| (1) | Carleton | 94 | ||||||
| (8) | St. F.X. | 57 | Carleton | 66 | ||||
| (4) | Western | 75 | Western | 65 | Carleton | 87 | ||
| (5) | Ottawa | 48 | ||||||
| —–CARLETON | ||||||||
| (2) | Calgary | 76 | ||||||
| (7) | Concordia | 67 | Calgary | 74 | U.B.C. | 77 | ||
| (3) | U.B.C. | 78 | U.B.C. | 79 | ||||
| (6) | Dalhousie | 54 |
In the quarterfinals, the brothers Bekkering (Ross and Henry) beat the brothers Buckley (Damian and Dwayne) 76-67 in the battle of the siblings as 2nd-seeded Calgary earned its third semi-final berth in the 47-year history of the tournament by rallying from a 13-point first-half deficit to defeated 7th-seeded Concordia by pounding the ball inside to their more sizable front line. “Once we got some inside touches, some easy hoops and made them pay for their aggressiveness, that turned the game around,” said Ross Bekkerring, who notched a double-double with 26 points and 15 boards. “We are a bigger team, after all, and we want to use the advantages that we have. When we make some good baseline cuts and get some easy hoops, that really gets us going.” Calgary kept jacking the ball from the perimeter as Concordia built an early 23-10 lead by using their quickness to find the seams in the Dinos zone and forcing Dino point guard Jamie McLeod into a bushel of turnovers. But Dinos coach Dan Vanhooren substituted Illinois rookie Andy Rochon into the line-up and Calgary began to get better ball movement and distribution in their offence and responded with a 9-2 run. The Bekkering brothers, along with wing Tyler Fidler, soon began exploiting their superior size and strength as Calgary knotted the score at 32 at the half. After spotting Concordia a bucket, the Dinos began throwing over the top of Concordia’s 2-3 zone in the second half and were rewarded with an 18-0 run. Dwayne Buckley mercifully stemmed the bleeding with a three-pointer and Concordia eventually scrapped within 60-56 after Calgary began gifting turnovers. The Dinos, though, went back to its inside game and countered with a 10-0 run that iced the win. Dinos coach Dan Vanhooren noted that early on, his troops “were his a little fuzzy but we got our legs back under us and figured out what we needed to do. It was nice to see our team relax a little more and play the way we can. We had to remind them a bit at the half” about the mismatches, he added. “We had to tell them to look for Ross as a roller behind the zone and we do have a bit of length and bit of athleticism and we should utilize it.” The Dinos just had “too, too much size,” said Concordia coach John Dore. “The Bekkerings are beasts inside and in the second and third quarters, we really didn’t compete to the best of our abilities. We let them back in the game and when they took the lead, we had to play catch-up. Game over.” Henry Bekkering said “the first quarter there is a little bit of nerves, we expect that on a national stage. The only way to have a great game is just to have fun out there and relax, and I thought we really did that from the second quarter on.” Vanhooren added that “we went down 11 early and for our guys to battle back and tie the game at half that was big for us. The biggest issue for us is us turning the ball over, I think we had some nervous jitters out there and we played some silly basketball at times, we just have to be a little tougher with the basketball.” Dore noted that “we just didn’t get it done, I don’t think we got the effort we needed from a lot of guys, they beat us to these balls, they beat us down the floor. They are a lot bigger and physical than we are. We let them come, they fed off the dunks and the excitement. We had to play smarter and harder than them, I’m not sure we did either.” Ross Bekkering was chosen player of the game for Calgary, while Dwayne Buckley earned the laurel for Concordia. Ross Bekkering paced Calgary with 26 points on 10-11 from the floor, 6-8 from the line, 15 boards, 6 steals and 3 blocks. Henry Bekkering added 25 on 9-20 from the floor, 7-12 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Tyler Fidler notched 12 on 6-14 from the floor, 8 boards and 2 assists. Jamie McLeod scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 assists. Robbie Sihota scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor. Andy Rochon added 2, while Dustin Reding and Dominyc Coward were scoreless. The Dinos hit 30-59 (.508) from the floor, 1-16 (.062) from the arc and 15-24 (.625) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 23 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 11 steals, 4 blocks, 23 turnovers and 13 fouls. Dwayne Buckley paced Concordia with 19 on 7-15 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 4 boards and 3 steals. Evens Laroche added 16 on 8-16 from the floor and 4 boards. Jamal Gallier notched 8 on 4-9 from the floor and 9 boards. Damian Buckley scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 6 boards and 8 steals. Adam Corneol notched 6 on 2-5 from the arc. James Clark added 4, Decee Krah 3, Hamza Ruhezamihigo 3 and Pierre Thompson 2, while Sebastien Martin was scoreless. The Stingers hit 28-74 (.378) from the floor, 4-24 (.167) from the arc and 7-10 from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 18 steals, 21 turnovers and 19 fouls.
