(Toronto, Ont.) Team Canada captured its third consecutive win at the 2014 Women’s World Wheelchair Basketball Championship with a 76-53 victory over China on Sunday at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Ont.
The Canadian side stormed out of the gate with a sense of purpose, burying China on the scoreboard en route to a 43-26 lead through two quarters. The momentum and physical tone of the game carried over into the second half, as the Canadian women continued to fight through China’s defence and drive hard to the basket.
“It was a really good team win,” said Quebec City, Que. native Cindy Ouellet. “We just have really great team chemistry. We need to keep working together and follow our game plan and try to get a win in our next game.”
The trio of Janet McLachlan, Ouellet and Katie Harnock led the Canadian effort on both sides of the ball. McLachlan, of Vancouver, B.C., posted a double-double with 27 points and 17 rebounds. Ouellet set the tone with her lightning-quick speed and also tallied a double-double with 20 points and a career-high 12 assists. Harnock, of Elmira, Ont., also added 15 points in the win.
The Canadian victory erased the sting of a loss to China in the last meeting between the two teams, which took place at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and forced Canada to settle for sixth place.
Team Canada will next face reigning Paralympic champion Germany at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, June 23.
The hometown Canadian women are in pursuit of an unprecedented seventh consecutive podium finish at the world championship, and the tournament is Canada’s first major test on the road to the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
The tournament runs June 20-28 and is the largest women’s world championship in history, featuring teams from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru and the United States.
All games of the competition are being webcast live online through CBC Sports’ free desktop video player and SportsCanada.TV’s digital platforms, as well as through the official tournament website. Tickets are also on sale online and at the Mattamy Athletic Centre box office.
For complete results and more information please visit www.2014wheelchairbasketball.com / #2014wcbasketball.