CIS men's basketball Saturday roundup: McGill, Carleton, and UBC claim conference titles

Source: OUA Communications

TORONTO - With an Ontario University Athletics bronze medal and a berth the CIS Men’s Basketball – Final 8 on the line, the Lakehead Thunderwolves and Windsor Lancers both arrived at the Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens ready to play. In the end, Lakehead walked away with a 78-64 win in the bronze medal game, presented by Recharge with Milk.
 
Looking to make sure they left Toronto with at least one win, the Thunderwolves came out quickly. A combination of tight defence and accurate three-point shooting propelled Lakehead to a 19-12 lead after the opening 10 minutes. In the frame, Lakehead shot 58.3% including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc, while holding the Lancers to 27.8% from the floor. The tenacious Lakehead defence was able to hold OUA West player of the year Lien Phillip scoreless, while Thunderwolves guard Joseph Jones was two-for-three from long range in lifting his team to a 16-5 run to end the quarter.
 
Phillip woke up in the second quarter, collecting nine points, but the teams traded points through the frame and went into the half with Lakehead leading 34-29.
 
The tide began to swing after halftime. Lakehead came out running, starting the quarter on a 14-7 run to stretch their lead to 12 points midway through the frame. Dwayne Harvey came alive in the third for the Thunderwolves, knocking down eight points in the quarter to leave them up 11 heading into the fourth.
 
Seeing a win in the distance Lakehead pushed the pace and opened the quarter on a 12-4 run. Sitting up 71-50, Thunderwolves head coach Scott Morrison and his troops were content to trade baskets the rest of the way, en route to a 78-64 final score.
 
Jones was named Porter Airlines Player of the Game. He carried his hot hand from early in the game to a game-high 23 points on eight of 15 shooting. Dwayne Harvey chipped in 14 and Ben Johnson had 14 for the winners.
 
"I was really pleased with how the guys played tonight," said Morrison. "We're probably going to be the underdogs heading to Ottawa, but that's OK with us. This group of guys lead the country in heart, toughness and playing as a team. For our seniors, this will be the fourth consecutive season that we compete at nationals, and regardless of what happens next week, no one can take that away from them."
 
Phillip finished the game with 15 points and 13 rebounds for Windsor. Rotimi Osuntola Jr. and Ismar Seferagic had 13 and 10 points respectively in the loss.
 
With the win, Lakehead will join the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens in representing Ontario University Athletics at the CIS Men's Basketball - Final 8 in Ottawa, hosted by the Ravens.

Source: Jamie Kelly, AUS Communications

HALIFAX, N.S. - The top-seeded Cape Breton Capers overpowered the fifth-seeded StFX X-Men 80-70 in Subway AUS semifinal action Saturday night at the Halifax Metro Centre.
 
With the win, the Capers advance to Sunday's Subway AUS championship game.
 
Second-year forward Meshack Lufile was named Subway Player of the Game, collecting 18 points and six rebounds to go along with two blocks.
 
X-Men fifth-year forward Jeremy Dunn had a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort.
 
Both teams traded chances throughout the first quarter but it was the X-Men who came out on top after the first ten minutes outscoring the Capers 20-16.
 
Fifth-year guard and offensive catalyst Tyrell Vernon led the charge for the X-Men setting up two crucial baskets that put the blue and white ahead heading into the second quarter.
 
The No.2-ranked Capers came back with a vengeance in the second, outscoring the X-Men 24-16 to take a 44-36 lead into the second half.
 
Second-year forward Meshack Lufile was a difference maker for the Capers as he notched a team-high eight points in the quarter to go along with a huge block on X-Men forward Jeremy Dunn that electrified fans in the Halifax Metro Centre.
 
Cape Breton continued their hot play from the first half into the third quarter as they matched the X-men shot for shot to outscore them 17-16. Third-year forward Sean McCormick paced the Capers attack collecting five points in the quarter.
 
The high-octane offense expected of the two teams shone through in the fourth quarter with each scoring 20 points apiece. The X-Men started the quarter on a 17-7 run off the backs of strong play from veterans Vernon and Dunn, but it was the AUS first-seeded Capers who eventually came out on top, neutralizing the X-Men attack late in the quarter and coming away with an 80-70 victory.
 
