Canadian women to face Netherlands in quarterfinals at wheelchair basketball worlds
Canada's men will play Australia in crossover game after falling to Dutch in quarters
The Canadian women's wheelchair basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals at the world championships with a 54-50 win over China on Friday in Dubai.
Cindy Ouellet of Quebec City and Kady Dandeneau of Pender Island, B.C., led the way with 22 points apiece, while Dandeneau also added a game-high 16 rebounds and five assists.
The Canadians led 45-40 entering the fourth quarter after outscoring China in the first and third at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The Chinese squad made a push in the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run, but Canada responded with a 4-0 run to hand China its first loss of the tournament.
"We've been in many tight games this week, and China was undefeated in the group play. For us to come out and compete today was awesome," Canada head coach Marni Abbott-Peter said in a release. "We executed the game plan perfectly. At the end of the game, when it got tight, we kept our composure, did what we needed, and ended up with the win."
WATCH | Canadian women punch ticket to quarterfinals with win over China:
Ouellet also had nine rebounds and three assists in the win, while Elodie Tessier of Saint-Germain de Grantham, Que., collected eight points and three rebounds.
"It was a really good fight till the end," Ouellet said. "We stayed composed and helped each other even on the bench, the coaching staff — we helped each other to stay composed, and that was the difference at the end."
The win gave the team a 3-2 record in group play. Canada also has wins over Brazil and Great Britain, but it fell short against Spain and Australia.
The Netherlands advanced to the quarterfinals with a 66-57 win over the United States, while Spain, Germany and Australia also booked spots.
The Canadian women's team has won seven world championship medals since the inaugural edition in 1990, most recently capturing gold on home soil in 2014.
Canadian men fall to Netherlands in quarterfinals
In the men's tournament, Canada suffered a 68-53 quarterfinal loss to the Netherlands later in the day.
Regina's Nik Goncin continued his strong tournament with 22 points, but Mendel Op den Orth powered the Netherlands to victory by scoring a game-high 22.
Patrick Anderson of Fergus, Ont., added 11 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the loss, while Garrett Ostepchuk of Regina chipped in six points and four rebounds.
WATCH | Canadian men defeated by Netherlands in quarterfinals:
"The Dutch are a great team; they played their game very well and were able to execute," Canada's Bo Hedges said. "We tried to battle them and keep them out of their spots, but we couldn't quite get there.
"The biggest thing is we fought through the whole game. We tried and pushed through the fourth quarter and made them work for it and made them earn it, but they did well."
Canada will face Australia in the 5-8 crossover game on Saturday at 10:45 a.m. ET, which will also be streamed live on CBC Sports.
"Tomorrow is another day and another game, so we'll get a game plan set and prepare for that," Hedges said. "We want to finish better than our eighth-place showing at the Tokyo Paralympics, so we need a win on Saturday, which will secure that."
Canada was searching for its first medal in the men's tournament since winning gold in 2006, which capped a six-year podium streak at worlds. The team has now missed the podium at the last four editions.
The United States, Iran and Great Britain also advanced on the men's side.
The World Championships will determine the number of spots each zone will receive for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. The four zones in the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) are Africa, Americas, Asia Oceania and Europe.
Canada's men's and women's wheelchair basketball teams will also compete at the 2023 Parapan American Games (Nov. 17-26), which will serve as the Americas zone qualification tournament for the Paris Games.
Women's roster
- Sandrine Bérubé — Beauharnois, Que.
- Kady Dandeneau — Pender Island, B.C.
- Sofia Fassi-Fehri — Montreal
- Melanie Hawtin — Oakville, Ont.
- Puisand Lai — Toronto
- Tara Llanes — North Vancouver
- Cindy Ouellet — Quebec City
- Megan Smith — Vancouver
- Tamara Steeves — Mississauga, Ont.
- Élodie Tessier — Saint-Germain de Grantham, Que.
- Arinn Young — Legal, Alta.
Men's roster
- Patrick Anderson — Fergus, Ont.
- Vincent Dallaire — Quebec City
- Reed De'Aeth — Sherwood Park, Alta.
- Nik Goncin — Regina
- Bo Hedges — Wonowon, B.C.
- Colin Higgins — Rothesay, N.B.
- Chad Jassman — Calgary
- Lee Melymick — Toronto
- Tyler Miller — Kitchener, Ont.
- Blaise Mutware — Toronto
- Garrett Ostepchuk — Regina
- Jonathan Vermette — Sherbrooke, Que.