Just like magic, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds made the irritating jinx disappear. The Thunderbirds had lost to a lower seed in each their last five appearances at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men’s basketball championships. But after clocking the 6th-seeded Dalhousie Tigers 78-54 in the quarterfinals at Scotiabank Place on Friday, the 3rd-seeded Thunderbirds will get a chance to avenge their 80-76 Canada West title bout loss to the 2nd-seeded Calgary Dinos. Fifth-year U.B.C. post Bryson Kool was elated that years of personal agony had finally ended. “I can’t even describe the heartache over the last four years. It’s such a different feeling. We came into this game confident. The only way we were going to lose this was if we beat ourselves.” Thunderbird Josh Whyte and Tiger Josh Beattie kept trading mid-range jumpers early before Brent Malish and Matt Rachar nailed treys and then Whyte drilled a pull-up jumper at the buzzer that gave U.B.C. a 19-11 lead after one quarter. With Kool controlling the boards and being a force in the paint, Whyte dictating the tempo and the Birds actually fighting through screens on defence, U.B.C. extended its lead to 38-21 at the half. After the Birds doubled up the Tigers 46-23 early in the second half, Dalhousie folded its tent. “We started off slow but we communicated from the get-go,” said Wright. “We played with tenacity. So many guys have been in this situation for so many and it feels so good to finally fight through that adversity. We were so determined to get that win and it showed on the floor.” Superstitious U.B.C. coach Kevin Hanson said it must have been his new underwear that proved the difference. “We changed every single thing from the last five years,” he noted. “Our guys played unbelievable defensively, especially in the first half. And our posts did a tremendous job of boxing out and dominating the glass.” Dalhousie coach John Campbell said his troops were simply out-executed. “We missed some good looks which probably created more tentativeness on our part,” he noted, adding that when U.B.C. extended its lead to 20, the Tigers began suffering from “self-doubt.” Hanson said “our sports psychologist told us it was important to refocus after every game, to enjoy a win for a few minutes, and then refocus immediately and start concentrating on the next game. But I think I’m going to enjoy this win for a few hours. I think I earned it.” The Thunderbirds dominated the AUS champions in each of the first four quarters, outscoring the Tigers 19-11 in the opening 10 minutes, 19-10 in the second stanza for a 38-21 lead at halftime, and 20-8 in the third frame for a 58-29 advantage after 30 minutes. Dalhousie won the final quarter 25-20 but it was much too little, much too late. “I thought our guys played unbelievable defensively, especially in the first half, it set the tone,” said Hanson. “We won the rebounding war, we did a good job at containing their leading scorer for the most part, our post guys did an amazing job.” Whyte said “I think we played really well, a lot of guys just stepped up. For a first game at nationals, we executed and communicated very well.” Campbell noted that “we struggled to get second chance opportunities. I think when they held us right around the 20-point mark for a long time, that was the difference, it created a lot of doubt in our kids’ minds, it created a lot of confidence for them.” Whyte was chosen player of the game for UBC, while Josh Beattie earned the laurel for Dalhousie. Brent Malish paced UBC with 18 on 6-12 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 2 boards. Bryson Kool notched 16 on 6-12 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 9 boards and 3 blocks. Nathan Yu scored 14 on 6-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 3 boards. Josh Whyte added 13 on 6-11 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 7 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Matt Rachar scored 11 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 8 boards. Chris Dyck scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor, 5 boards and 5 assists. Kyle Watson scored 2 on 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Graham Bath, Alex Murphy, Akeem Pierre, Balraj Bains and Brett Leversage were scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 29-68 (.426) from the floor, 6-16 (.375) from the arc and 14-22 (.636), while garnering 42 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 7 steals, 5 blocks, 8 turnovers and 17 fouls. Simon Farine paced Dalhousie with 11 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 7 boards. Josh Beattie notched 11 on 5-14 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 3 boards. Stephen Lopez notched 10 on 4-8 from the floor and 2-3 from the line. Germain Bendegue added 6 on 2-7 from the floor. Yannick Walcott notched 6 on 3-8 from the floor and 3 boards. Andrew Sullivan added 5, Sandy Veit 2, Robert Nortmann 2 and Nick Flynn 1, while Tim Coote and Jason Wang were scoreless. The Tigers shot 20-56 (.357) from the floor, 4-13 (.308) from the arc and 10-15 from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 14 turnovers and 18 fouls.
