| (1) | Saskatchewan | 58 | ||||||
| (8) | New Brunswick | 73 | New Brunswick | 48 | ||||
| (4) | Cape Breton | 67 | Cape Breton | 63 | Cape Breton | 53 | ||
| (5) | Laval | 60 | ||||||
| —–BRITISH COLUMBIA | ||||||||
| (2) | U.B.C. | 52 | ||||||
| (7) | York | 41 | U.B.C. | 53 | U.B.C. | 56 | ||
| (3) | Simon Fraser | 57 | Simon Fraser | 45 | ||||
| (6) | McMaster | 56 |
In the quarterfinals, 3rd-seeded Simon Fraser edged 6th-seeded McMaster 57-56 in overtime as Julia Wilson scored 19 on 7-14 from the floor, 5-7 from the line, 8 boards and 2 blocks. Devon Campbell added 11 on 5-11 from the floor, -13 from the arc, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Courtney Gerwing notched 11 on 5-12 from the floor, 6 boards and 2 steals. Lani Gibbons scored 10 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 9 assists and 4 steals. Kelsie Thu scored 6 on 2-5 from the arc (one of which capped the scoring) and 5 boards, while Courtney Brown, Cara Dodsley, Brittany Fraser, Rakel Helboe, Brea McLaughlin, Lisa Tindle and Laura Van Den Boogaard were scoreless. The Clan shot 22-60 (.367) from the floor, 5-18 (.278) from the arc and 8-11 (.727) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 14 fouls, 20 turnovers, 9 steals and 3 blocks. Taylor Smith led McMaster with 19 points on 8-17 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 assists and 4 steals. Cari te Boekhorst scored 11 on 4-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 7 boards. Julia Critchley scored 10 on 4-12 from the floor, 11 boards and 3 steals. Deanna Hollinger notched 8 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 5 boards. Chiara Rocca scored 6 on 2-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Jenna Garbaty added 2 while Claire Askew and Alicia Fidanza were scoreless. The Marauders hit 21-63 (.333) from the floor, 2-13 (.154) from the arc and 12-14 (.857) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 16 fouls, 17 turnovers, 11 steals and 1 block. McMaster led most of the first half until a late 7-0 run gave the Clan a 27-23 lead heading into the lockers. CIS Defensive player of the Year Chiara Rocca picked up three quick fouls in the first half and was whistled for her fourth early in the second frame. She fouled out after making a brief appearance down the stretch. The Clan stretched their lead to 10 in the second half before McMaster rallied and had three chances to win it in the final minute but could not score. Taylor Smith pulled up from just inside the arc with seconds to play but the ball rimmed out and Mac failed to convert bang-bang rebound opportunities. Simon Fraser coach Bruce Langford said “we ended up making some crucial mental mistakes in this game. However, we were able to hit some key shots when it counted.” Langford added that “we were very sloppy today. We were very casual and we allowed McMaster to get back into the game.” Wilson noted that “the effort was good but we lacked a team dynamic and we didn’t play as smart as we could have. I think our shot selection needs to be better and that we had a few too many turnovers, more than we would like.” Langford told the Hamilton Spectator that “we were lucky. I don’t think we played up to our potential. We gave them many opportunities to take advantage of the situation.” Taylor Smith said “I was just trying to attack the hoop and maybe draw a foul. But they clogged up the middle, so I pulled up for a shot. Jenna Garbaty got the rebound (in heavy traffic) and went in hard. I would say she got fouled.” Marauders coach Theresa Burns said “our players gave it everything they had. To lose a one-point game, in overtime, to a number three seed, you can’t ask for more than that. One bounce here or there and it could have been a different result. I think coming back from a 10-point deficit in a game like that shows the character of this team. Having Rocca in foul trouble made our task extremely difficult (particularly in defending 6-4 Wilson). We haven’t faced someone that big in our conference. Critchly did a very good job. We held her (Wilson) under control for most of the game. … When we got down to the last 16 seconds, we were so tired.” Langford said that Kelsie Thu “was up-and-down like a yo-yo in this game but she hit a huge shot at the end.”