Capers forward Sean McCormick was 8-11 from field-goal range and produced 19 points to help the Capers advance to the AUS championship game while Vernon provided consistent offense for the X-Men scoring 19 points in the loss.
 
The Capers will now face the winner of Saturday night's second semifinal between Saint Mary's and Acadia in the championship final afternoon at 2p.m.

Source: Earl Zukerman, McGill Sports Info

MONTREAL - Montrealer Adrian Hynes-Guery scored 24 points as McGill rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat Bishop's 77-74 in a heart-thumping RSEQ men's basketball championship final before a record crowd of 1,023 at Love Competition Hall, Saturday.
 
It was McGill's 21st conference title overall but their first since 1986, when they advanced to a CIS regional tournament. The Redmen are scheduled to depart on Wednesday for the CIS Final Eight in Ottawa, March 6-10. It will be their first appearance at the CIS national tourney since 1979 and they will be bidding for their first-ever national title.
 
Combined with the McGill Martlets 51-48 home-court victory over Concordia in the Quebec women's final earlier in the day, it marked the second time in school history that both McGill basketball teams had won a conference title in the same season, the other occurrence happening in 1985-86.
 
Bishop's led 23-14 after the opening quarter and 42-28 at halftime, then took what appeared to be an insurmountable 49-34 lead less than three minutes into the second half. But McGill narrowed the gap to 61-55 by the end of the third quarter and finally grabbed the lead at 68-67 with 4:04 remaining in the game on a three-point play by Hynes-Guery.
 
The lead changed hands four times in the final four minutes and the Gaiters bounced back to take a 74-70 advantage with 2:20 left but McGill rallied the troops again. Hynes-Guery scored the winning basket with 67 seconds remaining, draining his second trey of the game to put McGill ahead 75-74.
 
Hynes-Guery, a first-year transfer from the NCAA's American International College, made only four of 15 shots from the field but shot an impressive 14-for-16 from the foul line.
 
"My heart was beating, the pressure was on, the game was close and luckily we were able to pull through and get this win, it feels good," said Hynes-Guery, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound point-guard who is majoring in physical and health education. "Our defence stepped up in the second half and that was the key to victory. We played all those games throughout the season to get to the playoffs. The season really comes down to two playoff games and luckily we had the home court advantage based on how we played throughout the season. We had our fans with us and we're able to get the championship for them."
 
Teammate Simon Bibeau, a junior guard from St. Bruno, Que., came off the bench to score 12 points and Vincent Dufort of Smiths Falls, Ont., added nine points with 10 rebounds. Aleksandar Mitrovic, a native of Belgrade (Serbia), also contributed nine points and Bermuda-born Te'Jour Riley had eight points and as many rebounds.
 
Rounding out the scoring for McGill's international lineup was Nathan Joyal (7) of St. Lazare, Que., team captain Winn Clark (6) of Mission Hills, Kansas, and Rodrigo Imperador (2), a native of Brazil.
 
"Everyone's heart was thumping in the last minute, we were pretty excited," said Clark, a chemistry and economics senior who had to leave the game for a few minutes in the opening quarter after a heavy, mid-air collision with Gaiters forward Jeremy Leonard-Smith. "We've been working hard all week and knew we had the confidence to come through at the end. Adrian hit some big shots down the stretch and we we're able to defend them when we needed to. The character of this team is incredible. Down the stretch Te'jour had multiple big rebounds, Simon hit big shots and Aleks hit a pair of big free-throws. Everyone just came together and played their butts off."
 
Four Gaiters reached double figures in scoring, led by 22 from Mike Andrews, a 6-foot-10, 235-pound centre from Oakville, Ont., who was named earlier this week as both, the conference's player of the year and most outstanding defensive player.
 
Tim Hunter of Baie d'Urfe, Que., added 17 for BU, going 5-for-8 from three-point range, making all five of his treys in the first half. Leonard-Smith, who hails from Ottawa, sunk 14 and Onnex Blackwood of Scarborough, Ont., had 10.
 
