Swords, canada fall short of medal at fisu games

Date and Time :    16 July, 2013 — 12:00 pm

Game Recap:

KAZAN, RUSSIA - Shawn Swords and Team Canada’s men’s basketball team fell short in their quest for a medal at the 2013 Universiade Games earlier today.  After losing to Russia in yesterday’s semi-final, the men’s team ran out of gas against Serbia, dropping the bronze medal game by a score of 87-74.

The loss capped a disappointing end to what looked to be a very promising tournament for the Canadians.  After opening the tournament with a 15 point win over Sweden, the Canadians ran through the UAE by a 94 point margin before rallying a comeback against the Australians to take their third game by a score of 92-83.  The team then beat up on the Czech Republic, winning by a 31 point margin, before controlling their final group game against the USA, outscoring them in three out of four quarters for a 94-85 win and first place in Group C with a perfect 5-0 record.  Their final win subsequently knocked the Americans to consolation pool.

Swords and the rest of the coaching staff then guided the team to an 88-77 victory over Brazil in the quarterfinal round, setting up a date with the host Russians in the semis.  In front of a crowd of 2500, the Canadians let sloppy play get the best of them in the first half, falling into a 17 point deficit at half time.  A push in the 4^th quarter wasn’t enough as the men fell 78-68, knocking them to the bronze medal game.

In the bronze medal game against Serbia, the Canadians fell behind early but were able to fight back and led after the 3^rd quarter by a 63-61 margin.  However, the Canadian team fell flat in the fourth, getting outscored 26-11 and falling to the Serbians by a score of 87-74 to finish 4^th out of the 24 team field.

With the end of the tournament, Swords will be on his way back to Sudbury to begin preparing for the 2013-14 Voyageurs season, who hit the court in early September for training camp.  Continue to follow the Voyageurs at www.luvoyageurs.com and on twitter at @LUVoyageurs for the latest news and updates.

Bryan Carruthers