CIS Hoops.ca

Ottawa 63 at Carleton 65 FINAL Osvaldo Jeanty (pictured) converted 2 of 3 free throws with 3:29 to play after getting fouled from behind the arc to start a game-deciding 5-0 run which included a clutch 3 from Ryan Bell with the shot clock winding down to give the Ravens the OUA East championship and a spot in the Nationals. Jeanty (6 points down the stretch - 11 for the game) got it going at the end after going only 1-7 for 5 points in the first 33 minutes of the game. After 6'5" Curtis Shakespeare hit a pair of free throws and Stu Turnbull (17 points on 3-11 shooting and 11-13 ft) got to the rim, Josh Gibson-Bascombe (15 points on 5-16 shooting including 4-6 3's) hit a clutch 3 to bring the game back to within 2 with 1:12 remaining. After Jeanty missed a tough lay-up, Gee-Gees fifth-year senior Alex McLeod (9 points 3-11 shooting) found himself wide-open from the right baseline with 35 seconds left but his three ball attempt kicked off the back iron and the Ravens clinched the game on the foul line. It was another classic Canal War game that came down to the final moments - the Gee-Gees now await the verdict from the CIS wild-card committee due to be released next weekend. Ottawa had a 41-39 lead after Gibson-Bascombe's 3 with 14:45 remaining in the game and then referee Ray Holder made three consecutive questionable calls - all against the Gee-Gees including a momentum-swinging foul call after Willy Manigat stole the ball and took off on a breakaway but missed the lay-in. On the ensuing rebound, Gibson-Bascombe was charged with a foul which television replays showed was questionable at best. The Ravens took advantage as Rob Saunders, who did a wonderful job hounding Gibson-Bascombe most of the evening, hit a clutch jumper with the shot clock winding down, and Jeanty made a solid, mid-range jumper off the dribble to key a 6-0 run and a 52-46 Carleton with 4 1/2 minutes to play. But Ottawa came back with a 6-0 run of its own as Jermaine Campbell (9 points, 7 rebounds) stuck back a McLeod miss and was fouled and then Gibson-Bascombe found McLeod for a game-tying 3 to knot things up at 52 with just under 4 minutes to play, setting up Jeanty's free throws and Bell's heroics from downtown. Carleton's big 3 of Turnbull, Aaron Doornekamp and Jeanty went a combined 8-30 from the floor (26.7%) but went a collective 23 of 28 from the foul line as the Ravens got to the line 32 times in the game against 12 total for Ottawa. The Gee-Gees had finished the first half on a 15-0 run in the last 5 minutes led by 6 points from Gibson-Bascombe and a buzzer-beating 3 by sophomore Donnie Gibson to offset a sterling defensive effort by the Ravens for the first 15 minutes. After the Gee-Gees took a 5-4 lead on a conventional 3 point play by McLeod, the Ravens stifled Ottawa defensively and took off on a 10-0 run to lead 14-5. Ottawa cut the lead back to 6 on a lay-in by 6'10" Dax Dessureault (team-high 8 points in the half) at 19-13 but Carleton took off on a 10-4 run after a Kevin McCleery lay-in off a feed from Doornekamp and then a pair of free throws by Ozvaldo Jeanty to lead 29-17 with just under 6 minutes remaining. But those would be the last points Carleton scored in the half. Doornekamp subsequently picked up 2 quick fouls including a charge taken by 6'5" David Labentowicz, who had a solid half at both ends for Ottawa. Gibson-Bascombe then got to the rim and then knocked down a 3 off a feed from McLeod to tie the game at 29. The run could have been greater save for a questionable charge call against McLeod taken by Jeanty on the break. Ottawa's Shakespeare picked up 2 quick fouls as did Ravens' Turnbull later in the half. Carleton got a very strong defensive effort from Saunders, who hounded Gibson-Bascombe most of the evening, and another solid effort from Turnbull, who attacked the rim fearlessly and made free throws when it counted. The Ravens took the Gee-Gees out of their offense for much of the game, stifling Ottawa's hand-off game and forcing many tough shots however Ottawa did the same in a game in which both teams shot 35% mainly because of solid lock-up "d" on both sides. Both teams did a tremendous job on the defensive glass and took transition opportunities when available. This was another tremendous battle between 2 very evenly matched teams and hopefully fans will be able to see both teams in Halifax in two weeks.

McMaster 58 at Windsor 75 FINAL The Lancers led from start to finish are were never seriously challenged as they won their first OUA West championship in 25 seasons. Windsor dominated inside as 6'8" Greg Surmacz had 16 points and 5 rebounds and got a solid effort from First Team All-Star Kevin Kloostra who had a game-high 20 points including a personal 7-0 run to get Windsor started early. The Lancers finished the first half on a 22-7 run over the last 14 minutes, consistently getting to the offensive glass and locking up Mac's shooters. The Lancers largest lead was 54-32 midway through the final frame but Mac did rally with a 14-3 run to get to within 11 on a couple of occasions with about 6 minutes left but Kloostra knocked down a big 3 with 5:49 to play to restore a 60-46 Windsor lead. Martin Ajayi (18 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists) and Adam Steiner (16 points, 9 rebounds) gave the Marauders solid efforts in what probably will be the final university game of their careers. Windsor will host Carleton for the Wilson Cup next Saturday with the victor gaining a Top 4 seed at the Nationals in Halifax.