No fight. No defence. No one stepping up to hit the big shot, let alone the odd free throw. As a consequence, the 5th-seeded University of Ottawa Gee-Gees will explore the nuances of what’s euphemistically called the toilet bowl draw after being whipped 75-48 by the 4th-seeded University of Western Mustangs. Gee-Gees post Dax Dessureault summed it up succinctly: “We just laid an egg.” Indeed, the Gee-Gees appeared to contract a major case of stage fright. Although they took an early 7-6 lead, Western repeatedly attacked at Dessureault and soon had him on the bench in foul trouble and the Mustangs in a 25-14 lead off a pair of treys from Matt Curtis. Dessereault returned to provide the Gee-Gees a measure of post defence, but his aggressiveness was limited and Western kept pounding the ball inside and built a 33-20 lead at the break. The Gee-Gees confusion, disarray, anemic marksmanship and overall lackadaisical play continued in the second half as Western extended its lead to 23 and then, remarkably, pulled even further away down the stretch. “We really locked down their backcourt,” said Curtis. “And offensively, we’ve got some of the biggest guys in the country and we’re going to throw it in there until they don’t want it.” Gee-Gees coach David DeAveiro said “we got beat by a better team. They executed their game plan and we didn’t make any shots. We picked the worst night to have our worst game of the year.” Dessureault picked up two fouls in the first three and a half minutes and the teams shared five lead changes before the Mustangs closed the first quarter ahead by one, 15-14. The Mustangs out-scored the Gee-Gees 18-6 in the second quarter, including an 8-0 run punctuated by a three-point shot from fifth-year guard Matt Curtis for a 25-14 advantage leading to a 33-20 finish at the half off a missed dunk by Dessureault at the buzzer. “That play told me this was not our night,” said Dessureault. ‘We never got on track.” Western head coach Brad Campbell, in his third season at the helm, said he was “very pleased with our effort. We’re ecstatic. Ottawa is an outstanding team. We feel we beat a team that was a legitimate contender for the national championship.” DeAveiro credited Western for the win. “They had a great game plan on defence and they executed it perfectly. “They focused on our two guards, and the rest of our guys couldn’t make any shots. When you shoot like we did against that good a team, you’re not going to win. The best team won tonight.” Campbell said defensive rebounding in the first half was a concern. “We adjusted at the half and I was pleased with the improvement,” Campbell said, noting he was pleased with Western’s athleticism overall. Campbell said he was also happy his squad exploited its size advantage. He also commended the versatile play of the Mustangs’ defenders – especially in limiting Josh Gibson-Bascombe (Toronto) and Wright on offence. “Getting Dessureault in foul trouble early helped us,” Campbell said. “It forced (Ottawa) to go to their bench earlier. And I think we’re a little deeper. It was a factor.” Bradley Smith was chosen player of the game for Western, while Dax Dessureault earned the laurel for Ottawa. Keenan Jeppesen paced Western with 17 on 5-8 from the floor, 7-9 from the line, 7 boards and 3 assists. Matthew Curtis added 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 1-4 from the line and 3 assists. Bradley Smith notched 12 on 6-13 from the floor and 7 boards. Colin Laforme added 8 on 4-7 from the floor and 5 boards. Garrett Olexiuk added 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 8 boards. Ryan Barbeau scored 7 on 3-3 from the floor and 1-3 from the line. Andrew Wedemire scored 6 on 2-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 7 boards. Alex Brzozowicz scored 4 on 2-8 from the floor and 6 boards, while Jason Milliquet, Jordan Smith and Brett Lawrence were scoreless. The Mustangs hit 30-63 (.476) from the floor, 2-13 (.154) from the arc and 13-26 from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 5 assists, 11 steals, 13 turnovers and 23 fouls. Dax Dessureault paced Ottawa with 12 on 5-16 from the floor, 2-7 from the line, 8 boards and 3 blocks. Josh Wright added 12 on 4-11 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Josh Gibson-Bascombe notched 10 on 2-10 from the floor, 6-9 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Warren Ward added 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 4 boards. Jacob Gibson-Bascombe added 4 and David Labentowicz 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 6 boards and 2 assists. Max Clarkson scored 2 and Nemanja Baletic 1, while Donnie Gibson, Louise Gauthier and Marvin Bazile were scoreless. The Gee-Gees shot 16-59 (.271) from the floor, 1-13 (.077) from the arc and 15-32 (.469) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 6 assists, 8 steals, 3 blocks, 19 turnovers and 24 fouls.
