The Canadian men’s wheelchair basketball team was unable to find its offensive touch in their 88-58 loss to Great Britain in Paris on Saturday, bringing their record to 1-1 in the 2024 Paralympic tournament.
Phillip James Pratt led the way for Great Britain with a 20-point, 10 assist double-double, while Lee Manning (19), Ben Fox (13), and Lee Fryer (12) each scored in double digits.
Colin Higgins (Rothesay, N.B.) scored 14 points, and team captain Patrick Anderson (Edmonton, AB) finished with 11 in a losing effort for the Canadians, who now sit second in Group A standings with a -15 point differential — a key stat for medal round qualification.
Manning made his presence felt early in this game, picking up 16 of his 20 points in the first quarter while also grabbing four rebounds, giving Great Britain a 29-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
While the Canadians managed to keep scoring pace with the British in the second quarter, they were unable to come up with defensive stops to cut into the deficit. Abdi Jama maintained a sizeable lead for the British, scoring eight of his team’s first 10 points in the frame while also dishing out three assists to make it 50-33 at the end of the first half.
Britain continued to dominate in the third, outscoring Canada 21-14 for a 26-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Canada would substitute the majority of its starting unit in the final 10 minutes, with none of its players finishing with more than 25 minutes of playing time in this contest
Two major factors in Britain’s victory were its rebounding dominance, as well as its shooting efficiency. GB managed to pull down 38 boards as a team compared to Canada’s 25, while shooting 58 per cent from the field as Canada converted on just 42 per cent of their shots.
With a perfect 2-0 record, the British remain on top of the Group A standings heading in to their final group stage match against France on Monday.
The Canadians will get Day 4 off to prepare for their third and final group stage match of the Paralympic tournament on Monday in a must-win game against Germany. Tip off is set for 10 a.m. Eastern.