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.ย 

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 yesterdayโ€™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