CANADA WEST CHAMPIONSHIP UBC 76 at Brandon 73 The T-Birds qualified as the first guaranteed Top 4 seed by capturing the Canada West title with a tight victory over the hometown Bobcats. UBC limited Brandon's transition opportunities by taking care of the ball reasonably well, making only 14 turnovers and held Friday night's hero Dany Charlery to only 10 points on 4-19 shooting including 1-6 from 3. Chris Dyck and Bryson Kool each had 17 points for UBC in the victory which avenged an earlier 10 point loss to Brandon in January. Adam Freisen had a solid 11 point/8 assist effort while Canada West MVP Casey Archibald added 14 points and 5 rebounds. 6'5" Adam Hartman had a game-high 19 for the Bobcats which also got 15 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists for Yul Michel.

CANADA WEST BRONZE MEDAL Saskatchewan 82 Victoria 77 6'8" Andrew Spagrud had another monster effort with 30 points on 11-17 shooting and added 10 rebounds as the Huskies captured the Bronze medal at the Canada West Final Four. Rejean Chabot had a solid 18 point, 7 assist effort while unheralded forward Clint Unsworth came off the bench for an 18 point/12 rebound double/double as Saskatchewan shot a scorching 58.9% from the floor. Vic, which lost its 10th game of the season and 4th in a row down the stretch, trailed by 10 at halftime and got 18 points from Jacob Doerksen and 13 from Brandon Ellis.

Final Day of AUS Regular Season Play
Cape Breton (15-5, 44 pts) 78 at St. FX (14-6, 42 pts) 82 Despite the game meaning nothing in the standings or AUS tournament seedings, the battle between the 2 favorites for the AUS tournament title was played at playoff intensity and the X-Men prevailed as their two seniors 6'3" Garry Gallimore (19 points) and 6'10" Neil McDonald (19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists), each provided all-conference-like performances. X guard Tyler Richards got it going again after a rather-lengthy (by his standards) shooting slump, finishing with 16 points and adding 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Richards had a personal 6-0 run in the first half that gave X their largest lead at 31-22. But the Capers, behind Jarrett Timmons (20 points, 10 rebounds), Paul Blake (17 points on 7-9 shooting) and Eric Breland (17 points) got the game back to 42-37 by halftime. AUS freshman-of-the-year candidate Christian "T-Bear" Upshaw returned from an ankle injury to play 13 minutes and scored 6 points. Both teams had already clinched byes in the AUS tournament and await the first round winners this coming Friday, needing only one win to qualify for the Nationals. BOX SCORE

Dalhousie (8-12, 18 pts) 69 at Acadia (14-6, 40 pts) 74 AUS MVP candidate Paolo Santana again flirted with a triple-double, scoring 14 while adding 9 rebounds and 7 assists as the Axemen prevailed in an AUS tournament quarter-final preview. Acadia officially finished third in the AUS and Dal finished sixth. Sixth man Shawn Berry had 13 points, most in the first half as Acadia built a 12 point lead, and 6 rebounds while sharpshooter Peter Leighton added 14 for Acadia, which played without 6'1" point guard Andrew Kraus. Kraus is expected to be ready for Thursday's rematch with Dal in the first round of the AUS tournament. 5'9" third year guard Jason Jordan had a team-high 15 points for the Tigers including 3-5 from 3 point land, all in the second half, while Monte Francois added 13. Both teams played cautious and showed little in advance of their playoff meeting which happens this coming Thursday night in the first round of the AUS tournament at the Halifax Metro Center (8 PM Atlantic/7 PM Eastern). The winner advances to Friday's AUS semi-finals and will play for a spot at the Nationals. BOX SCORE

St. Mary's (11-9, 20 pts) 93 at UNB (5-15, 10 pts) 80 The Huskies closed strong with a 50 point second half to overtake the Varsity Reds behind Clint Bateman's 26 points and 6 rebounds. All 5 St. Mary's starters played 30+ minutes and each reached double figures including Cordell Wright who had 22 points/5 rebounds. Erik Glavic, a two-sport athlete who also is the quarterback on the Huskies' football team, came off the bench for the Huskies to score 6 points and snare 9 rebounds in just 15 minutes. St. Mary's helped themselves with a strong 30 for 34 effort (88.2%) at the foul line. UNB's all-star candidate Oliver Glencross pushed a triple double with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists as the Reds finished out of the playoffs. The Huskies will face UPEI Panthers in the first round of the AUS tournament this Thursday night at 6 PM Atlantic/5 PM Eastern. BOX SCORE