Stibners and Rollers begin Rio campaign with win over Dutch

NSWIS wheelchair basketballer Brett Stibners has helped the Australian men’s wheelchair basketball team – the Rollers – to a 70-50 win over the Netherlands in its first match at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

Stibners, 37 and competing at his third Paralympic Games, spent almost 15 minutes on court, scoring two points from five shots from the field, pulled down three rebounds and had a team high seven assists.

Australia out-rebounded the Dutch by 14 and recorded 24 assists on their 29 field goals, extending their lead at every change against the number 15 ranked side in the world.

The Netherlands were able to keep pace with the Rollers through the opening minutes of the contest, penetrating the Australian defence with some strong ball movement to get close looks at the basket.

Then the Australians took control with and star Tristan Knowles reaching double-figures in scoring in the opening term to give his team a ten-point lead at quarter-time.

The full box score can be found via the IWBF website here.

Australia will look to recover quickly for their second game of the group stage against Turkey, a country on the rise in wheelchair basketball.

The Rollers have some recent history with Turkey, defeating them in the Semi-Finals of the 2014 World Championships. Tip-off is scheduled for 1.15am AEST tomorrow.