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SMNT Comes Up Just Short in Close 78-70 Loss to Croatia

Canada Basketball's Senior Men's National Team lost a narrowly contested exhibition game 78-70 to Croatia on Thursday.

Canada's starters were Anthony Bennett, Melvin Ejim, Tyler Ennis, Brady Heslip and Thomas Scrubb. The full SMNT preliminary roster is available at http://basketball.ca/en/news-article/2016-mens-national-team-camp-roster

Heslip led the way for Canada with 15 points while Ennis had 13 points. Ejim contributed a team-best nine rebounds and four assists. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 18 points for Croatia.

The contest was close from start to finish, with Team Canada taking a 26-24 lead after the first quarter before trailing 40-39 at half. Croatia was in front 60-56 heading into the final period.

The SMNT continues its European tour with a game against China on Saturday in Bologna. Follow @CanBBall on Twitter for game updates.