Canada To Play for Bronze at 2015 Women’s U25 World Championship

Élodie Tessier(Beijing, China) The Canadian Women’s U25 National Wheelchair Basketball Team will collide with host China in the bronze medal match at the 2015 Women’s U25 World Championship in Beijing.

Canada (2-4) will tip off against China (3-3) at 1:30 a.m. ET on Monday to decide third place.

Great Britain (6-0) will face Australia (5-1) for the gold medal.

Great Britain derailed Canada’s quest for top spot on the podium with 67-51 victory over the Canadians in semifinal action on Sunday.

“We are a team which has improved every single game,” said Ross Norton, head coach of Team Canada.  “Great Britain is a great team and the game was a hard fought battle. We are going to regroup and we have a chance to meet our goal on Monday of bringing home a medal.”

“We have a chance to meet our goal on Monday of bringing home a medal.”

The teams started the game with intensity and speed, as Great Britain took a narrow 13-10 lead after the first quarter. Great Britain upped the tempo in the second quarter, outpacing the Canadians to hold a 34-21 lead at halftime. Canada regained its composure in the third frame, besting the Brits 15-13 on the scoreboard. With a berth to the gold medal game on the line, Great Britain shut the door on a comeback attempt in the final quarter, dropping 20 points compared to 15 points by the Canadian side.

“We came out really strong to play but we lacked some energy towards the end of the game,” said Team Canada player Maude Jacques, of Lac-Beauport, Que. “We gave it everything we had and are looking forward to the bronze medal match.”

Legal, Alta. native Arinn Young delivered another solid performance for Canada as she produced a game-high 25 points and added 13 rebounds to record her third double-double in as many games. Jacques provided strong secondary scoring for Canada with 18 points.

In other action on Sunday, Germany (2-4) defeated Japan (0-6) to capture fifth place at the world championship.

The Women’s U25 World Championship is held every four years and Canada is one of six countries competing for the world title from June 30 to July 6, 2015 in Beijing. Canada placed fourth as the host nation at the inaugural world championship for junior women in 2011 in St. Catharines, Ont.

The following athletes are representing Canada (athletes’ city of residence indicated / returning players from the 2011 team denoted with a *):

#4 Corin Metzger (Elmira, Ont.)*
#5 Élodie Tessier (St-Germain de Grantham, Que.)
#6 Helaina Cyr (Sherwood Park, Alta.)*
#7 Danielle Arbour (St. John’s, N.L.)
#8 Alarissa Haak (Sherwood Park, Alta.)*
#9 Maude Jacques (Lac-Beauport, Que.)*
#10 Zoe Hahn (Linwood, Ont.)
#12 Sara Black (Toronto, Ont.)
#13 Arinn Young (Legal, Alta.)
#14 Erica Gavel (Saskatoon, Sask.)
#15 Rosalie Lalonde (St-Clet, Que.)

Head Coach: Ross Norton (Edmonton, Alta.)
Assistant Coach: Simon Cass (Victoria, B.C.)

To arrange interviews, please contact Courtney Pollock at 613-260-1296 ext. 203 or cpollock@wheelchairbasketball.ca.

About Team Canada

The Women’s U25 National Team develops the top young Canadian female athletes in preparation for the IWBF Women’s U25 World Championships, which take place every four years. Players must be 25 years old or younger to be eligible to compete. Canada hosted the inaugural world championship for junior women in 2011, where the Team Canada placed fourth.

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 that is committed to excellence in the development, support and promotion of wheelchair basketball programs and services for all Canadians from grassroots to high performance. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem around the world for winning a combined six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in the last six Paralympic Games.

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