The first test? It turned out to be an open-book quiz featuring such difficult questions as: what colour is a basketball? How many quarters are in a game? In which province is Ottawa located? In the case of the 8th-seeded St. Francis Xavier X-Men, the first answer was probably red, reflecting their faces after a humiliating 94-57 at the hands of top-seeded Carleton Ravens before 8,924 fans in the final quarterfinal at Scotiabank Place. The Ravens demonstrated all the characteristics that have helped them to their 34-1 record: a hungry defence, discipline, focus, crisp passing, impeccable spacing, hustle and tenacious boardwork. Simply put, they outworked the X-Men. As for nerves, well, as Stuart Turnbull put it, “why should we have nerves? Haven’t we been here like 12 years, or something?” Yet, Turnbull added that it was more of a challenge that people realized. “We struggled for about two minutes.” Carleton broke to a 13-2 lead on post-ups by Aaron Doornekamp and Kevin McCleery, three-pointers from Doornekamp and Rob Saunders, and an old-fashioned three-point play by Stuart Turnbull off a putback rebound. Although the Ravens periodically struggled with St. FX’s full-court pressure and the quickness of Atlantic player of the year Christian Upshaw, their ball movement, poise and McCleery’s baseline jumpers held them in good stead, although the X-Men clawed back to within 21-15 after one quarter. Doornekamp posted-up for another bucket, Turnbull hit a trey, Saunders a putback rebound, McCleery a baseline jumper, Turnbull a layup after pilfering the ball at midcourt, and Saunders a driving layup as Carleton quickly doubled-up St. FX 34-17 early in the second quarter. The Ravens extended their margin to 22 before again briefly lapsing against the press. But they continued to command the defensive boards and soon got back on track and eventually took a 48-23 lead – their biggest of the half – into the lockers as point guard Mike Kenny nailed a trey at the buzzer. Without the outcome seeming certain, even the Carleton fans were bailing at the half. Their instincts were right. Kenny and Turnbull quickly drilled treys and then Doornekamp posted up in the blocks as Carleton again doubled-up St. FX, at 56-28, early in the second half. The three-point barrage continued unabated as Turnbull, Saunders and Elliott Thompson rained bombs on the X-Men while Carleton extended its lead to 37 before Ravens coach Dave Smart began toying with combinations and line-ups that he probably never imagined he’d have the opportunity to use at nationals. St. FX played without starting point guard Tyler Richards, who was suspended from the CIS tournament by the school’s administration as a result of an altercation outside of a Halifax bar three weeks earlier. “We did some solid things at both ends of the floor,” Smart said. “The ball went right a little bit (the Ravens force everything left). We turned it over on some sloppy situations. Hopefully, that’s a product of their quickness and not our nerves.” Doornekamp said Carleton has considerable room for improvement. “Defensively, we were just sloppy at times, which could come back to bite us in a close game. They got to do some things they wanted to do and they missed some shots they usually hit. We can’t give teams an opportunity to stay in the game.” St. FX coach Steve Konchalski was disappointed in his troop’s defensive box-outs and failure to close out perimeter shooters. “That just took us out of the game.” Aaron Doornekamp was chosen player of the game for Carleton, while Christian Upshaw earned the laurel for St. FX. Stuart Turnbull paced Carleton with 23 on 9-11 from the floor, 4-5 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 3 steals. Kevin McCleery added 14 on 7-13 from the floor and 8 boards. Aaron Doornekamp notched 13 on 6-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 8 boards and 5 assists. Robert Saunders added 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 5 boards and 3 assists. Luke Chapman scored 9 on 3-3 from the arc and 2 boards. Elliot Thompson notched 7 on 2-8 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Mike Kenny notched 6 on 2-5 from the arc, 3 boards and 4 assists. Cole Hobin scored 6 on 3-7 from the floor and 6 boards. Aaron Chapman added 2, Anthony Ashe 2 and Derek McConnery 2, while Kyle Smendziuk was scoreless. The Ravens hit 39-67 (.582) from the floor, 14-30 (.467) from the arc and 2-5 from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 8 steals, 14 turnovers and 18 fouls. Terrence Taylor paced St. FX with 19 on 8-13 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 3 boards. Christian Upshaw added 16 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 5-5 from the line. Sean Nickel added 9 on 3-7 from the floor and 2-5 from the arc. Dwayne Johnson scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 2 boards. Jeremy Dunn added 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Chad Warren scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 4 boards. Alberto Rodriguez added 2, while Will Silver, Jordan Hope, Blake Poritz and Rhett Thompson were scoreless. The X-Men hit 20-49 (.408) from the floor, 3-13 (.231) from the arc and 14-22 (.636) from the line, while garnering 18 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 5 assists, 6 steals, 4 blocks, 15 turnovers and 16 fouls.
