The SMNT leave Bogota as the fourth seed
Team Canada fought to the final seconds of Wednesday’s bronze medal game, coming up just short in a 48-47 thriller against the host, Colombia, to conclude the 2025 IWBF Americas Cup in Bogotá.
Ibrahim Odza paced the Senior Men’s National Team (SMNT) with 16 points, shooting an efficient 8 of 14 from the field and adding two assists. Garrett Ostepchuk poured in 14 points, three assists and three rebounds, while Reed De’Aeth contributed 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Captain Vincent Dallaire was named a tournament all-star for his performance over the six games in Bogotá.
After trailing 14-6 at the end of the first quarter, Canada stormed back in the second frame, outscoring Colombia 14-0 to take a 20-14 halftime lead.
“I felt there was a big momentum switch,” said Odza. “We came back, still believed in the game. We went on a big run. We had some good pick-and-rolls and good ball movement at certain times.”
The defensive effort was key, as Canada held the hosts scoreless for the entire second quarter and scored 10 points off 16 Colombian turnovers at the break.
“I think our defence was excellent today,” Odza added. “We kept a pretty good offensive team, with one of the best players in the tournament, to a low-scoring game and came out pretty hard and played good defence almost the entire game.”
Despite Colombia’s third quarter push, Canada held a 35-30 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
The SMNT’s bench outscored Colombia 20-13 on Wednesday.
“Overall, it was a pretty close game. We lost by one point,” said Odza. “I thought the game went pretty well.”
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. Argentina, the USA, and Colombia have secured their qualification for Ottawa 2026 with their victories in Monday’s quarterfinals. Brazil and Mexico 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 Wednesday’s bronze medal game can be accessed here.
Select images from the 2025 IWBF Americas Cup are available through the IWBF here.