EDMONTON – Marquavian Stephens dropped five of his team-high 19 points in the final minute of play, including a game-winning layup with five seconds remaining to lead the No. 8 seeded Saskatchewan Huskies over the top-ranked Brock Badgers 77-73 in the U SPORTS Quarter-Final on Friday afternoon.
The Flint, Michigan product added five rebounds and assists in an impressive performance from the Canada West second-team all-star.
It was an incredible finish on the main court of the Saville Centre, with the game tied at 69 with a minute remaining. The teams would trade clutch buckets until Stephens drove to the hoop and made a tough layup amidst a double team in the paint to put the Huskies up one with five seconds remaining.
"The coach called my look," said Stephens, who also hit a clutch shot in the Canada West bronze medal game to send Saskatchewan to the Final 8. "And the team believes a lot in me, which does a lot for my confidence. When I came off that screen, I saw an open lane and I took it."
"Brock is a great team. We knew they were going to fight and make a run. We just had to keep doing what we were doing and keep fighting. And we knew if we stayed in reaching distance in the fourth quarter, we would have a chance," said Stephens.
Tajinder Lall, the fifth-year Brock standout, led the game with 26 points of which 22 came in the second half. He finished 10 for 12 from the charity stripe and 7 for 11 mark from the field.
It was a phenomenal game from start to finish for the Huskies, who held the No. 1 scoring offence in the nation to just 73 points, a far cry from their 93.1 average.
The Huskies dominated the paint in the first half with guards Alexander Dewar and Stephens weaving their way through a Badger interior defence that had finished their OUA title campaign ranked third in opponent points-per-game.
With the win, the Huskies advance to play the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between the Dalhousie Tigers and Queen's Gaels in the Championship semifinal. Brock, recording only their second loss of the season, see their national title ambitions come to an end and will face the loser of in the Consolation semifinal.
Nike Top Performers
- Saskatchewan Huskies: Marquavian Stephens
- Brock Badgers: Tajinder Lall