OTTAWA, ONT. (August 11, 2025) – Arinn Young and Élodie Tessier powered Team Canada to a 62-31 victory over host Colombia on Monday night, closing out group play at the IWBF Americas Cup.
With the win, the Senior Women’s National Team (SWNT) secured a 2-1 record—second in Group B behind Brazil—and will face Mexico in Tuesday’s quarterfinals at 12:15 p.m. EDT / 9:15 a.m. PDT.
“It’s been nice to get some balanced play and experience for players,” said SWNT Head Coach Michèle Sung. “Having a competitive battle with Brazil to open the tournament helped us set the tone and get our new athletes some perspective on the pace of play at the Senior National Team level.
“We have been focusing on the quality of play, so we will continue to build on that as we play Mexico in the quarters.”
Young delivered a game-high 34 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Tessier added 15 points, five assists, and five rebounds. Rosie Long chipped in four points, five rebounds, and two assists, while Mercy Nyakundi contributed three points, two assists, and two rebounds off the bench.
Canada shot 29-for-53 from the field and converted 19 points off Colombian turnovers, while holding the hosts to just 21 per cent shooting.
Colombia made a push in the third quarter, outscoring Canada 13-8 to trim the deficit to 26, but the SWNT maintained firm control, taking a 51-25 lead into the final frame.
Canada set the tone early, going on a 15-6 run in the second period to carry a 43-12 advantage into halftime. Young poured in 12 points in the quarter, while Tessier added three.
On the defensive end, Canada held Colombia to 17 per cent shooting through two quarters.
The SWNT opened with six unanswered points and led 28-6 after the first. Young led the charge with 18 points in the opening frame, while Tessier chipped in eight.
Canada shot 14-for-19 from the field in the quarter and turned Colombian turnovers into 10 points.
The Americas Cup is a qualification tournament for the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, which will take place in Ottawa, Ont., from Sept. 9–19, 2026.
In the women’s division, the top two teams will secure a direct berth to Ottawa 2026, while the third- and fourth-place finishers will advance to the Repechage Tournament. On the men’s side, the top three teams will qualify, with the fourth- and fifth-place teams advancing to the Repechage.
As the host nation, Canada has already qualified for the 2026 World Championships. The SWNT captured gold at the 2022 Americas Cup, in São Paulo, Brazil.
Complete statistics from Monday’s game against Colombia can be accessed here.
Select images from the 2025 IWBF Americas Cup are available through the IWBF here.
About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair Basketball Canada (WBC) is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to excellence in developing, supporting, and promoting wheelchair basketball programs and services from grassroots to high performance for all Canadians. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem worldwide for winning six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal over the last nine Paralympic Games. WBC will host the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships from September 9-19, 2026.
For more information on WBC, please visit Wheelchairbasketball.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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