CONSOLATION #1 CIS championship: Russell leads T-Wolves to consolation final

Photo credit Nick Pearse

HALIFAX (CIS) – Venzal Russell scored a tournament-high 29 points to lead the Lakehead University Thunderwolves to a 75-67 win over the Acadia Axemen in the first consolation game of the CIS men’s basketball championship, Saturday afternoon, at the Halifax Metro Centre.
 
Championship website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mbkb
 
The fourth-seeded T-Wolves, who suffered a disappointing 82-74 first round loss to Trinity Western on Friday after claiming their first-ever OUA title a week ago, advance to Sunday’s consolation final for fifth place, where they’ll face either Dalhousie or Concordia.
 
Lakehead will improve from a seventh-place finish at last year’s Final 8 in Ottawa.
 
The loss marks the end of the season for eighth-ranked Acadia, which dropped a 96-77 quarter-final decision to No. 1 UBC on Friday.
 
Russell, a third-year guard who hails from Detroit, Mich., had 16 points at halftime on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor, and went 12-for-17 for the match, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
 
“It’s always tough to play on the consolation side of the draw, but we gave it our all,” said Russell, who earned game MVP honours. “Coach asked us to keep shooting, that’s our game. It was just clicking for me today.”
 
Fifth-year senior Jamie Searle of Belleville, Ont., added 18 points for the winners.
 
Six-foot-10 forward Owen Klassen, a sophomore from Kingston, Ont., paced Acadia with 26 points and 14 rebounds, while Justin Boutlier of Niagara Falls, Ont., finished with 17 points.
 
One of the differences on the afternoon was three-point shooting. Lakekead was 10-for-19 (52.6%) from long distance, while Acadia went 3-for-17 (17.6%).
 
The T-Wolves went to the locker room at halftime with a slim one-point advantage (33-32) thanks to a three-pointer by Ryan Thomson at the buzzer.
 
Lakehead held the lead through the third quarter and well into the fourth stanza until Boutlier sent the Axemen ahead, at 59-58, with five minutes remaining.
 
Searle responded right away with back-to-back hits from beyond the arc to initiate a 13-0 Lakehead run that put the game away.
 
STAT LEADERS
 
Lakehead
Points: Venzal Russell (29), Jamie Searle (18), Greg Carter (9)
Rebounds: Yoosrie Salhia (7), Venzal Russell (5)
Assists: Venzal Russell (2), Jamie Searle (2)
 
Player of the game: Venzal Russell
 
Acadia
Points: Owen Klassen (26), Justin Boutlier (17)
Rebounds: Owen Klassen (14), Justin Boutlier (6)
Assists: Owen Klassen (4)
 
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS (All times ATLANTIC TIME)
 
Friday, March 11
 
Quarter-final #1: UBC 96, Acadia 77
Quarter-final #2: Trinity Western 82, Lakehead 74
Quarter-final #3: Saskatchewan 91, Dalhousie 79
Quarter-final #4: Carleton 73, Concordia 66
 
Saturday, March 12
 
Consolation #1: Lakehead 75, Acadia 67
14:15 Consolation #2: Dalhousie vs. Concordia
17:00 Semifinal #1: UBC vs. Trinity Western (TSN2 – tape delayed to 20:00 AST)
20:00 Semifinal #2: Saskatchewan vs. Carleton (TSN2 – tape delayed to 22:00 AST)
 
Sunday, March 13
 
10:30 Consolation final (5th place): Lakehead vs. TBD
13:15 Bronze medal game (SSN Canada webcast)
17:00 Championship final (TSN2 – tape delayed to 19:00 AST)
 
 
-CIS-