A NEW champion will be crowned at the 2023 Fiba World Cup.
On a night filled with surprising twists, Canada closed out the group stage by knocking out defending champion Spain, 88-85, in Jakarta on Sunday.
Lithuania dents Team USA's perfect record ahead of Final Eight
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Canadians' great escape in a photo finish with 30 points to slam the door on La Roja's title-retention bid.
From trailing by 12 to winning by three, Canada's comeback marked a historic second World Cup win against the world No. 1 side in 49 years.
SGA's 30-point effort also came one point shy of the best-ever scoring output by a Canadian player in the global showpiece.
Canada will meet Luka Doncic and Slovenia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
The scores:
Canada (88) - Gilgeous-Alexander 30, Brooks 22, Barrett 16, Olynyk 6, Powell 6, Alexander-Walker 5, Dort 3, Ejim 0, Alexander 0, Bell-Haynes 0, Scrubb DNP, Edey DNP.
Spain (85) - W. Hernangomez 25, Aldama 20, Abrines 11, Brizuela 8, Garuba 4, Nunez 4, Claver 3, Fernandez 3, Diaz 3, Llull 0, Parra DNP.
Quarterscores: 21-21; 38-48; 61-73; 88-85.
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