Gameday 3 for Group B in Ariake Arena at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games started with Germany facing the undefeated team from Australia. With plenty of confidence following two 40+ points wins, Australia went for a seemingly effortless 10-0 run in the first 2 minutes of the game. Even though Germany found their rhythm thereafter, it did not manage to close that starting gap. In what was a physical encounter, Australia leaves the court as the winner (64-53), with Bill Latham (17pts, 11 rebounds) and Shaun Norris (14pts, 10 assists) both registering a double-double for Australia. They lead group A with 3-0 wins and an impressive 99 points difference after 3 games.
The clash of the bottom of the table saw Algeria and Iran both on the court with the same objective – getting the first win in Tokyo to keep quarter-final hopes alive. Iran had the better start and was up 18-37 by halftime. They continued the push securing their first win with a final score of 47-81. It was Mohammadhassan Sayari who delivered another great performance for his team (30pts).
Image: SA Images
After yesterday’s surprise defeat to Germany, Great Britain challenged Team USA for their third game in Tokyo. GB caught the better start against the Rio Gold medalist and went into halftime with a 15 point advantage, 35-20. What followed in the second half was an epic, physical and high-quality encounter. The thriller peaked with 3 seconds remaining and the USA having the inbound but missing what would have been a game-winning buzzer-beater. In the end, GB rewarded itself for the emotional commitment it showed throughout the game and took home the 64-63 win. Resisting the pressure they finish game day 3 as second in Group B.
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Pictures: Shingo Ito X-1
