OTTAWA, ONT. (August 10, 2025) – Arinn Young poured in a game-high 41 points to lead the Senior Women’s National Team to a 93–10 win over El Salvador, securing their first victory at the 2025 IWBF Americas Cup on Sunday in Bogotá, Colombia.
“I feel like we all went back to our fundamentals, which is something we struggled with in our first game,” said Mercy Nyakundi, one of five athletes making their Senior Women’s National Team (SWNT) debut in Bogotá. “We had the energy, we had great communication, and everyone got the ball to the basket.”
Elise Froese contributed 18 points, five assists, and three rebounds, while Nyakundi added 12 points, five assists, and two rebounds in the victory.
“I think this game has helped us get to a level we can play at for the remainder of the tournament,” Nyakundi added.
Bethany Johnson chipped in eight points and five rebounds, and Lily Brook finished with four points and two rebounds in Sunday’s win.
Team Canada built a commanding 77–6 advantage through three quarters, led by a 24–4 run in the third.
The SWNT held a 53–2 lead at halftime after shutting out El Salvador 18–0 in the second quarter.
Nyakundi scored six points off the bench in the frame, including her first international basket with Team Canada, while Young added six points.
Canada shot 24-for-44 in the opening half, scoring 35 points off El Salvador’s turnovers and holding their opponent to just 16 per cent shooting from the field.
Canada set the tone early, scoring the game’s first 31 points and taking a 35–2 lead after the opening quarter.
Young led the way with 23 points and two rebounds, while Froese chipped in eight points and two assists off the bench.
Defensively, Canada limited El Salvador to just five field-goal attempts in the first quarter and generated 21 points off turnovers.
Team Canada wraps up group play on Monday against the host, Colombia, at 6:30 p.m. EDT/3:30 p.m. PDT.
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 Sunday’s game against El Salvador 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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