The Australian Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball team the Gliders have begun the 2014 Lakeshore Cup by splitting their opening two games of the tournament, going down to the USA before rebounding to defeat Japan on Wednesday.
The Lakeshore Cup will see the Gliders face Japan and the USA three times each, playing a total of six games in three days to conclude their tour of Canada and the USA.
Gliders Head Coach Tom Kyle was impressed by the defensive efforts of his players after a poor start against the USA.
“I was very happy to bounce back after the first half effort against the USA,” Kyle said. “Our aggressive defensive style is choking up the offensive end for Japan, which allows us to ready ourselves for the rematch with the USA and a chance to improve our performance.”
The Gliders struggled to find their range early but their comeback in the second half was not enough and they went down to the USA 64-51. In their second game the Gliders easily accounted for Japan 69-35.