(OTTAWA, ONT.) – The Senior Men’s National Team dropped a pair of games on Saturday at the Ottawa Invitational tournament presented by Meridian Credit Union. Canada fell 57-37 to the Netherlands and then lost 85-49 to the Americans at the Carleton University Ravens’ Nest.

“The first game against the Dutch, they’re a great team. We’ve got to be prepared to come out and play every game,” said Bo Hedges. “They came out, they played strong, and it took us a while to get into the game and get into the flow. That’s a learning experience for us to be able to come out and be ready to play.”

Colin Higgins scored a team-high 12 points, three assists and seven rebounds in the loss to the Dutch, while Garrett Ostepchuk and Hedges added six points each.

The Netherlands was paced by Mendel Op Den Orth, who scored a game-high 27 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

In the loss to the U.S., Pat Anderson led with a team-high 17 points, 10 rebounds, and Nik Goncin chipped in 12 points and five rebounds.

Steve Serio scored a game-high 23 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists for the Americans. Brian Bell chipped in 17 points in the win.

“The game against the Americans, that is the Paralympic champion right there. The pace they played with today was amazing, and that was a great experience for us to feel that,” Hedges said. “It’s been quite a few years since we’ve played them in any sort of friendly or international competition like this, so it was a good experience. They played amazing, and that’s what we expect from them.”

In the day’s final game, the Netherlands defeated the United States 73-66 in overtime. Gijs Even scored a game-high 24 points, and Op Den Orth added 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Dutch. The Americans were led by 16 points from Fabian Romo. Serio and Jacob Williams each added 14 points.

Action at the Ottawa Invitational tournament concludes on Sunday when the Netherlands and Americans play for the top spot in the tournament at 8:30 a.m. ET. Canada will face the Netherlands at 12:30 p.m. ET to conclude the tournament.

All games take place at Carleton University Ravens’ Nest (9376 University Drive, Ottawa, ON) and are free and open to the public. Those wishing to attend games can secure their free tickets here.  

All of Canada’s games will be streamed on CBC Sports digital platforms, including the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca and the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, as well as on WBC’s YouTube channel.

About the Ottawa Invitational
The Ottawa Invitational tournament, presented by Meridian Credit Union, runs May 17-21, 2023, at the Carleton University Ravens’ Nest. The five-day tournament will feature the top wheelchair basketball athletes from Canada, the Netherlands and the United States as they prepare for the upcoming IWBF World Championships. The event is supported, in part, by The Government of Canada and Ottawa Tourism. Please visit Wheelchair Basketball Canada’s Ottawa Invitational event page for further information, including the complete schedule.

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 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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For more information, please contact:

Dhiren Mahiban
Communications & Digital Media Manager
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
C: 416-574-6682
dmahiban@wheelchairbasketball.ca