Canadian women beat U.S. 67-64 for Parapan Am Games gold

LIMA, Peru – Kady Dandeneau had a game-high 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Canadian women’s wheelchair basketball team beat the United States 67-64 on Friday to capture gold at the 2019 Lima Parapan Am Games.

Dandeneau, from Pender Island, B.C, went 9 for 16 from the field and was clutch at the free-throw line to record the triple-double. She knocked down 5-of-7 as the rest of the team shot 43 per cent from the line.

Arinn Young of Legal, Alta., helped lead the Canadian offence with 20 points and 10 assists. Rebecca Murray scored a team-high 22 points for the Americans.

The Canadians trailed for much of the contest — 26:37 combined minutes of the 40-minute tilt — but always kept the game within reach and went into the fourth quarter down 52-47 before coming back for the win.

Canada got the job done inside, overpowering its opponent to outscore the U.S. 40-14 in the paint.

The Canadians already punched their ticket to 2020 Tokyo Paralympics just by qualifying for the championship game.

Also, Brazil beat Argentina 69-44 for bronze.

Earlier in the day, Canada’s men’s wheelchair basketball team qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics with a 62-42 semifinal win over Colombia in the tournament semifinals.

They’ll face the U.S on Saturday for Pan Am gold. It’s a rematch from the 2015 Parapan Ams when the Americans stormed to a 62-39 victory.