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The USA men’s wheelchair basketball team won their third successive Paralympic title on Saturday but were made to work for it by a determined Great Britain lineup.
Britain, playing in their first final since 1996, threatened to grab the gold in the final minutes when Terry Bywater scored a three-pointer with 14 seconds remaining that made it a three-point game at a packed Bercy Arena.
But the Americans controlled the final seconds, scored a free throw and hung on for a hard-fought 73-69 win.
Jake Williams top-scored for the USA with 26 points and Steve Serio hit 24 points.
The Americans held Britain’s sharpshooting guard Gregg Warburton to 15 points — he had scored 35 in the semi-final defeat of Germany — but Lee Manning had an impressive night, pouring in 21 points and taking 16 rebounds.
Team USA have now won gold at Rio, Tokyo and Paris and will have a home crowd roaring them on when they go for four in Los Angeles in 2028.
The physical opening quarter set the tone for the game, with US forward Brian Bell making his presence felt under the basket, often clashing with the imposing Manning.
The Americans led 38-31 at half-time and while they stretched their lead to 10 points at times in the second half with Serio’s behind-the-chair dribble and pass to Williams for an open two-pointer underlining their class, they couldn’t shake off the GB team.
The Britons clawed their way back into the game in the final five minutes and while Bywater’s audacious three-pointer gave them hope, the USA prevailed.
GB captain Phil Pratt said: “It’s tough, USA are a heck of a team. The crowds and the event has been amazing. We’ll be back. This is just the start for us.”
The USA take on the Netherlands in the women’s gold medal match on Sunday.
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Publish date : 2024-09-07 14:37:00
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