In the semis, when the scoreboard finally clicked down to 0.0, it wasn’t a moment too soon for U.B.C. coach Kevin Hanson. His troops were hanging on to a precarious lead, so when the horn sounded, Hanson heaved a huge sigh of relief. With Chris Dyck scoring 34, including six free throws in the final minute, Hanson’s Thunderbirds edged the Calgary Dinosaurs 79-74 to earn their sixth appearance in a final (winning in 1964, 1967 and 1987, while losing in 1970 and 1972). Hanson called it a victory for “small ball. Our guards did a tremendous job. We reaped the benefits of their defensive energy.” Both squads looked jittery and sloppy early but eventually found their rhythm as Calgary’s Tyler Fidler and Dyck got on track. U.B.C. built a slim 21-16 lead as Dyck and Brent Malish each hammered a pair of treys but Fidler kept drilling baseline jumpers, while Ross Bekkering began to assert himself on the offensive boards as Calgary exploded for eight unanswered points. In the ensuing shootout, the defence was sporadic as the Birds backcourt outdueled the Dino frontcourt to give U.B.C. a 45-42 lead at the break. Dyck hit a trey, while Bryson Kool and Matt Rachar notched post buckets as U.B.C. quickly built a 52-44 lead in the second half, and then began outhustling the Dinos for loose balls and rebounds as they extended their lead to 13. But Calgary countered with a 7-0 run, including an unbelievable fallaway trey by Fidler, and eventually clawed with one on a dunk by Ross Bekkering and a rough runner by brother Henry with a minute to play, setting the stage for Dyck’s free throws. Dyck said the key was “being aggressive getting to the hoop, not settling for threes.” Rachar added that “we just tried to play tough, play physical, play fundamentally solid, box-em-out.” Calgary coach Dan Vanhooren lamented a measure of third-quarter panic by his troops. “We tried to press a little offensively and that took us away from our strengths.” U.B.C. qualified for its first final since 1987, when Hanson played point for the Thunderbirds. “That was 22 years and about 60 pounds ago,” said Hanson. “It’s been a long time but I’m still hoping I can take some of the experience from that game and share it with the guys. This has been a long time coming for us, it’s just a great win for our program. Chris played just unbelievable, full credit to him.” Vanhooren said “it was a great game and unfortunately the result is not what we had hoped for. This was a great battle between two good teams, and good teams will bring the best out of each other.” Dyck said “for some reason I just knew I would have a good game. The shots started falling early for me today, it helped me get into the game.” UBC held a one-point edge after the opening quarter, 21-20, after sinking five of 11 attempts from three-point range including a pair apiece by Dyck and forward Brent Malish. The Dinos opened the second frame on a 5-0 run. UBC came back to tie the affair twice, at 25-25 and 30-30, and regained the lead midway through the period on a pair of Kyle Watson free throws. The score would be tied twice more before the halftime break, at 40-40 and 42-42, before Dyck sent the T-Birds to the locker room with a three-pointer with 18 seconds left on the clock. Dyck didn’t waste any time to reach the 20-point mark, opening the second half with his fourth three-pointer of the night. He hit the 25-point plateau and gave the T-Birds a 13-point cushion, at 61-48, when he scored on an aggressive drive to the basket and added a foul shot with 93 seconds left in the third frame. UBC outscored Calgary 16-8 in the third for a 60-51 lead after 30 minutes. The Dinos remained within striking distance through the final quarter and freshman guard Andy Rochon (Mundelein, Ill.) made it a five-point affair, at 70-65, when he scored on an acrobatic play with two minutes remaining. Ross Bekkering closed the gap to 73-70 with a thunderous dunk with just over one minute left and, after Dyck missed on a layup, brother Henry hit a jumper with 54.6 seconds on the clock to make it 73-72. With 34.5 seconds left, the younger Bekkering was called on a blocking foul on Dyck, who hit both ensuing free throws to restore a three-point UBC advantage. Sihota missed a potential game-tying three-pointer but Dino rookie Dominyc Coward scored on a two-point shot moments later to make it 75-74. Dyck was fouled with 14.5 seconds remaining and once again hit both free throws. Calgary drove the ball down the court and took another shot at tying the match, but this time it was Ross Bekkering who missed from beyond the arc. Dyck rounded out the scoring with two more foul shots with 3.5 seconds to go. Dyck was chosen player of the game for U.B.C., while Tyler Fidler earned the laurel for Calgary. Dyck led U.B.C. with 34 on 10-20 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 10-11 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Matt Rachar added 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 6 boards. Josh Whyte scored 11 on 4-11 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Brent Malish added 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 5 boards. Kyle Watson scored 5 on 1-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 8 boards. Blain Labranche added 3 and Bryson Kool 2, along with 3 boards and 3 assists. Nathan Yu scored 2 and Balraj Bains 1, while Alex Murphy and Graham Bath were scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 26-67 (.388) from the floor, 8-23 (.348) from the arc and 19-23 (.826) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, 9 turnovers and 24 fouls. Tyler Fidler paced Calgary with 23 points on 9-16 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 3-6 from the line. Henry Bekkering scored 18 on 7-18 from the floor, 4-5 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Ross Bekkering notched 12 on 4-9 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 12 boards and 2 assists. Robbie Sihota scored 12 on 3-15 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 11 boards 2 assists and 2 steals. Dominyc Coward notched 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-5 from the line and 5 boards. Andy Rochon scored 2, while Jamie McLeod and Dustin Reding were scoreless. The Dinosaurs hit 27-70 (.386) from the floor, 3-18 (.167) from the arc and 17-26 (.654) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks, 10 turnovers and 26 fouls.