McGill, which held a 35-27 advantage in rebounds against a taller Bishop's squad, shot 34.9 per cent from the floor (22/63) and made seven of 21 three-pointers. They went to the foul-line a season-high 30 times and sunk 26 of them for a stellar 86.7 success rate.
 
The Gaiters connected on 40.0 per cent from the floor (27/66) and 47.4 from the arc (9/19) but in essence lost the game at the free-throw line where they shot just 55 per cent, making 11 of 20 attempts.
 
"I'm so thrilled for these kids, they've played so hard all year, they've battled and have been resilient throughout the season," said McGill bench boss David DeAveiro, who was coaching in his 100th game (54-46) over his three seasons with the Redmen.  "At halftime we talked about this being a great opportunity for us and we we're letting it slip away. So we just talked about bearing down on defence and made a couple of adjustments in the offensive end that made a big difference in the second half.
 
"I think that nerves we're part of the reason why we had a slow start and we didn't execute any of our game plan in the first half. So I don't know if our game plan wasn't a very good one or we just didn't execute it. But I think you saw a better team in the second half. We much more in control, running our offence and following our defensive concepts a little bit more. This group has been so resilient all year. They just believe in themselves and that is a big part of being successful."
 
REDMEN RAP: McGill has won conference titles in the following seasons: 1909-10, 1911-12, 1913-14, 1914-15, 1921-22, 1922-23, 1924-25, 1930-31, 1931-32, 1932-33, 1933-34, 1938-39, 1961-62, 1964-65, 1971-72, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1985-86 and 2012-13... The Redmen are 1-6 lifetime in three previous appearances at the CIS national tourney... In 1971-72: under head coach Sam Wimsner, they lost 84-67 to Acadia and lost 87-84 to Windsor... In 1976-77: under coach Butch Staples, they won their opener 78-68 vs. Laurentian, then lost 77-70 to Lakehead and lost 80-79 vs. Waterloo... In 1978-79: under Coach Staples, they lost 93-78 vs. York, then lost 90-80 vs. Windsor.... McGill has also a 2-4 record in three appearances at CIS regional tourneys (1984, 1985, 1986), where teams had to win twice in order to reach Nationals.

Source: OUA Communications

TORONTO - They had met twice before, including an epic three-overtime battle two weeks ago, but the stakes were much higher in the third meeting this season between the Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Carleton Ravens. This meeting would decide which team would take the Wilson Cup trophy back to Ottawa. The game was close throughout, but the championship experience of the Carleton Ravens shone through as they outlasted their crosstown rival, 72-69. The Wilson Cup Final Four championship was presented by Recharge with Milk.

Carleton jumped out early with OUA east player of the year Philip Scrubb and brother Thomas, the east defensive player of the year in his own right, combining to score the first six points of the game, but Ottawa didn’t cave. The teams traded baskets before the Gee-Gees went on a run to take a lead.
 
With first team all-star Warren Ward on the bench in foul trouble for Ottawa, the Gee-Gees still managed to scramble back and briefly claim a 14-13 lead before the Ravens replied with two baskets to take a 17-14 lead into the quarter break.
 
It was balanced scoring in the second quarter that allowed the Ravens to extend their lead. Philip Scrubb had five in the frame while reserve guard Kewyn Blain played key minutes and added seven. As a team, Carleton scored 21 points in the quarter, while holding their national capital rivals to 14.

Not wanting to fall behind too far, the Ottawa Gee-Gees came out of the halftime break with intensity. Strong inside and perimeter play from Ward allowed the Gee-Gees to open the half on an 8-2 to get within two buckets. Carleton went on a small run of their own to finish the quarter up nine, 54-45.
 
A quick start again in the fourth got Ottawa within five, but wouldn’t get that close again until a late game push when just 4.7 seconds remained.  It was at that point that Ward hit an off-balance three to pull within three, and then the Gee-Gee defence forced a five-second violation in the ensuing inbound play. With one play left to tie the ballgame, Ward’s three-point attempt missed giving Carleton their second straight Ontario University Athletics title and their eighth in the last 11 seasons.
 
