The Group C clash ended with a three-point differential, Canada on top 74-71.

It was a slow start for the Emus, trailing 17-8 at the end of the first quarter before William McDowell-White led the charge for the Australians off the bench. The Queenslander’s potent offense, including a sweet 3-pointer, along with Kyle Clark and Jack McVeigh who each racked up 4 points, the Emus leveling the scores at half-time at 30 points apiece.

"I thought we showed resolve to overcome a tough start to be right in the contest from that point on," said Emus coach, Adam Caporn.

The back end of the contest proved tighter than ever, with Tom Wilson and Dejan Vasiljevic hitting their stride. Their efforts weren’t enough to give the Emus the upper hand, not quite on song from beyond the arc and 8 from 13 at the free throw line.

"We defended well for long stretches and did a good job disrupting the opposition," Caporn said. "Ultimately we need to be better on the defensive glass and have some more poise offensively, especially down the stretch.  We constantly gave ourselves opportunities with our defence but we unable to gain momentum and capitalise down the other end."

Click here for the box scores.

Next up, the Emus play Italy on Sunday evening. The Azzuri will be coming off their convincing win over Tunisia. Once again, FIBA will be streaming on their YouTube channel with the game live from 2045 AEST.