The 2nd-seeded U.B.C. Thunderbirds dusted the 7th-seeded York Lions 51-41 as Kelsey Blair scored 19 on 8-15 from the floor, 3-6 from the line and 12 boards. Caitlin Haggarty added 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 22-2 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Erica McGuinness scored 8 on 3-8 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Letah Beck notched 6 on 3-4 from the floor. Kim Howe scored 6 on 3-7 from the floor, 7 boards and 5 assists. Julie Little scored 2, Tim Lum 1, Candace Morisset 0 and Caitlyn Pankratz 0. The Thunderbirds hit 21-53 (.396) from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 8-12 from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 13 fouls, 12 turnovers, 10 steals and 4 blocks. Laura MacCallum led the Lions with 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 4 boards. Brenan Rurak scored 10 on 3-12 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 3-6 from the line and 5 boards. Kimberly Gibbs added 7 on 3-9 from the floor and 1-3 from the arc. Tara Minicucci scored 4 on 2-10 from the floor and 4 boards. Sarah Brodie scored 4 on 1-4 from the floor and 4 boards. Emily Van Hoof scored 4 on 2-4 from the floor. Mylaine Mageau and Reanne Holden were scoreless. York shot 16-52 (.308) from the floor, 4-16 (.250) from the arc and 6-12 from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 5 assists, 15 fouls, 12 turnovers, 3 steals and 2 blocks. York broke to a 7-0 lead and maintained a slim margin throughout the first half, hitting four from beyond the arc as they moved ahead 25-21 heading into the lockers. The T-Birds tightened their defence in the second half, however, and pulled away down the stretch. Kelsey Blair said nerves were a factor. “I just think we came out a little jittery. It’s the first game of nationals and there’s gonna be some nerves. We came out pretty tight and they came out on fire. When we went into halftime, we knew we had to get our confidence back, and it was a pretty good effort on our part to stay focused. We definitely didn’t take York lightly. You can’t take any games lightly at nationals. You don’t get here by accident.” Lions coach Bill Pangos said his troops were troubled by a defensive shift. “They went to a zone defence in the second half. They forced us to shoot the ball and we weren’t able to get many seconds shots because of their rebounding. …We showed a lot of grit today. We are a young team and we didn’t back down. This will definitely help our confidence. U.B.C. was ranked number one in the country for most of the season. So, for us to come in here and play the game we did, that says a lot.”
The 8th-seeded New Brunswick Varsity Reds stunned the top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies 73-58 as Carolyn Plummer scored 15 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 5 boards. Christy McBride added 13 on 5-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 4 assists and 2 steals. Elizabeth Marr notched 10 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 9 boards. Katelyn Springer scored 10 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 6 boards and 3 steals. Lou Walsh notched 9 on 4-4 from the floor. Leah Corby scored 7 on 2-9 from the floor, 3-6 from the line and 2 steals. Joanna Fox added 5, Emily Murphy 4, Kathleen Singh 0 and Jennifer Veysey 0. The Varsity Reds shot 27-54 from the floor, 6-17 (.353) from the arc and 13-20 (.650) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 14 fouls, 16 turnovers and 8 steals. Ashley Dutchak led Saskatchewan with 19 points on 8-18 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 4 assists and 2 steals. Sarah Crooks added 14 on 5-9 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 12 boards and 4 assists. Jody Jury scored 11 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 3 boards. Karen Fraser scored 6 on 3-12 from the floor and 8 boards. Amy Prokop notched 4, Ivon Liu2, Keri Leigh Porter 2, Erin Jopp 0 and Paige Gaudreau 0. The Huskies hit 23-59 (.390) from the floor, 5-15 from the arc, and 7-14 from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 17 fouls, 16 turnovers, 9 steals and 1 block. Elizabeth Marr was a late addition to the starting line-up and was told she’d have to guard the national player of the year. “I was told at the pre-game dinner that I would be defending Sarah (Crooks) and I was up for the challenge. At first, I was very nervous and intimidated by Sarah but settled in and stood my ground. We were able to use the crowd to our credit in this game and we look to keep up the energy for our next game.” The Varsity Reds blistered the nets early as they built a half time lead and romped. Coach Joyce Slipp said her Reds approached the game with the right attitude. “I keep telling our team that we had nothing to lose coming into this game. They were the number one ranked team but I think we were able to take away some of their strengths and had some of our players step up in a big way,” she told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. The Huskies trailed the entire game, then collapsed offensively after cutting the gap to 64-58 with 2:20 to play. They didn’t score another point the rest of the way.