Thomas Scrubb was named the Porter AirlinesPlayer of the Game, quietly collecting 17 points and 9 boards to lead his team in both catagories. Philip Scrubb and Clinton Springer Williams each had 15 points in the win.

"Ottawa is probably the second-best team right now in the country," said MVP Scrubb, looking ahead to next weekend's tournament. "I'm sure we'll be playing them again this season."

 Scrubb was also quite complimentary of the Wilson Cup venue.

 "I think it's the best stadium that we've played in this season. Downtown Toronto is a great location and you feel like you're a professional here. We don't get to play in stadiums like this very often, it's different, special."

 In his final OUA contest, fifth-year Ottawa guard Warren Ward was not going to go down without a fight. Ward led all scorers with 27 points, including 21 in the second half, and added 10 rebounds for the double-double. Johnny Berhanemeskel had 14 points in the loss, while Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue and Vikas Gill chipped in 13 and 10 points respectively.
 
Both teams will now represent Ontario University Athletics at the CIS Men’s Basketball – Final 8 taking place March 8-10 in Ottawa.  The Ravens will serve as host for the event which is being played at Scotiabank Place.  The seedings for the Final 8 will be released on Sunday, March 3.

Source: Jamie Kelly, AUS Communications

HALIFAX, N.S. – The second-seeded and CIS No. 5-ranked Acadia Axemen defeated the sixth-seeded Saint Mary's Huskies 74-55 in Subway AUS semifinal action Saturday evening in front of 5,118 fans at the Halifax Metro Centre.
 
With the win, the Axemen advance to Sunday afternoon`s AUS championship final against the top-seeded and CIS No. 2-ranked Cape Breton Capers.
 
Acadia guard and Halifax native Tyler Scott was named the Subway Player of the Game as he collected 19 points and six rebounds in the win.
 
Huskies forward Riley Halpin led the charge for his squad with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
 
In the first quarter, the Axemen showed why they are one of the deepest teams in the country as they received offensive contributions throughout the whole lineup.
 
Two-time AUS defensive player of the year Owen Klassen and second-year guard Tyler Scott notched two big baskets at the end of the quarter to send Acadia into the second frame with an 18-15 lead.
 
The Huskies responded early in the second quarter by narrowing the Axemen lead to one early on, but the red and white were able to steal the Huskies' momentum and widen their lead to seven points as they led 35-27 after the first half.
 
Klassen, standing 6'10 inches tall, brought the crowd to their feet with a huge block on Harry Ezenibe late in the quarter.
 
The third quarter saw both teams trade baskets but the Axemen already surmounted a wide enough gap to keep the Huskies at bay 54-45 after thirty minutes.
 
Scott continued to make his presence felt as he cashed in on two three-point daggers to help the Axemen hold a comfortable 10-point lead going into the final quarter.
 
The Axemen opened up the game in the final quarter as they pressured the Huskies' defense and forced several turnovers en route to finishing off their opponents by a final score of 74-55.
 
Three-point shooting ace Anthony Ashe provided secondary scoring for the Axemen as he notched 15 points and 13 rebounds for the victors.
 
Harry Ezenibe, the AUS Student-Athlete Community Service Award recipient played a solid game for the Huskies, scoring 10 points and adding five rebounds.
 
Sunday afternoon's championship game will pit the top two teams in the conference against one another.
 
The Capers will face off against the Axemen in a battle of two powerhouse squads. Tip-off at the Halifax Metro centre is 2:00pm.

Source: Natalie Scadden, UBC Sports Information
 
VANCOUVER – The Winnipeg Wesmen came out on top in a close game against the Fraser Valley Cascades for the Canada West bronze medal. Only one point separated the two teams after each of the first three quarters, but in the end Winnipeg pulled ahead for a 90-84 victory.
 
The Wesmen were led by senior Nolan Gooding, who had 21 points, six rebounds and five assists in what could be his his final varsity game. James York of the Cascades had the game-high with 23 points in his last game as well.
 
The upcoming CIS tournament will admit one at large team.