Undefeated in their preliminary matches, Japan and the United States will attempt to move closer to the medal round during their quarterfinal games that will take place on Friday, September 12 at the National Indoor Stadium.
US (1st in group A) vs. China (4th in group B)
Team USA went undefeated in its group A preliminary matches against Germany, Australia, Great Britain and Brazil.
Coach Ronald Lykins said Thursday that speed is the US team's main advantage over its rivals. "That is what makes our offence and defense better than others. We always give the ball to the player who can score, so that we can win," he said.
China got its first Paralympics win over Mexico but then lost to Japan, Canada and the Netherlands.
Fu Yongqing is the eighth best scorer and rebounder of the tournament, averaging 12 points and 12.5 rebounds per game of the preliminary round.
Canada (2nd in group B) v Australia (3rd in group A)
Canada was 3-1 in its Group B preliminary matches. They defeated China, the Netherlands and Mexico, but lost to Japan.
Canadian team captain and forward Chantal Benoit said Australia will offer "a real competition" to their team. After preliminaries, Benoit named the United States, Germany, Japan, Australia and Canada as likely tournament finalists.
Australia finished with a 2-2 record in preliminaries, notching wins against the Great Britain and Brazil, and losses against the United States and Germany.
Australian guard Kylie Gauci said the Australian team's loss to Germany in the last preliminary game has not discouraged them for future matches in the tournament. "It doesn't matter," Gauci said. "We're going to come back."
Germany (2nd in group A) vs. Netherlands (3rd in group B)
Germany's 3-1 record in group B preliminary matches reflected wins against Australia, Great Britain and Brazil. The team's only loss was to the undefeated United States.
Following the German team's final preliminary match against Great Britain, guard Annika Zeyen said her team's goal for the tournament is to win a medal.
The Netherlands ended the preliminary round with two wins (over Mexico and China) and two defeats (Canada and Japan).
Elsbeth van Oostrom sits fifth in the tournament scoring, with an average of 15.3 points per game, while Inge Huitzing is ninth in rebounding (8.3 rebounds per game).
Japan (1st in group B) vs. Great Britain (4th in group A)
Japan finished its group B preliminary games with an undefeated record of 4-0. The team won against Canada, the Netherlands, Mexico and China.
Coach IwasaYoshiaki said Japan "will focus on defense and hope for a good result" against Great Britain.
Great Britain was 1-3 in group A preliminary games. The team won against Brazil, but lost to the United States, Germany and Australia.
Coach Garry Peel acknowledged Japan's speed and youth, but said his team "will get what they are good at and take it out of them." He said Team GB can stay competitive in the game "if we press them for 40 minutes."
(BOCOG September 11, 2008)