In the last quarterfinal, the 4th-seeded Cape Breton Capers dumped the 5th-seeded Laval Rouge et Or 67-60 as Debbie Ruiz scored 14 on 4-9 from the floor, 6-8 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Maureen Murrin scored 14 on 5-10 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 5 boards. Cecilia Romero notched 11 on 4-14 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 14 boards. Natasha Eadie scored 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 3-3 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Kelsey Hodgson scored 7 on 3-4 from the floor. Katherine Kanaski added 5, Cheryl Macinnis 5 and Tamara Alleyne 2. The Capers hit 24-54 (.444) from the floor, 4-9 (.444) from the arc and 15-20 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 11 fouls, 11 turnovers, 4 steals and 1 block. Josee Lalonde paced Laval with 17 on 8-16 from the floor and 9 boards. Marian Fortier added 11 on 5-6 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Caroline D’Amours notched 11 on 5-11 from the floor, 5 boards and 8 assists. Mariam Lamarre notched 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 5 boards and 8 assists. Genevieve Blanchette added 5, Andree-Anne Parent 4, Chantale Vachon-Marceau 3, Patricia Mandeville 2, Karine Bibeau 0 and Emilie Langevin 0. The Rouge et Or hit 27-60 (.450) from the floor, 4-8 from the arc and 2-3 from the line, while garnering 24 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 17 fouls, 11 turnovers, 3 steals and 4 blocks. The win was the Capers first in CIS tournament history. It was a tight seesaw battle in the first half as Laval built a 27-25 lead and both teams shot poorly. Cape Breton assumed a slim lead early in the second half and held on for the win. “We accomplished what we wanted to do today and we will meet a familiar foe in the Varsity Reds and try to make adjustments that will put us in the gold medal game. It’s a tremendous moment when we know that an AIS team will make it to the CIS gold medal final and will be guaranteed a minimum at least a silver and competing for a bronze medal. That shows the parity of the AUS at the national level.”
In the semis, U.B.C. dumped Simon Fraser 53-45. The Thunderbirds stormed to a double-digit lead after ripping off an 11-0 run in the first half. They led 29-16 heading into the lockers and held on for the win.
Erica McGuinness paced UBC with 16 on 7-10 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 6 assists and 2 steals. Julie Little also scored 16 on 6-7 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 3 boards. Caitlyn Haggarty notched 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 3 steals. Kelsey Blair scored 6 on 3-10 from the floor and 9 boards. Kim Howe scored 3, while Candace Morisset, Letah Beck, Caitlyn Pankratz and Tina Lum were scoreless. The Thunderbirds shot 22-46 (.478) from the floor, 4-9 (.444) from the arc and 5-8 (.625) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 12 fouls, 17 turnovers, 13 steals and 2 blocks. Lani Gibbons led Simon Fraser with 11 points on 4-11 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc and 2 steals. Courtney Gerwing added 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 3-5 from the line and 5 boards. Devon Campbell scored 7 on 3-10 from the floor, 5 boards and 6 assists. Julia Wilson notched 6 on 3-10 from the floor and 8 boards. Lisa Tindle scored 5 on 1-3 from the arc and 2 steals. Kelsie Thu scored 5, Courtney Brown 3 and Brea McLaughlin 0. The Clan shot 16-49 (.327) from the floor, 6-18 (.338) from the arc and 7-11 (.636) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 12 fouls, 24 turnovers and 8 steals. McGuiness said the Thunderbirds first-half dominance proved the difference. “We were able to get up early and we had a really great start and we were able to hold on to the lead throughout the whole game. We’ve had a couple of really tight games with Simon Fraser this year. There’s a lot of emotion both ways whenever we meet and it’s such a great rivalry. We really respect them as a team and we respect all the players on the team so we knew it was going to be a tough one.” Devon Campbell said the Clan “didn’t play our kind of basketball. We weren’t cutting, we weren’t moving and that’s why we weren’t getting open shots. That just makes it harder on ourselves. When we’re shooting the ball with three people in our faces instead of with open shots, that makes a world of difference.”
