TORONTO — It was an unassuming moment that represented much more for a group trying to figure each other out with little time to do so.

Michael Nwoko and Aden Holloway synced up a double-team that forced a timely second-quarter turnover for the Canadian men's under-23 squad and, without any communication, instantly bumped chests in celebration of their effort.

An interaction that mattered because after Canada got upset by Brazil in its GLOBL JAM opener on Wednesday, coach Dave Smart acknowledged a lack of trust between his players — stemming from a short camp and new faces — as part of the surprising outcome.

So, when moments like Nwoko and Holloway linking up defensively, or when they connected for an alley-oop jam to give Canada a lead at the end of the first, kept happening on Thursday while Canada picked up a much-needed 65-62 win against a stout Georgetown team, they stood as markers of growing chemistry for a team under lofty expectations on home soil.

"There's limitations to what you know, they haven't been together long. They don't know each other well, they're coming together," Smart said following the victory as Canada's hopes of a first-ever men's gold medal at GLOBL Jam remained alive.

Nwoko led the red-and-white's effort on the night as the forward finished with 12 points, five rebounds and a block in just 14 minutes of action. Xaivian Lee and TJ Hurley followed closely behind with 11 points apiece, while Lee chipped in seven assists and two steals as well.

According to the Canadian bench boss, that game-defining growing chemistry manifested most in the form of defensive grit.

"Our goal was to try to be the toughest team," Smart explained. "Last night, we didn't feel we were the toughest team, (but) today I thought without a doubt we were the toughest team.

"I thought we dictated the ball ... we were physical in the right way. I thought on the defensive end, there was a ton more trust and we worked better on the defensive side."

Canada held Georgetown under 30 per cent from both the field and beyond the arc while limiting the American squad to just 32.1 per cent in the paint. A stark improvement after Brazil converted at a 57 per cent clip at the basket against Canada, and the kind of effort required to flip a three-point deficit at halftime into a three-point win.

"It's just making that decision (to be tough) when you wake up in the morning," Holloway said after the game. "When you're on the way to the game, when you step onto the court, you just have to make that decision mentally. So I feel like we've been working on it."

Smart made a point to praise the University of Alabama guard post-game, despite Holloway finishing just 2-of-7 from the field while he acclimates to the international stage in his first tournament with Canada Basketball. Like the team as a whole, it was Holloway's defence that impressed as he refused to be targeted by Georgetown defensively.

" I think today (Holloway) really stepped up," the Canadian coach said. "We've talked about the fact that, you know, he's not a big guy. So, as soon as he walks on the floor, he's not a big guy and he becomes a target. At the EuroLeague level, at the NBA level, you know, they just hunt guys, that's what they do. The other problem is he's insanely gifted and talented. So, that's the other reason people hunt people on the other side of the ball.

"And I think they tried to hunt him and they were unsuccessful. That's sort of what he's got to do at the defensive end is make sure that by trying to hunt him, it hurts their offence, and I think today they tried to, and I think it hurt their offence.

It was that type of hustle on both ends that underscored the victory for the Canadians.

Like when Hurley knocked down an elbow jumper, followed it up with a steal and then nailed a triple moments later to put Canada back ahead in the third, as part of a game that saw nine lead changes and as many ties.

But the win ultimately came down to one final moment of trust that was indicative of the squad's rapid growth in that regard in a matter of days.

With a three-point lead and the ball in hand, Canada was in search of a bucket to seal the deal with less than a minute to go. Conventional wisdom would've let Lee take the shot, given he's the squad's de facto floor general and finished a team-best 4-of-9 from the field. Instead, he tossed it to Vasean Allette, who had made just one of his first six attempts to that point. And the show of faith paid off as the Scarborough, Ont. native worked a quick pick-and-roll with Enoch Boakye and dropped in a layup to give Canada the necessary breathing room to walk away victorious.

"That's what makes him good," Smart said of Lee's unselfishness down the stretch. "The game slows down with him. When he has the ball, he doesn't get sped up that often.

"The last two teams we've played are teams that are decent at speeding you up. And he didn't get sped up and made good plays."

Up next

GLOBL JAM action resumes on Saturday with Georgetown taking on undefeated Brazil (2-0), followed by Canada battling Japan (0-2) at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.

The Canadians' path to the gold medal game appears to be through either an American loss or putting up a strong enough showing against Japan to advance anyway.