(Photo: Wheelchair Basketball Canada)

(LONDON) - The Canadian Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team won its third gold medal in the past four Paralympics on Saturday, beating the defending champions from Australia 64-58. Canada avenges the previous final in 2008 when Australia ended Canada’s bid for a three-peat.

Canada concludes the tournament with a sterling 8-0 record and solidifies its dominance on the world’s biggest stage. The victory marks Canada’s 31st win since 2000, improving their overall record to 31 wins and 1 loss in the last twelve years. They have collected three gold and one silver medal in that time.

Patrick Anderson, of Fergus, Ontario, scored a game-high 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists for Canada. Number 12, in 2012, posted career numbers, finishing the tournament on top, or near the top of every offensive category. He averaged better than a double-double per game, and in eight games, totaled a tournament leading 200 points (25 points per game), 88 rebounds (11 rebounds per game) and 64 assists (8 assists per game).

Canada got off to a slow start in the gold medal game, and had trouble hitting buckets early on. They took their first lead at 4:12 of the second quarter and were shooting just 41% from the field. Similar to their semi-final victory over Great Britain, the third quarter proved to be Canada’s best. They outscored Australia 20-15 in the third frame, before sealing the victory with stout defending late in the fourth quarter.

For the boxscore to the gold medal game, visit http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/wheelchair-basketball/event/men/match=wbm400101/index.html

For more information on Canada’s wheelchair basketball teams at the Paralympic Games, visit www.wheelchairbasketball.ca/London_2012_Paralympic_Games.aspx

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