PARIS – The Senior Men’s National Team is off to the semifinals at the Paralympic Games following a 79-67 victory over the Netherlands on Tuesday at Bercy Arena.
Canada will play in Thursday’s semifinals against the United States at 3:30 p.m. ET.Patrick Anderson led the way with a double-double – 20 points, 20 rebounds and five assists in the victory. Nik Goncin added 16 points, seven assists and four rebounds, while Tyler Miller chipped in 10 points and two rebounds.
“Everything went right today. It started in the first half with guys stepping into open spaces and hitting jumpers like Tyler, Vincent Dallaire and Chad Jassman,” said Anderson. “Then we just kept our foot on the gas, and when things got tight down the stretch, Nik was clutch. I was spinning my wheels a bit and watching the clock, and Nik closed for us in a special way.”
Trailing by 15 at halftime, the Netherlands made their push in the second half, outscoring Canada 22-21 in the third quarter and 16-14 in the final period. However, Canada managed to weather the storm, holding the Dutch to 45 per cent shooting.
“We just stuck to our game plan,” said Goncin of the team’s defensive game. “We have the same game plan every time; we’re just not super disciplined in executing it. Today is probably the best that we’ve executed it.”
The Netherlands has had Canada’s number recently. The Dutch knocked Canada from medal contention at the IWBF World Championships last summer and beat the SMNT in several competitions since, including last month in Germany.
“We were due to beat them in a big game for once, so I’m glad today was that day,” said Goncin.
Added Anderson: “It is frustrating when you lose to a certain team many times, but we have a lot of respect for them and get along with them. They’re good dudes and a great team – they’re really like us, I feel like; it’s been a long road for them to get here, they improved steadily, and they certainly have a bright future if they keep it together, but it feels good to get over that hump.”
The SMNT outscored the Dutch 26-10 in the second quarter and led 44-29 at halftime.
Anderson and Goncin had eight points each through two quarters, while Jassman and Miller added six each.
After two periods, Canada shot 21 of 31 from the field while limiting the Netherlands to 41 per cent shooting.
Team Canada opened the second on a 6-0 run to take a 24-19 lead 2:44 into the period.
Canada trailed the Netherlands by one, 19-18 after one period.
Anderson, Colin Higgins, Dallaire, and Garrett Ostepchuk each had four points in the first.
Canada shot 9 of 15 and held the Netherlands to 53 per cent shooting in the first.
Complete stats from Tuesday’s game can be found here.
Tournament schedule and results can be found on WBC’s website.
Images from the 2024 Paralympics can be found on the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s photo shelter here.
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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 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 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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