Goncin scores 25 in Canada’s 89-73 loss to Germany at wheelchair basketball worlds

OTTAWA — Nikola Goncin’s 25 points weren’t enough as Canada fell to Germany 89-73 on Friday in the men’s tournament at the Wheelchair Basketball World Championships.

Colin Higgins added 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists for Canada.

Aliaksandr Halouski led all scorers with 27 points for Germany.

The Canadians trailed 30-26 after the first quarter and 50-39 at halftime. But the Germans ran away with it in the third quarter, outscoring Canada 26-14 to take a 19-point edge into the fourth quarter.

“It was an improvement by a wide margin from our first game,” Goncin said. “I know we lost, but it was a significantly more competitive team, so that’s what we’re going to take from it. We’re going to take the positives.”

“To have the first half that we had, big improvement,” Goncin added. “I think the guys, I know they don’t love losing, still feel good about it.”

Canada is 2-1 in Group D, while Germany is 2-0.

Both countries have been credited with 20-0 victories over Iran, which was unable to participate due to visa issues affecting four team members, including two coaches. Canada’s game against Iran had originally been scheduled for Saturday.

Germany faces Morocco on Saturday in the final game of the group stage.

The Canadian women had Friday off after opening the tournament with wins over Spain and Australia. They put their perfect record on the line Saturday against China, which has one win and one loss.

This marks the first time Canada has hosted the men’s and women’s world championships together. The tournament features 15 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams representing 17 countries.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2026.