teams in the tournament will qualify for the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship.

Click here for complete coverage of the event, including live broadcast of all the games. 

FIBA