UBC 91 Alberta 73
(UBC advances to final; qualifies for CIS Nationals)
Golden Bears-Thunderbirds Stats
by Ben Schach, UBC Sports Information
VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds will be back for another shot at CIS gold this season after their 91-73 win over the Alberta Golden Bears on Friday night earned them a trip to nationals and a spot in Saturday's Canada West title game.
Melvyn Mayott finished with 13 points, making him one of five T-Birds to hit double digits. Josh Whyte led the way with 21, adding 11 rebounds and four assists. Kamar Burke had a game-high 13 rebounds.
Ferguson finished with 30 points to lead Alberta. Jordan Baker grabbed 11 rebounds but was held to just eight points on 3-for-12 shooting.
UBC now plays Saskatchewan in the semifinal for Canada West gold medal game. Both finalists get an automatic berth to the CIS tournament next week. The conference finals begin on Saturday at 8:00 p.m., following the bronze medal match up at 6:00 p.m., where Alberta will be looking for a CIS wildcard berth as they play Trinity Western.
gothunderbirds.ca
Saskatchewan 80 Trinity Western 78
(Saskatchewan advances to final; qualifies for CIS Nationals)
Huskies-Spartans Stats
by Lee Dorner, UBC Sports Info Assistant
VANCOUVER - At one point in the fourth quarter, the Trinity Western Spartans led by 11 points and looked like a lock to meet UBC in the Canada West championship game, but conference MVP Jamelle Barrett's last-second shot capped off an incredible Saskatchewan comeback, giving the Huskies an 80-78 win on Friday at War Memorial Gym.
Saskatchewan's deadly guard duo of Barrett and Rejean Chabot struggled offensively for much of the game, but they found their offence when it mattered most. Down 10 points with a little over four minutes remaining, the two combined for eight of the Huskies' final 10 points.
Chabot tied the game up at 78 with one minute left, and then helped set up Barrett's winner. He gathered a defensive rebound and pushed the ball up court quickly before slowing things down to give his side a chance at the last shot.
Barrett took the ball from the top of the arc with the shot clock running down and drove inside, finding nothing but net with his 13-foot running floater from the elbow as the buzzer sounded. With 1.8 seconds left on the game clock, the Spartans couldn't muster a miracle shot of their own, and the Huskies' comeback was complete.
Nolan Brudehl and Michael Lieffers were both huge for the Saskatchewan comeback effort, netting 19 points each to go with a combined 25 rebounds.
Jacob Doerksen was a monster for the Spartans, scoring a game-high 29 points and grabbing 12 rebounds despite sitting out the entire second quarter because of two early fouls. The big man was also dialed in from long range, connecting on six of his nine three-pointers.
Tyrell Mara recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Spartans.
The Huskies will now meet the UBC Thunderbirds in the Canada West title game, in a rematch of last season's CIS gold medal tilt. Both teams are already guaranteed a trip to Halifax next week for nationals.
The Spartans can still book their tickets for the East Coast if they can earn the wildcard berth. A win against Alberta tomorrow in the Canada West bronze medal game will go a long way toward that goal.