The U.S. men’s wheelchair basketball team beat Japan 64-60 on Sunday, winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
The U.S. team recovered after trailing by five points in the fourth quarter, pulling ahead just in time to beat the Japanese team in the Ariake Arena.
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Team captain Steve Serio led the U.S. team with 28 points and nine assists, becoming a critical player in the final quarter.
NOTHIN’ BUT NET! @NWBA x #TokyoParalympics pic.twitter.com/dArmwWPIPV
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) September 5, 2021
“Japan was the Cinderella story of this tournament, but you couldn’t ask for a more storybook ending for us,” Serio said. “We didn’t get the start we wanted, but we definitely got the finish we wanted.”
Japan claimed the silver medal, their first medal in men’s wheelchair basketball. Kozai Hiroaki led Japan with 18 points, and Chokai Renshi scored eight, adding 18 rebounds — the game high.
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Great Britain beat Spain 68-58 in the bronze medal match.
“This game just came down to heart,” Great Britain’s Gaz Choudhry said of the match.
Britain’s head coach, Haj Bhania, tested positive for COVID-19 before the team was set to go to Tokyo, forcing the team to compete without him.
Choudhry stepped up as the team’s player-coach, leading the team to the medal victory.
