(Birmingham, UK) The Canadian Men’s and Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Teams continue to roll with two more wins at the 2010 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships Sunday.  The Canadian Men defeated Turkey 69-60, while the Canadian Women beat Mexico 69-44.

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.

The Canadian Men exploded in the third quarter to outscore Turkey by 15 points. Coming out at halftime the game was knotted at 31-31 when Dave Durepos (Fredericton, NB) came off the bench to ignite the Canadians with a three-pointer that would start a 16 point scoring run.  It took Turkey 6 minutes before they scored their first basket of the second half, but by that time the Canadians had found their swagger and managed to make a good Turkish squad look rather ordinary.

Adam Lancia (Toronto, ON) set the tone with a game high 21 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the tournament.  His 6 offensive rebounds are indicative of his dominance in the paint where he utilized his size to outwork and frustrate the Turkey defenders. David Eng (Montreal, QC) contributed 14 points, while Durepos and Richard Peter (Duncan, BC) also reached double-digit scoring with 10 points apiece. Peter also added a game-high 7 assists.

Turkey’s top scorer in the tournament Ozgur Gurbulak was a menace in the first quarter going 7-for-8 and tallying 17 points before failing to score in the second quarter.  He did not return to play in the second half.

The Canadian women came out strong against Mexico scoring 20 points in the first quarter.  By halftime they established a 39-25 lead thanks in part to another dominant performance by Janet McLachlan (Vancouver, BC) who notched her third double-double in as many games with 24 points and 12 rebounds in just 21:48 of court time.  Cindy Ouellet (Quebec, QC) led the floor with 7 assists and also added 11 points. Teammate Tara Feser (St. Albert, AB) nailed a three-pointer as part of her 12 point night.

“Everybody came out strong and ready to play tonight. We knew this would be an important game for us in the standings and we managed to work all 12 players into the lineup. Now we can build on that momentum as we prepare to face Australia,” said Team Canada Women’s Assistant Coach Michael Broughton.

The Canadian Men remain maintain a flawless record of 4-0 through five days of competition, but must face a familiar foe in their final preliminary game against Australia July 12th at 6:45pm (GMT) – same team they met in Finals of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. The winner will finish first in Pool A.

The Canadian Women have a record of 3-0 thus far and will also play their final preliminary game against Australia July 11th at 12:15pm (GMT). The winner will finish first in Pool B.

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 – Win 68-45
vs. Algeria – Fri. July 9, 2010 @ 4:15pm – Win 87-61
vs. France – Sat. July 10, 2010 @ 2:15pm – Win 67-55
vs. Turkey – Sun. July 11, 2010 @ 11:45am – Win 69-60
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 – Win 58-54
vs. Mexico – Sun. July 11, 2010 @ 6:45pm – Win 69-44
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