(Beijing, China) The Canadian Women’s U25 National Wheelchair Basketball Team fell 75-57 to host China at the 2015 Women’s U25 World Championship on Wednesday in Beijing.
“We came out very strong, the girls were ready to go work and we played our best basketball,” said Simon Cass, assistant coach of Team Canada. “But we were not able to sustain our energy throughout the whole game.”
“We came out very strong, the girls were ready to go work and we played our best basketball.”
Canada set the tone in the opening quarter and outscored China 22-14 after 10 minutes of play. China responded in the second frame and took the 36-31 lead into halftime. China carried over the momentum in the second half and the Canadians struggled to contain Tian Jiao Lei, who delivered a game-high 35 points for the Chinese team.
Despite the defeat, Canada rebounded with improved play following an opening day loss to Great Britain.
“We did a much better job in transition against China and we were able to stretch the floor effectively,” said Team Canada player Erica Gavel.
The Quebec trio of Maude Jacques, Élodie Tessier and Rosalie Lalonde were the offensive catalysts for the Canadian side. Jacques and Tessier each produced a team-best 15 points, while Lalonde added 13 points. Legal, Alta. native Arinn Young also shot 5-for-6 (83.3 per cent) from two-point range and tallied 12 points.
Canada now sits at 0-2 at the world championship and plays its next match against Japan this evening at 10 p.m. ET (10 a.m. local time on July 2 in Beijing). The top four teams in round robin play will advance to the semifinals on July 5, 2015.
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.