Men fall to Japan, Women defeated by Germany on Day 4 at the Paralympics
Wheelchair Basketball // Basket-ball en fauteuil Roulant
Canada takes on Japan in a men’s preliminary game at the Ariake Arena.
Le Canada affronte le Japon dans un match préliminaire masculin à l’Aréna Ariake.
28/08/2021.
(August 28, 2021 – TORONTO, Ont.) Pat Anderson led Canada with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Nik Goncin contributed 20 points and 13 rebounds, but Team Canada fell short in a 62-56 loss to the hosts’ Japan in men’s wheelchair basketball at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
“We are improving. We’re definitely improving. We are doing better. The mistakes we make don’t allow us to be successful,” said head coach Matteo Feriani. “What happened was Japan scored big shots that allowed them to come back easily, and we made a couple of mistakes. That was enough for Japan.”
Canada (0-3) led much of Saturday’s game and held a 44-38 lead after three quarters, but Japan (3-0) out-scored Team Canada 24-12 in the fourth to erase the deficit and remain undefeated.
The Canadians shot 35 per cent from the field and were 12 of 14 from the line in the loss.
“This is the second game where we have lost it in the end,” said Goncin. “I think obviously there is room for improvement. Kudos to Japan, they played a really good second half. They adjusted to what we were doing, and we didn’t adjust fast enough in the second half.”
Canada held a 12-6 lead after one period shooting a perfect 6 for 6 from the line, and led 30-19 at halftime with Anderson and Goncin pacing Team Canada with 12 points each.
“We lost momentum a little bit, and it’s a mental toughness piece,” explained Goncin. “When you’re up the entire game, and you lose it in the end, it does affect your psyche, especially when you’ve been leading for much of 30 minutes.
“I think that was part of it. We just made some silly fouls too. This is all connected in my opinion. I think it was a winnable game; we got close but just couldn’t close it out.”
Women’s fourth quarter comeback falls short
Canada takes on Great Britain in the preliminary round
Le Canada affronte la Grande-Bretagne au tour préliminaire. 25/08/2021.
Kady Dandeneau had a game-high 23 points on Saturday, but Canada’s fourth quarter comeback fell just short. Germany defeated Canada 59-57 to remain undefeated in women’s wheelchair basketball at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
“I’m super proud of the team,” said head coach Marc Antoine Ducharme. “They came back strong in the fourth. We were trailing the entire game, but we never gave up. We never stopped playing; we believed. From the beginning to the end, we never stopped believing, so that’s good.”
Puisand Lai appeared to tie the game at 59 just as the game clock expired, but after a review, officials determined that the clock expired before the shot.
Cindy Ouellet chipped in 12 points, three assists and two rebounds while Rosalie Lalonde contributed 12 points and two rebounds in the loss.
Canada shot 37 per cent from the field and scored 10 points off 16 German turnovers.
Germany (3-0) led 19-12 after one period with Canada shooting just 28 per cent from the field. Canada (2-1) trailed by 10 at halftime. Dandeneau paced the Canadians with eight points, and Arinn Young contributed four.
Canada used 13-4 run early in the fourth to shrink Germany’s lead to one and took its first lead of the game with 2:38 remaining in the fourth thanks to an Ouellet made free throw.
“It is good to have a little adversity,” said Ducharme. “This game was our first game with adversity so that can prepare us better for the elimination part of the tournament—quarterfinals, semifinals where you cannot lose. It is better to lose now than in the quarterfinals.”
Remaining Team Canada Tokyo Preliminary Round Schedule
Men:
Sunday, August 29: Canada vs. Korea 4:00 a.m. ET
Sunday, August 29: Colombia vs Canada 8:00 p.m. ET
Women:
Sunday, August 29: Canada vs. Australia 7:30 a.m. ET
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About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is committed to excellence in the development, support and promotion of wheelchair basketball programs and services for all Canadians from grassroots to high performance. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem around the world for winning a combined six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in the last seven Paralympic Games. For more information, please visit wheelchairbasketball.ca.
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