Raptors guard Dalano Banton leads Canada past Mexico in AmeriCup quarter-finals

Toronto Raptors guard Dalano Banton had 16 points and seven rebounds to lift Canada to an 82-77 victory over Mexico on Thursday and into the semifinals of the FIBA AmeriCup tournament.

Banton, a Toronto native, is making his Canadian team debut at the tournament, and is relishing the opportunity.

"For me just to be able to represent my country for the first time, I've always wanted to do that," said Banton, who became the first Canadian drafted by the Raptors, going 46th overall in 2021.

"Going in, being able to get a lot of game reps, playing against high-level competition is great, any time you can," he added. "Being able to push yourself, play with guys who trust me, who expect me to try to lead, it's a different role here and I'm accepting it and I'm playing it and hopefully we get to win our next two games."