Cindy Ouellet 'a star' for Canada in 5th-place finish at wheelchair basketball worlds
Quebec point guard scores 35 points against Australia; Canadian men 6th in Dubai
Canada needed all of Cindy Ouellet's game-high 35 points for its fifth-place finish at the wheelchair basketball world championships.
The 34-year-old point guard's layup with 34.2 seconds left in regulation put her team ahead for good and she added a foul shot to cement a 64-62 victory over a resilient Australian outfit at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Monday.
"It was great to finish with a win, and Cindy was a star," Canada head coach Marni Abbott-Peter told Wheelchair Basketball Canada. "She just carried us today, double-double, 35 points after this long tournament where she's been playing heavy minutes.
"She's a true Paralympian at heart and a real champion. It's just great to coach an athlete like that. I truly appreciate her effort."
Amber Merritt topped Australia with 33 points but missed two crucial shot attempts from in close in the last 23 seconds.
Her teammate, fellow forward Georgia Munro Cook, put the Aussies ahead 62-60 with 56.9 seconds remaining on two free throws after Canadian guard Elodie Tessier was assessed a foul.
But Ouellet answered, cutting the margin in half by making one of two shots from the free throw line.
Canada, which last medalled at the event with its 2014 gold, was also fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2018 worlds in Hamburg, Germany. They have won seven world championship medals since the inaugural edition in 1990.
"We rallied back after being a little bit disappointed in the quarterfinals," Abbott-Peter said, referring to Saturday's 66-47 loss to the Netherlands. "I think we did a good job of finishing strong here, and we beat some of the top teams in the tournament, so we can go home with our heads high and be really proud of our effort and what we've done here."
WATCH | Full coverage of women's 5th-place game: Canada vs. Australia:
The Canadian men also played in a fifth-place match Monday but dropped a 67-56 decision to Italy.
The Australian women looked to be in control on a 10-0 run four minutes into the third quarter for a 42-32 advantage but it evaporated in a little over four minutes when Canada tied the match 44-44. The teams exchanged baskets and entered the final 10 minutes even, 46-46.
Aussies dominant in the paint in 1st half
Australia held a slim 18-16 lead after the first quarter, with Merritt scoring 10 points while Ouellet had nine of Canada's 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting and a free throw.
The teams were tied 32-32 at the half but Australia was dominating in the paint with 22 points to 10 for Canada, which scored six points off turnovers.
Ouellet stood out in the opening 20 minutes with 17 points, converting eight of 10 shots from the field while adding five rebounds and two assists.
Teammate Kady Dandeneau had an uncharacteristically quiet game offensively with only 10 points, converted just four of 14 shots (28 per cent) from the field and turned over the ball three times. But the Toronto resident did rack up 10 rebounds, four assists and had six of her team's eight steals.
Meanwhile, Canada's men improved on their Olympic performance from Tokyo (eighth) and 12th-place showing at the 2018 worlds.
"We were hoping for a win today," said player Bo Hedges. "It's slow and steady, but it's an upward trend, and we're happy with that."
We have more depth; we have more guys playing than a couple of years ago. It's getting better.— Canadian men's player Bo Hedges on the team's upward trend
Nik Goncin paced Canada with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists on Monday. Colin Higgins added 10 points and three rebounds, while Patrick Anderson contributed nine points, eight assists and four rebounds.
Canada trailed 23-14 in the first quarter and 37-27 at halftime. The Canadians went on a 6-0 run and cut Italy's lead to eight with 3:33 remaining in the fourth but couldn't pull event.
WATCH | Full coverage of men's 5th-place game: Canada vs. Italy:
"The competition is so good," Hedges said. "We are showing improvements. We have more depth; we have more guys playing than we did a couple of years ago. It's getting better, and it's fun to be a part of."
The world championships 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.