Call it the shot that will define Stuart Turnbull’s tenure at Carleton and the shot that best defines his character. Scant moments after missing a pair of free throws with 12.1 seconds to play, Turnbull found the courage, resolve and toughness to drive the court and drill a fallaway 12-foot jumper with no time on the clock to give the top-seeded Carleton Ravens a 66-65 win in the other semi before an audience of 7,942 at Scotiabank Place. “I just knew that I didn’t want to wake up in the morning if that one didn’t go in,” said Turnbull moments after hitting the improbable winner that will allow the Ravens to seek their sixth national title in seven years. Turnbull added the play was designed in the final timeout and he didn’t think about the missed free throws moments earlier. “You just do it. It happens and you just do it.” Carleton coach Dave Smart said Turnbull’s last second heroics actions spoke volumes about his constitution. “For him to miss those two free throws and then come back the next play and make that shot? It’s a case of digging in and being a competitor. There’s nothing more to say. He could have been sulking about missing those two fouls shots and instead, he found a way to get inside himself and make the huge shot.” Although the Ravens interior defence denied Western room to operate in the paint, the Mustangs hit five treys, including a pair by Andrew Wedemire, as they broke to an early 17-9 lead. Carleton rallied, as always, with sticky defence, rapier ball movement, solid box outs, and simple hustle, chasing down all the loose balls as they eventually knotted the score at 28 on three consecutive free throws by Turnbull with roughly two minutes to play. The draw held up into the half. Foul trouble quickly began to plague the Ravens as national defender of the year Rob Saunders picked up his third foul and point guard Mike Kenny his fourth of the game, within the first minute of the play. Keenan Jeppesen, meanwhile, scored five unanswered points before Aaron Doornekamp posted up for a bucket, Elliott Thompson drained a trey and Kevin McCleery hit a baby hook to give Carleton a 35-33 lead. Saunders soon picked up his fourth foul and Wedemire hit a pair of tough buckets as Western rallied to a slim lead. Thompson ripped down a pair of critical weak-side boards, hammered another trey and forced a Western turnover with active hands in the paint as Carleton clawed to a 51-46 lead after three quarters. Western refused to quit, though, and when Doornekamp and McCleery were each assessed with their fourth fouls, Brad Smith knotted the score at 55 with five minutes to play. Then Turnbull threaded a superb pass to Saunders for a transition layup, stripped the ball for a runout, on which he was fouled, hitting one free throw. He added a tough fallaway 10-foot jumper as Carleton took a 60-55 lead with 2:30 to play. Alex Brzozowicz countered with a trey and the Mustangs hit three free throws but McCleery twice posted-up in the paint to give Carleton a 64-61 lead with 33 seconds to play. Keenan Jeppesen cut the lead to 64-63 with 13.2 seconds to play on a putback rebound and the Mustangs quickly sent Turnbull back to the line with 12.1 to play. He missed both and appeared disconsolate. Matt Curtis was fouled by Kenny with 4.9 to play and hit both free throws, setting the stage for Turnbull’s heroics. Thompson said the Ravens kept their focus in the face of Western’s challenge. “This is what we prepared for all year. This is why our practices our so intense. We just go out and do our thing, get some stops and get some rebounds.” Turnbull noted that “I love playing Western. We always seem to bring the best out of each other. It was a battle throughout and we managed to grind it out. That’s what we do, find a way to win.” Smart said “that is pure character. How many kids would fold after missing those two free throws. That just shows you the kind of character player Stuart is.” Western coach said “we felt like we had our hearts ripped out. We felt like we were well prepared and we came in absolutely confident we could win. But we knew we had to play our best and I think we played that way. Our fifth-year guys were outstanding. They knew they had a chance to win it if we played our best and it came down to the last shot, on the last possession. I’m sure that’s no consolation for them. We knew we would have had to play one heck of a game to win. I give full credit to Carleton, they found a way to win in the end.” Turnbull was chosen player of the game for Carleton while Bradley Smith earned the laurel for Western. Stuart Turnbull led Carleton with 19 on 4-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 9-14 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Aaron Doornekamp added 16 on 4-15 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Kevin McCleery notched 14 on 7-14 from the floor, 6 boards and 2 assists. Elliott Thompson scored 8 on 2-4 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 5 boards. Michael Kenny added 3 on 1-1 from the arc, 2 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Cole Hobin scored 2 and Rob Saunders 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 6 boards. Kyle Smendziuk added 1, while Aaron Chapman and Luke Chapman were scoreless. The Ravens hit 20-52 (.385) from the floor, 7-22 (.318) from the arc and 19-30 (.633) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 9 steals, 3 blocks, 14 turnovers and 22 fouls. Andrew Wedemire paced Western with 14 on 5-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Bradley Smith added 13 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 3-6 from the line. Matthew Curtis added 12 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 7-9 from the line, 5 boards and 6 assists. Keenan Jeppesen notched 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Alex Brzozowicz scored 9 on 3-9 from the arc and 6 boards. Jason Milliquet added 3, Garrett Olexiuk 2, Ryan Barbeau 2 and Colin Laforme 1, along with 5 boards. The Mustangs hit 20-50 (.400) from the floor, 10-25 (.400) from the arc and 15-25 (.600) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 3 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 14 turnovers and 27 fouls.