In the other semi, Cape Breton whipped the host University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds 63-48 as Kelsey Hodgson scored 18 on 6-9 from the floor, 4-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Debralee Ruiz added 16 on 4-12 from the floor, 7-8 from the line and 2 boards. Maureen Murrin scored 12 on 3-9 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 7 boards and 2 steals. Cecilia Romero scored 7 on 3-6 from the floor and 7 boards. Cheryl MacInnis scored 7 on 2-8 from the floor and 2-4 from the line. Tamara Alleyne notched 3, while Katherine Kanaski and Natasha Eadie were scoreless. The Capers hit 18-48 (.375) from the floor, 7-14 from the arc and 20-26 (.769) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 9 fouls, 12 turnovers, 8 steals and 1 block. Carolyn Plummer paced New Brunswick with 17 points on 8-19 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 5 boards. Leah Corby scored 9 on 3-9 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 4 boards and 7 assists. Katelyn Springer added 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 5 boards. Kathleen Singh notched 6 on 3-5 from the floor and 6 boards. Joanna Fox added 4, Elizabeth Marr 3 and Christy McBride 2 on 1-9 from the floor and 5 assists. Emily Murphy, Lou Walsh, Jennifer Veysey and Jill Rowe were scoreless. The Varsity Reds shot 21-61 (.344) from the floor, 4-18 (.222) from the arc and 2-4 from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 21 fouls, 16 turnovers, 2 steals and 3 blocks. New Brunswick took a quick 8-2 lead before the Capers began bombing from the perimeter and strode to a 24-18 lead at the half. Cape Breton ripped off an 11-0 run to take a double-digit lead midway through the second half but the Varsity Reds gamely rallied back to within three before the Capers closed it out with a 15-5 run. Hodgson was pleased to return to her hometown and pull out a win for Cape Breton. “I am very pleased what I did today. I knew once I hit my first shot I had the stroke. It was really nice to share the game MVP with Leah. She is one of my closest friends.” Capers coach Fabian McKenzie said UNB “played exceptionally well. We were able to make them miss some shots and we were able to hit some shots, get lucky and get the win.”
In the bronze medal match, the Simon Fraser Clan dumped the New Brunswick Varsity Reds 63-48 as player of the game Lani Gibbons scored 17. Elizabeth Marr paced the Varsity Reds with 13, along with 3 steals. Christy McBride added 12, Carolyn Plummer 12, Lou Walsh 10 and Katie Springer 8, along with 7 boards and 3 steals. “We’re definitely disappointed. We had the opportunity to win the bronze right there,” Walsh told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. “It was a tough game. There’s a reason they were ranked No. 1 in the (CIS) Top 10 (for most of) the season.” The Clan led 38-28 at the half and dominated the second frame.
