Canada suffers narrow men's basketball loss before must-win game for Paralympic berth

Canada continues to make necessary adjustments while building confidence entering Monday's winner-take-all men's basketball match at a last-chance Paralympic qualifier.

With veteran Patrick Anderson on the bench, the Canadians exchanged points with Iran late in the fourth quarter Sunday before falling 75-74 on a buzzer-beater by Mohamadhassan Sayari in their final group game in Antibes, France.

Canada, with an 0-3 record, will play Germany or Italy in crossover action on Monday at Azur Arena. Those squads were 2-0 entering Sunday's matchup at 12 p.m. ET.

This is the final opportunity for teams who did not qualify for the Paris Paralympics through their zone qualifier to earn a spot at the Games this summer.

Canada, which was sixth at the world championships in Dubai last year, has competed in every Paralympics in men's wheelchair basketball since 1968 and won a gold medal in 2000, 2004 and 2012.

Sunday's game was the closest outcome for Canada this week following losses to the Netherlands (62-45) and France (61-55).

WATCH | Full replay of Canada vs. Iran:

Sayari, who didn't leave the court the entire game, delivered the final blow to the Canadians, burying a jump shot with no time on the clock after Nikola Goncin gave Canada a 74-73 advantage with three seconds remaining.

That the Canadians were tasting victory in the final seconds is a good sign after mental, emotional and physical fatigue was their downfall against the Netherlands.

Canada also struggled to play a full 40 minutes versus France on Saturday. Veteran player Patrick Anderson missed a three-pointer with two minutes left and his team trailing by six while Vincent Dallaire couldn't convert from under the basket 15 seconds later. Colin Higgins and Anderson