The SWNT edged Australia 64-62, while the men dropped a 67-56 decision to Italy
(Dubai, UAE) – Cindy Ouellet had a game-high 35 points as Canada edged Australia 64-62 on Monday night at the IWBF World Championships in Dubai.
The Senior Women’s National Team finished the tournament in fifth place with the victory. Canada also finished fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and the 2018 World Championships in Hamburg, Germany.
“It was great to finish with a win, and Cindy was a star,” said head coach Marni Abbott-Peter. “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.”
Ouellet added 10 rebounds and seven assists in the win. Kady Dandeneau chipped in 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while Arinn Young finished with nine points and three rebounds.
“We rallied back after being a little bit disappointed in the quarterfinals,” Abbott-Peter added. “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.”
Canada and Australia were tied at 32 at halftime and 46 through three quarters. Team Canada closed out the fourth quarter by scoring three unanswered, including a made free throw from Ouellet and got a defensive stop with 16 seconds left to seal the victory.
“It wasn’t the finish we wanted overall, but it was really nice to go out on a high,” said Tara Llanes. “It was a hard-fought battle, and Australia played tough. I’m glad we could finish the way that we finished.”
Complete stats from Monday’s victory over Australia can be found here.
On the men’s side, Canada fell 67-56 to Italy on Monday evening at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
With the loss, Team Canada finished sixth at the 2022 IWBF World Championships. Canada was eighth at the Tokyo Paralympics and 12th at the 2018 World Championships.
“We were hoping for a win today to finish Top 5 but being in the Top 6 is an improvement from Tokyo and obviously an improvement from Worlds in 2018,” said Bo Hedges. “It’s slow and steady, but it’s an upward trend, and we’re happy with that.”
Nik Goncin paced Team Canada with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Colin Higgins added 10 points and three rebounds, while Patrick Anderson contributed nine points, eight assists and four rebounds.
Canada fell behind 23-14 in the first quarter and trailed 37-27 at halftime. Team Canada went on a 6-0 run and cut Italy’s lead to eight with 3:33 remaining in the fourth, but that’s as close as they would get.
“We were hoping the improvement would happen a little faster, but 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.”
Full stats from Monday’s game against Italy can be found here.