History will cast them as a unit that had a chemistry that defined description: unselfish and determined, with an uncanny capacity to somehow handle throat-tightening pressure. All season, they were the sort of team that didn’t care if anyone collected a double-double and that again proved the difference as the top-seeded Carleton Ravens dusted the third-seeded U.B.C. Thunderbirds 87-77 to capture their sixth W.P. McGee Trophy in seven years on Sunday at Scotiabank Place. They did it with their bread-and-butter: team defence, shutting down the Thunderbirds high power offence and high-scoring guard Chris Dyck in the second half. Tournament MVP Stuart Turnbull said the Ravens were on a dual mission, to redeem themselves after last year’s 82-80 double-overtime semi-final loss to Acadia and to prove that they could capture a title in the absence of two-time national player of the year Osvaldo Jeanty. “We were a determined bunch. We really wanted to prove that it wasn’t the Oz show and we could win without him.” National defensive player of the year Rob Saunders, who limited Dyck to four points in the second half, said the title was a reward for years of effort. “The loss last year was in the back of our minds, especially us older guys. It kept us focused, eye on the prize kind of thing. It pulled us through some tough times and everything came together. (Saturday) night, Stu’s shot (to defeat Western 66-65 in the semis) was insane. It doesn’t change my opinion at all that we deserved this. I don’t care if Stu had hit an even crazier shot. We worked all year and sacrificed a lot. I know we sacrificed a lot more than other teams.” Coach Dave Smart said the Ravens second-half defence epitomized the team’s character. “All year, they found a way. Everybody said, ‘they don’t do this, they don’t do that’. But at the end of the day, they found ways to win.” Forward Aaron Doornekamp said the Ravens maintained their discipline, as they did all season. “We never gave up and we never got caught up in it. We were just tougher than anybody else.” Post Kevin McCleery called it the ultimate “team win because we were relentless. It was like a Rob Saunders kind of win, where everyone digs in and everyone kind of pushes through. But I guess that’s how we all wanted to win it.” Guard Elliott Thompson said the team’s trust in one another was “unbelievable. I’ve never been part of anything like this. It’s guys not being afraid to call other guys out, and guys respecting that, and responding, and that’s how you get better.” Carleton’s defensive rotations were altogether suspect early as U.B.C. built an early 16-4 lead and quickly got several Ravens in foul trouble. Saunders, though, kept them in it, hitting a trey, a putback rebound and a pair of free throws as Carleton rallied to within 24-18 after one quarter. The Ravens got the open looks but repeatedly misfired or tossed the ball away as U.B.C. built a 34-25 lead on dazzling perimeter shooting and dribble penetration by Dyck before Saunders hit another trey to ignite an 11-3 run that drew Carleton within 37-36 at the half. The Ravens took their first lead on a McCleery post-up as they opened the second half with an 8-0 run and began shutting down Dyck. U.B.C., though, kept attacking off the dribble and rallied within three before Mike Kenny and Turnbull hammered treys that gave Carleton a 55-48 heading into the final frame. They soon stretched their lead to 12 and when U.B.C. rallied within 73-66, the Ravens iced it by hitting 14 free throws over the final three minutes of play. Saunders said “I just tried to be there every time he (Chris Dyck) caught the ball and when I wasn’t my teammates were. They stepped in, took charges, made him pass to his other teammates and just made it tough for him.” Thunderbirds coach Kevin Hanson said the Ravens mental toughness was phenomenal. “Chris got a bit banged up, beat up. I though their defence picked up in the third quarter and sort of took us out of game plan offensively. They made us work for every point we got in that quarter.” Dyck said the Ravens “grinded” out a win. “That’s what it is. There is a lot of calls, a lot of stoppages and then they got back on the free throw line. I guess there’s a reason why they’ve won a bunch of years in a row. But I’m really proud of what we accomplished this weekend.” Saunders was chosen player of the game for Carleton, while Dyck earned the laurels for U.B.C. “It really means so much, this is what I have a passion for,” Turnbull said. “The loss last year gave us motivation. Life goes on if you lose at the nationals in front of your home fans. I think we were less worried than we were last year.” Smart said “after we lost last year, everybody seemed to question whether we could do it without Osvaldo (former two-time CIS MVP Jeanty). We have a great bunch of guys, they lost two games in two years.” Dyck said “the game slowed down a lot in the second half with all the fouls and free throws. We got away from what we wanted to do, and they just executed better