OTTAWA, ONT. (August 18, 2025) – Team Canada punched its ticket to the semifinals with a 63-47 win over Mexico in quarterfinal action at the 2025 IWBF Americas Cup in Bogotá, Colombia, on Monday.
The win earns the Senior Men’s National Team (SMNT) a spot in Tuesday’s semifinals against the United States with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. EDT/3:30 p.m. PDT.
Reed De’Aeth paced Canada’s offence with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Colin Higgins contributed a double-double, posting 16 points and 13 rebounds along with four assists.
Garrett Ostepchuk added nine points, while Blaise Mutware chipped in six points and four rebounds.
Canada shot 37 percent from the field and converted 9-of-14 attempts from the free-throw line.
“We managed to find our rhythm, shooting,” De’Aeth explained. “Our defence was a bit stronger in the third quarter, and we were able to make more shots in the second half.
“Mexico came out pushing hard. They’re a team that’s fast, very strong.”
Canada held a 30-25 lead over Mexico at halftime.
After trailing 13-12 at the end of one period, the SMNT responded with an 18-point second frame to pull ahead.
Higgins led the charge with 13 points and seven rebounds through two quarters, De’Aeth poured in seven points and four rebounds off the bench, while Mutware added four points on 2-of-3 shooting.
Team Canada scored six points off Mexican turnovers at the break and shot 13 of 33 through two periods.
“First half, it was a pretty close game, and then we followed coach Matteo Feriani’s game plan, changed up a few things and managed to pull it away,” De’Aeth added.
The SMNT maintained its momentum after the break, outscoring Mexico 19-14 in the third, closing the period on a 9-0 run to pull ahead 49-39 heading into the fourth quarter. De’Aeth had nine points in the period to pace Canada’s offensive attack.
Team Canada sealed the win with a 14-8 edge in the fourth.
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. With their results in Monday’s quarterfinals, Argentina, the USA, and Colombia have secured their qualification for Ottawa 2026. The fourth- and fifth-place teams 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 Monday’s quarterfinal against Mexico 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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