OTTAWA, ONT. (August 19, 2025) – Team Canada pushed the United States for three quarters but ultimately fell 70-57 in semifinals action at the 2025 IWBF Americas Cup on Tuesday in Bogotá, Colombia.
The Senior Men’s National Team (SMNT) will face the host, Colombia, in Wednesday’s bronze medal game at 4:15 p.m. EDT/1:15 p.m. PDT with a spot on the podium up for grabs.
Colin Higgins paced Canada with a double-double, scoring a game-high 20 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Reed De’Aeth added 17 points and seven rebounds, while Lee Melymick chipped in six points.
Canada stayed within reach in the third quarter, but the United States pulled away with a late fourth quarter run.
The SMNT held its own on the glass, outrebounding the Americans 43-34.
Garrett Ostepchuk contributed six points, while Vincent Dallaire added two points and six rebounds.
Canada opened strong in the first half against the United States, battling to keep the game tight through two quarters.
De’Aeth and Higgins carried the offensive load, combining for 27 of Canada’s 28 first-half points as Canada trailed 32-28 at halftime.
Higgins knocked down a pair of threes and had 12 points at the break while De’Aeth topped the SMNT with 15 points on 7 of 12 shooting through two periods.
Team Canada led by one, 15-14, after one quarter, paced by 12 points and two rebounds from De’Aeth. Higgins added three points, three assists and three rebounds for the SMNT.
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. Argentina, the USA, and Colombia have secured their qualification for Ottawa 2026 with their victories in Monday’s quarterfinals. The fourth- and fifth-place teams in Bogotá will advance to the Repechage.
As the host nation, Canada has already qualified for the 2026 World Championships. The SMNT won bronze at the 2022 IWBF Americas Cup in São Paulo, Brazil.
Complete statistics from Tuesday’s semifinals against the United States 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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Media Contact:
Dhiren Mahiban
Communications & Digital Media Manager
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
C: 416-574-6682
dmahiban@wheelchairbasketball.ca