than we did in the second half.” Hanson noted that “whoever was going to win the rebounding battle was going to win the game, and they outrebounded us. Our goal was to play our best basketball and we did. I’m very proud of the guys and very happy with the season we had.” UBC never trailed in the first half, jumping out to a quick 16-4 lead en route to a 24-18 advantage after the opening quarter and a slim 37-36 edge at the break. Dyck’s fourth three-pointer of the half sent UBC ahead 37-32 with 90 seconds left on the clock but Carleton made it a one-point affair at the intermission thanks to a bucket and a free throw by Thompson and Kyle Smendziuk’s 1-for-2 effort from the foul line. McCleery gave the locals their first lead of the afternoon on the Ravens’ first possession of the second half, part of an 8-0 Carleton run to open the third stanza. The Ravens, who held Dyck scoreless in the third, remained ahead the entire quarter and took a 55-48 lead into the final frame thanks to a Turnbull three-pointer with five seconds left. Thompson hit a three-pointer of his own to start the fourth, opening a 10-point cushion for the hosts. He struck again from beyond the arc one minute later and all of a sudden Carleton enjoyed a 13-point advantage, at 63-50, with eight minutes remaining in regulation. Whyte brought UBC back to within seven with a basket and a foul shot with 3:08 left, at 73-66, but the `Birds wouldn’t get any closer. Stuart Turnbull paced Carleton with 22 on 5-16 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 9-10 from the line, 7 boards and 2 steals. Rob Saunders added 18 on 5-9 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Kevin McCleery notched 15 on 4-9 from the floor, 7-8 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Elliott Thompson scored 11 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 2 boards. Aaron Doornekamp scored 11 on 4-11 from the floor, 3-3 from the line, 8 boards and 4 assists. Cole Hobin scored 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Michael Kenny scored 3 on 1-5 from the arc and 5 boards. Kyle Smendziuk added 3 on 3-3 from the line and 3 boards. The Ravens shot 23-61 (.377) from the floor, 9-28 (.321) from the arc and 32-37 (.865) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 5 steals, 13 turnovers and 23 fouls. Chris Dyck paced U.B.C. with 21 on 7-15 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 5 boards. Josh Whyte added 15 on 4-7 from the floor, 7-7 from the line and 4 boards. Blain Labranche added 13 on 5-13 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Bryson Kool notched 8 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 5 boards. Kyle Watson added 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 3 boards. Matt Rachar added 4, Graham Bath 4, Brent Malish 3, Nathan Yu 2 and Alex Murphy 2, while Brett Leversage was scoreless.
The all-tourney team featured MVP Stuart Turnbull (Carleton), Kevin McCleery (Carleton), Chris Dyck (UBC), Matthew Curtis (Western Ontario) and Ross Bekkering (Calgary)
The co-bronze medalist Calgary Dinosaurs: Henry Bekkering; Ross Bekkering; Robbie Sihota; Jamie McLeod; Dominyc Coward; Tyler Fidler; Andy Rochon; Dustin Reding; Tony Dhaliwal; Lindsay Thouret; Brennen Fule; Jordan Flagel; Trevor Debolt; Josh Lovestone; coach Dan Vanhooren; assistant Craig Anderson; assistant Brian Finniss; assistant Dave Love; assistant Anton Joseph; manager Dean McCord; athletic therapist Jose Jimenez; shooting coach Dave Love; strength coach Ken Wong; manager Dean McCord; athletic director Kevin Boyles
The co-bronze medalist Western Mustangs: Matthew Curtis, Bradley Smith, Keenan Jeppesen, Andrew Wedemire, Ryan Barbeau, Jason Milliquet, Garrett Olexiuk, Alex Brzozowicz, Colin LaForme; Brett Lawrence, Jordan Smith; Glenn Gravengard; Joshua Windsor; Mike Folker; coach Brad Campbell; assistant Matt Tweedie; assistant John Curcio; trainer Jason Smith; trainer Luke Cruickshank; manager Quinn Mcdonnell-Gordon; graduate assistant Michael Copobianco; strength and conditioning Jeff Watson; alumni relations Renee Mahoney; athletic director Chuck Mathies; SID Andy Watson
The silver medalist University of British Columbia Thunderbirds: Chris Dyck; Brent Malish; Josh Whyte; Bryson Kool; Kyle Watson; Alex Murphy; Matt Rachar; Nathan Yu; Balraj Bains; Blain Labranche; Akeem Pierre; Graham Bath; Brett Leversage; coach Kevin Hanson; assistant Randy Nohr; assistant James Derouin; assistant Dahman Boudraa; assistant Jordan Yu; assistant Vern Knopp; trainer Jane Wong; trainer Kymberley McDonald; athletic director Bob Philip
The champion Carleton Ravens: Stuart Turnbull; Rob Saunders; Kevin McCleery; Mike Kenny; Aaron Doornekamp; Eliot Thompson; Kyle Smendziuk; Cole Hobin; Aaron Chapman; Luke Chapman; Dan Penner; Derek McConnery; Anthony Ashe; Kevin Churchill; coach Dave Smart; assistant Rob Smart Jr.; assistant Dean Petridis; assistant Mark McMahon; assistant Shawn McCleery; manager Aaron Blakely; therapist Bruce Marshall; athletic director Jen Brenning, SID David Kent