BRONZE CIS championship: No. 1 UBC rebounds, finishes third

Photo credit Nick Pearse

HALIFAX (CIS) – Playing in his final university game, Alex Murphy scored a career-high 36 points as the top-seeded University of British Columbia Thunderbirds rebounded from a heartbreaking semifinal loss with a 111-95 bronze medal win over the No. 3 Saskatchewan Huskies at the CIS men’s basketball championship, Sunday afternoon, at the Halifax Metro Centre.
 
Championship website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mbkb
 
The T-Birds, who had reached the national final each of the past two years, let a 16-point evaporate Saturday night against archrival Trinity Western en route to a 74-72 loss.
 
The third-place match, which was returning to the CIS tournament for the first time since 1986, was a rematch of last week’s Canada West final – won 107-100 by UBC – and last year’s CIS title game, where the Huskies prevailed 91-81 to capture the first W.P. McGee Trophy in program history.
 
With 206 combined points, the conference rivals set an all-time championship record. The T-Birds also tied the second highest single-team tally in history.
 
Murphy, a guard from Richmond, B.C., was one of three seniors wearing the UBC uniform for the last time this weekend, along with guard Josh Whyte of Calgary and forward Brent Malish of Langley, B.C. Whyte, a first-team all-Canadian this season and the CIS MVP in 2009-10, had to sit out the bronze medal duel due to an injury.
 
Murphy, who earned player-of-the-game honours, broke his previous personal best of 34 points, which he set in last weekend’s conference final. His 36 points are also a tournament high going into the championship match. He was nine of 16 from the field, including a remarkable 7-of-10 from beyond the arc, and went 11-of-12 from the free throw line.
 
“Alex was sensational. I’m very happy to see him finish this way,” said UBC head coach Kevin Hanson. “It’s not an easy game to play, but at least it was entertaining for the fans.”
 
Three other Thunderbirds scored in double figures including Nathan Yu of Prince George, B.C., with 17 points, Malish, with 16, and Kamar Burke of Mississauga, Ont., who ended the campaign with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.
 
Jamelle Barrett, a third-year guard from California in his first season with the Huskies, was once again sensational for Saskatchewan. The 5-foot-10 junior scored 28 points to follow up on a 28-point performance on Saturday in a 95-83 semifinal loss to Carleton and a 27-point tally on Friday in a quarter-final win over Dalhousie.
 
Michael Lieffers, a 6-foot-8 forward from Saskatoon, had 23 points and nine rebounds in the losing cause.
 
UBC was only up 29-28 at the end of an entertaining first quarter but outscored its opponents 35-18 in the second frame to head to the locker room with a comfortable 64-46 halftime lead.
 
It was 89-75 after 30 minutes.
 
The T-Birds shot 49.4 per cent from the floor, 39.3 per cent from beyond the arc (11 for 28) and 76.2 per cent from the charity stripe.
 
The Huskies kept success rates of 51.4, 33.3 and 76.2 in the same three categories.
 
GAME NOTES: The previous tournament record of 201 combined points dated back to the 1972 gold medal final when UBC defeated Windsor 117-84... UBC’s 117 points in the 1972 title match still stand as the single-game mark for one team... The Thunderbirds hold the three best single-game performances of all-time as they also scored 111 points in a consolation match against Brandon in 1991 (111-81 win)...  
 
STAT LEADERS
 
UBC
Points: Alex Murphy (36), Nathan Yu (17), Brent Malish (16), Kamar Burke (15)
Rebounds: Kamar Burke (11), Alex Murphy (6)
Assists: Kamar Burke (8), Alex Murphy (6)
 
Player of the game: Alex Murphy
 
Saskatchewan
Points: Jamelle Barrett (28), Michael Lieffers (23), Trevor Nerdhal (12)
Rebounds: Michael Lieffers (9), Nolan Brudehl (7)
Assists: Jamelle Barrett (10)
 
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
Consolation #2: Dalhousie 76, Concordia 65
Semifinal #1: Trinity Western 74, UBC 72
Semifinal #2: Carleton 95, Saskatchewan 83
 
Sunday, March 13
 
Consolation final (5th place): Lakehead 84, Dalhousie 80
Bronze medal game: UBC 111, Saskatchewan 95
17:00 Championship final: Trinity Western vs. Carleton (TSN2 – tape delayed to 19:00 AT)
  
-CIS-