‘Incredibly disappointed’: Canadian women fall to China in wheelchair basketball bronze-medal match in Paris | CBC Sports

Canada’s wheelchair basketball teams will be leaving Paris without a medal.

Following the men’s tough loss to Germany in Saturday’s bronze-medal game, the Canadian women faltered and were unable beat China for a place on the podium.

China took bronze with a 65-43 win at Bercy Arena on Sunday, the final day of the Games.

Canada refused to quit and outscored the Chinese squad 18-14 in the fourth quarter, but the damage had already been done after being outscored 51-25 through the first three. The normally-sharp Canadians, who had scored at least 60 points in every game to that point, were held to just six points in the second quarter and eight in the third.

“Just from a basketball standpoint, we started so poorly and we can’t afford to start like that in a bronze-medal game,” said Canada’s Arinn Young. “The rest of the time, it’s trying to fight back when China is scoring every shot we’re giving them.

“I’m still really proud of how we’ve done. We’ve been able to get to a medal game and that’s huge. We haven’t been able to get to that in nine years with me on the team.

“I’m really proud of the team, but I’m also just incredibly disappointed.”

WATCH l Full replay of Canada’s bronze-medal game against China:

Young, a St. Albert, Alta., native, led the Canadians in scoring with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Montreal’s Rosalie Lalonde also reached double digits in scoring with 11 points.

Kady Dandeneau of Pender Island, B.C., nearly had her fourth double-double of the tournament, scoring 10 points while collecting nine rebounds and five assists.

“A lot of disappointment,” Dandeneau said. “Regardless of whether you win or lose, that was just a horrible game for us. 

“We couldn’t put anything together offensively. We struggled defensively. Nothing was ever in rhythm. It’s not even about losing. You want to put your best foot forward every time you step on the court and we couldn’t.

“The entire game we couldn’t get anything going. That was a really disappointing way of finishing our tournament. That’s not the team we are.”

Zhang Tonglei powered China with a 23-point performance, sinking 11 of her 17 shots while also distributing nine helpers. Lin Suiling had a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards.

China took silver three years ago in Tokyo.

Canada fell to China by only five points in its group-stage opener (70-65) before reeling off three straight wins against Great Britain, Spain and Germany. Their hopes of winning Canada’s first Paralympic title in women’s wheelchair basketball in 24 years were extinguished by the Netherlands in Friday’s semifinal.

The Canadian women’s team hasn’t won a Paralympic medal since claiming bronze 20 years ago in Athens. It placed fifth in Tokyo.

“It’s really just tough to get this close,” said head coach Michele Sung. “I came in with not a lot of time. I asked a lot of them, and I thought they really responded well to it.

“I also can’t thank them enough to compete on the world stage for a coach that you don’t know. Takes a lot of courage and trust in me. I really hope that this group stays together for a bit longer, because I think they have a lot of unfinished business.”

The United States will face the Dutch for gold at 7:45 a.m. ET, with live streaming coverage available on the CBC TV network, CBC Gem, the Paris 2024 website and the Paris 2024 mobile app.

Hennessy finishes just off podium

The final day of action at the Paris Paralympics saw two other medal opportunities for Canadians, both in Para canoe.

Ottawa’s Brianna Hennessy, fresh off her first career Paralympic medal on Saturday, made her way to the final of the  kayak single 200-metre KL1 event.

Hennessy won her semifinal race after missing a chance to directly qualify for the final in the morning heats. But the 39-year-old went on to finish one spot shy of the bronze medal, clocking 54.47 seconds at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.

Chile’s Katherinne Wollermann posted the fastest time in the event’s history to win gold (51.95).

Ukraine’s Maryna Mazhula (52.87) and Edina Müller won silver and bronze (53.13).

Hennessy won silver in the va’a single 200m VL2 final — Canada’s first-ever Paralympic medal in Para canoe.

Fellow Canadian paddler Mathieu St-Pierre finished sixth in the men’s va’a single 200m VL2 final later on Sunday with a time of 54.37. A va’a is a canoe-like boat that has a support float and is propelled with a single-blade paddle.

Canada finishes the Paris Paralympics with 29 total medals — 10 gold, nine silver, 10 bronze). It’s the country’s largest Paralympic medal haul since wracking up the same amount in 2016 at the Rio Games. It also marks the most Paralympic gold medals won by Canada since 2008, when it captured 19 titles in Beijing.

Canada’s final medal count: 29 (10 gold, 9 silver, 10 bronze)