(Birmingham, UK) Canada’s top wheelchair basketball stars improved their records to 2-0 on day 3 of competition at the 2010 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships. The Sr. Men’s and Women’s Teams are looking to successfully defend their dual World Champions titles at the tournament taking place July 7-17, 2010 in Birmingham, UK.

Both the Canadian Teams won gold at the previous tournament held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2006. For the Canadian Women it was their fourth consecutive World Championships, meaning this year they are vying for an unprecedented fifth straight World Title.

For the second consecutive game the Canadian Women came from behind and found a way to win. After trailing for most of the game, the Canadians shocked the Netherlands by coming through in the clutch and taking over lead in the final minutes of the game to win 58-54. Canada trailed by three points at the half  and found themselves down by as much as 11 points in fourth quarter when Cindy Ouellet (Quebec, QC) drove to the net and sunk a basket with 1:33 left on the clock putting Canada up 54-53. The Dutch got themselves into foul trouble and sent Jessica Vliegenthart (Victoria, BC) to the charity strip in the final minute of the game, but not before she got a difficult shot away that went in and sealed the victory for Canada.

“We expected a tough battle against the Netherlands and it definitely did get rough out there. So many of our young players did a really good job of keeping their exposure and they were able to pull it out in the end,” said Team Canada athlete Marni Abbott-Peter.

Janet McLachlan (Vancouver, BC) notched another double-double and lead Canada with 21 points and 12 rebounds.  Tara Feser (St. Albert, AB) finished the game with 13 points and 8 boards, helping Canada out-rebound their opponents 34-26.

With the win the Canadian Women improve their record to 2-0.

In their second game of the tournament the Canadian Men defeated Algeria 87-61 in a high scoring affair that saw seven players reach double-digits in scoring, including five Canadians.  David Eng (Montreal, QC) set the pace with 21 points, while Joey Johnson (Lorette, MB) and Dave Durepos (Fredericton, NB) had 15 and 14 points respectively. The Canadians lost the lead only once early in the first quarter, but halfway through the first frame they recaptured it and never looked back.

Canada moved the ball around really well and as a result Algeria struggled to contain the Canadians offense that generated plenty of quality scoring chance. At the other end, Canada responded by forcing 18 turnovers and stealing the ball 13 times.

“Considering that Algeria is a team that we have seen very little of before, I think we did a really good job of preparing for this game. We studied whatever video we were able to get and made sure we were able to execute our plays well. In a game like it’s easy to slow down, but our guys kept up the tempo right through to the end,” said Team Canada Men’s Assistant Coach Darrell Nordell.

The Canadian Men’s record sits at 2-0.

The Canadian Women will play their next game against Mexico July 11th at 6:45pm (GMT), while the Canadian Men will match up against France July 10th at 2:15pm (GMT).

Canadian athletes and coaches will be available for scheduled interviews throughout the duration of the tournament.  

To schedule an interview, or to request additional information, or images, please contact Emma Van Steen, Communications & Media Relations Assistant, at (613)-260-1296 ext. 200, or by email at evansteen@wheelchairbasketball.ca  

Team Canada Men Schedule/Results (all times shown in GMT):

vs. Mexico – Thu. July 8, 2010 @ 2:00pm

vs. Algeria – Fri. July 9, 2010 @ 4:15pm

vs. France – Sat. July 10, 2010 @ 2:15pm

vs. Turkey – Sun. July 11, 2010 @ 11:45am

vs. Australia – Mon. July 12, 2010 @ 6:45pm

Team Canada Women Schedule/Results: (all times shown in GMT):

vs. Great Britain – Thu. July 8, 2010 @ 11:45am – Win 54-39

vs. Netherlands – Fri. July 9, 2010 @ 2:00pm

vs. Mexico – Sun. July 11, 2010 @ 6:45pm

vs. Australia – Mon. July 12 @ 12:15pm


o  Quarterfinals will take place on Wednesday July 14, 2010
o  Semifinals will take place on Thursday July 15, 2010
o  Medal games & closing ceremonies will take place on Saturday July 17, 2010

Wheelchair Basketball Canada is at the 2010 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships and will be providing frequent social media updates, video blogs, and photo galleries, in addition to daily recaps.

For more information visit: www.wheelchairbasketball.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/wheelchairbasketball

Twitter: twitter.com/WCBballCanada

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/WheelchairBball

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About Wheelchair Basketball Canada

Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of wheelchair basketball in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is the Canadian member to the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF).

www.wheelchairbasketball.ca
 
For more information, to request additional images, or to schedule an interview contact:

Emma Van Steen
Communications & Media Relations Assistant
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 200
evansteen@wheelchairbasketball.ca
 
Press Attaché Overseas:
Jody Kingsbury
Manager, Communications & Media Relations
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 204
jkingsbury@wheelchairbasketball.ca