Omar leads Capers to OT victory over Huskies

Omar leads Capers to OT victory over Huskies

By Corey LeBlanc 

Sydney, N.S. – Led by a sensational 41-point effort from veteran guard Osman Omar (Mississauga, ON), including eight in overtime, the Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers (3-6) scored a thrilling 92-90 victory over the visiting Saint Mary's Huskies (5-4) in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) men's basketball action at Sullivan Field House on Sunday afternoon.

"We needed it," the perennial conference all-star said after the game, describing the win as a "momentum builder" heading into the post-holiday portion of their regular-season campaign.

Keyed by Omar's heroics, particularly from the free-throw line, and a five-point contribution from CJ Bennett (Brampton, ON), the Capers outscored the Huskies 16-14 in the extra session.

"We knew that we needed to executive – and score – to win this game," Omar explained.

After Saint Mary's meshed the first four points of overtime, Omar answered with four and then Bennett completed an old-fashioned three-point play to give the home side an 83-80 edge – an advantage that they would not surrender down the stretch.

In the final minute, with the Huskies trying to extend the game by fouling, sophomore forward Cooper Ward (Ipswich, AUS) dropped a pair of foul shots to make it 91-87, but the visitors were not finished; Qyemah Gibson (Nassau, Bahamas) made a deep three-pointer to slice the deficit to one point.

After Jason Callaghan (Sydney, N.S.) made one out of two foul shots to make it 92-90, Saint Mary's came up empty on a last-second three-point attempt.

The Capers led 21-20 after a see-saw battle in the first quarter.

Sparked by the scoring of Omar, along with contributions from bench players – such as Mitchell Mersereau (Sydney River, N.S.), CBU outscored Saint Mary's 19-10 in the second quarter and took a 40-30 lead to the locker room at halftime.

In the third quarter, after a basket from beyond the arc from Callaghan, the Capers took their largest lead – at 60-47.

Heading to the final stanza, CBU still led by double digits – at 65-54 – but the Huskies battled back.

Down the stretch, both teams tightened defensively, but Saint Mary's whittled down the deficit and took a one-point lead – 76-75 – on a strong drive into the paint and lay-up from Dontae Mitchell (Vaughan, ON).

The final point of regulation time came on an Omar free throw, which deadlocked the contest 76-76.

Along with his game-high point total, Omar chipped in nine rebounds, three steals and one assist.

Callaghan and Bennett also hit double digits for the Capers, with 13 points apiece.

All five starters finished in double figures for the Huskies, led by 23 from Gibson, who fashioned a double-double with 12 rebounds. 

Nikita Kasongo (Montreal, QC), with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Shae Linton-Brown (Toronto, ON) – 13 and 10 – also fashioned double-doubles. Kasongo also collected a team-high six assists. 

Jace Colley (East Preston, N.S.) and Mitchell finished with 19 and 11 points, respectively.

Both teams have played the 2021 portion of their AUS regular season schedule.

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