With the final 34 seconds of their Olympic hopes quickly evaporating off the Athens, Greece shot clock, Jermaine Anderson took his team, his country and the fate of his facial hair upon himself.

When the point guard’s three-point offering fell through the bottom of the net, giving his club a 78-77 lead, Canada had consummated one of the greatest comebacks in international basketball history.

The 79-77 victory keeps Canada’s Olympic qualifying hopes alive and thus the superstitious Anderson’s clean cut dreams in tact.

Down by as many as 18 points in the second half, Canada rode the defensive efforts of surprise hero Levon Kendall and the offensive heroics of veteran Rowan Barrett who led the team with 22 points.

Much more impressive, however, than Canada’s 18-point comeback in the final two quarters of work, was the 14-point run they employed to battle back from as many as 12 points down with just 3:12 remaining in the fourth.

Though the Canadians flirted with the comeback for most of the second half, it wasn’t until a Carl English three-point play followed a forced five-second inbound violation when Canada looked poised to finish the job.

After the earned free-throw with 1:42 remaining, Canada sat five points back and a step-back Barrett three-pointer paved the way for the eventual Anderson winner. From there the Canadian defense took over, forcing a Korea shot-clock violation and holding on for the win.

At no other level is it more evident that basketball is a game of expertise than on the international stage so it comes as no surprise that it took resorting to determination and defensive resiliency for Canada to come away with the win.

Big man Levon Kendall led the team on the glass with 14 rebounds as the Canadians out-rebounded their Korean counterparts 44-26. Kendall’s presence in the paint helped the Canadians claim dominance in the second half.

Immediately after the tip, Korea looked poised to run away with the victory thanks to a smattering of early three-pointers and Canadian turnovers. Up 49-33 at the half it looked as though it was simply a matter of holding on for Korea, but the win was not to be.

With the victory, the Canadians will take on the winner of Group D (Puerto Rico or Croatia depending on Wednesday’s winner) in the quarter-final.

Also of note was the absence of Canadian center Samuel Dalembert.

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