In the final, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds defeated the Cape Breton Capers 56-53. Trailing 50-49 with one-and-a-half minutes remaining, Julie Little grabbed Erica McGuinness’ miss and put back the biggest two points of her three-year career to give UBC the lead. After Capers’ guard Natasha Eadie had tied the tilt with a 1-for-2 trip to the line, Kelsey Blair was fouled on an attempt inside and hit a pair of free throws to give UBC a 53-51 edge with less than one minute remaining. Blair then hauled down a rebound off a Cecilia Romero miss inside and got it to McGuinness, who was fouled and hit 1-of-2 for a 54-51 lead with 30 seconds to play. Capers’ forward Maureen Murrin drove the lane and cut the deficit to 54-53 with nine seconds to play, but Cait Haggarty restored the three-point advantage with a pair of swishes from the line on the subsequent foul. Debbie Ruiz’s desperation three-point attempt found iron and time expired on the Capers. Cape Breton jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead to start the game, causing UBC problems with their penetration and high-energy press. The T-Birds bounced back with an 8-2 run to tie the contest but trailed 32-28 into the locker room. Drawing on their comeback victory over York in the opening round, UBC clawed back in the second half, shutting down the lanes and forcing Cape Breton to take jump shots, which they struggled with all night. The Capers shot 33.2 per cent in the game and just 20.8 per cent in the second half. UBC held all three nationals’ opponents to less than 35 per cent shooting. “Unbelievable, obviously this feels amazing,” said Kelsey Blair. “I guess it’s even more special because we missed the nationals last season, only one year after winning the title. So in a sense, last year’s experience put things in perspective, and helped us stay focus throughout the season this year.” The Capers were the first AUS team in the national final since 1989 and were looking to bring home their conference’s first title ever. “I couldn’t ask more from my kids,” said Capers coach Fabian McKenzie. “They battled hard and show U.B.C. that we’re a good basketball team and we’re one of the best in the country. They executed things down the stretch when they needed to do so. We were a little tired down the stretch, maybe, but I thought we could have won the game. They’re pretty down because they know they had a national championship in their grasp and it slipped away. Hopefully, we’ll come around and see that a silver medal really isn’t too bad.” Kelsey Blair paced U.B.C. with 16 on 7-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 7 boards. Erica McGuinness added 13 on 6-12 from the floor, 1-4 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Julie Little scored 11 on 5-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Kim Howe added 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 5 boards and 2 steals. Cait Haggarty added 4 on 1-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Letah Beck added 2, Caitlyn Pankratz 2 and Tina Lum 2, while Candace Morisset was scoreless. The Thunderbirds shot 25-49 (.510) from the floor, 0-4 from the arc and 6-13 (.462) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 11 assists, 14 turnovers, 1 block and 4 steals. Maureen Murrin paced Cape Breton with 15 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 4 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Cecilia Romero added 10 on 5-8 from the floor, 10 board and 3 steals. Debralee Ruiz notched 9 on 2-12 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Tamara Alleyne scored 8 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 3 steals. Natasha Eadie scored 7 on 2-9 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 4 boards. Cheryl MacInnis scored 2 and Kelsey Hodgson 2, while Katherine Kanaski was scoreless. The Capers shot 19-57 (.333) from the floor, 2-11 (.182) from the arc and 13-16 (.813) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 9 assists, 10 turnovers and 11 steals.
The all-tournament team featured MVP Kelsey Blair (UBC); Erica McGuinness (UBC); Debralee Ruiz (Cape Breton); Maureen Murrin (Cape Breton); and Devon Campbell (Simon Fraser)
The bronze medalist Simon Fraser Clan: Courtney Gerwing; Kelsie Thu; Julia Wilson; Devon Campbell; Lisa Tindle; Cara Dodsley; Lani Gibbons; Rakel Helboe; Brea Mclaughlin; Courtney Brown; Brittany Fraser; Lauren van den Boogaard; Amy Hatt;
The silver medalist Cape Breton Capers: Debralle Ruiz; Tamara Alleyne; Maureen Murrin; Natasha Eadie; Cecilia Romero; Katherine Kanaskie; Cheryl MacInnis; Kelsey Hodgson; MacKenzie Turner; Angela Fifield; Danielle Snow; coach Fabian McKenzie; assistant Doug Connors; assistant Kim Reynolds; manager Mandy Morgan; trainer Miranda Munro; athletic director John Ryan
The champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds: Kelsey Blair; Montanna Dunmore; Leanne Evans; Caitlin Haggarty; Kim Howe; Devan Lisson; Julie Little; Erica McGuinness; Candace Morrisset; Caitlyn Pankratz; Megan Pinske; Katie Ward; Kaitlin Ward; coach Deb Huband; assistant Rich Chambers; assistant Shaun McGuinness; strength coach Brent Day; student trainer Krystie Cheong; athletic director Bob Philip