Saturday 3 November 2007

Friday's Canada West Regular Season round-up

Fraser Valley (3-0) 101, Saskatchewan (0-1) 99 DOUBLE OVERTIME Darren Johnson hit a buzzer-beating layup at the end of the second overtime sending the Cascades to their third straight league win and keeping new Coach Barnaby Craddock unbeaten in Canada West play in his first season in Abbottsford. Fraser Valley had rallied from an 11 point deficit with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation to force extra time. The Huskies then made comebacks of their own as 6'7" Andrew Spagrud (game-highs of 28 points/20 rebounds) had a lay-up with 4 seconds left in the first OT to tie it and then 6'2" Kyle Grant hit a pair of free throws late in the second overtime to set up Johnson's heroics. Fraser Valley's emerging forward Joel Haviland had 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Cascades in a game plagued by fouls - 59 fouls were called in total - with the Huskies going to the line 57 times (making only 32). Rob Lovelace had 20 points/7 rebounds/6 assists for Saskatchewan while Grant added 21 points/5 assists. Game Report from UCFV site plus last night's Fraser Valley/Saskatchewan Box Score

Calgary 64, Victoria 62 From Ben Matchett, Calgary Sports Information... BEKKERING’S BUZZER-BEATER BEATS VICTORIA; CALGARY – 6'8" Henry Bekkering hit an eight-foot jump shot at the buzzer as the Calgary Dinos overcame a sloppy, error-filled second half to record a 64-62 win over the Victoria Vikes Friday at the Jack Simpson Gym. Holding possession with less than 30 seconds to play and the score tied 62-62, the Vikes missed a shot as the shot clock buzzer went off, giving Calgary the ball with just over six seconds to play. Robbie Sihota found Jeff Price with a long pass up the court, and Price forwarded it to Bekkering inside the key. The NCAA transfer, playing his first CIS game, took one dribble then put up a turnaround jumper that bounced around the rim before falling good, sending the 915 fans in attendance into a frenzy. “It was fun to make that shot, but I didn’t really have a great game, and I took some bad shots too,” said Bekkering, who finished with 15 points and five rebounds on the night. “Our defense wasn’t that good, and we didn’t execute on offense. It was good to get our first Canada West win, but we have to play better tomorrow.” Bekkering provided two highlight-reel moments to bookend the game – the buzzer-beater to win it, along with an alley oop dunk early in the contest. Calgary executed well early and jumped out to a 19-15 lead after the first quarter, but tenacious defence by the Vikes limited the Dinos’ success through the next two quarters. Tyler Hass gave the Vikes the lead at 25-24 midway through the second quarter, a lead they would hold until the early moments of the fourth when Sihota put the Dinos up 53-52. While Victoria played tight defence, the Dinos struggled with theirs, especially off the glass. Victoria grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to Calgary’s 21 defensive boards, but Victoria’s often came at key moments. Despite its defensive troubles, Calgary was able to keep the game within reach, never falling more than five points behind Victoria. After finally putting together a couple of defensive stops early in the fourth quarter, the Dinos took the 53-52 lead, setting up an intense final eight minutes. The Vikes kept the Dinos from getting more than three points ahead and took a 60-59 lead themselves when Hass made a lay-up with just over three minutes remaining. The teams traded baskets from there, and Victoria took a 62-61 lead with 90 seconds to play. Sihota hit one of two free throws to tie it up, setting up Bekkering’s heroics at the buzzer. “We’ll always take a W. An ugly win is better than losing the basketball game,” said Calgary coach Dan Vanhooren. We have a talented team, and maybe the last couple years we don’t win that game. “We really didn’t shoot it well all night long. The other thing that hurt us was rebounding and our turnovers in the second quarter. It was a big hoop by Henry at the end, and some big hoops by Robbie Sihota down the stretch there as well.” Calgary had several opportunities to put the game away but shot an anemic 54 per cent from the free throw line, including only five of 13 in the second half. Ross Bekkering missed six straight free throws in the fourth quarter, and Sihota only managed to go 4-for-7 from the line. Hass led the way for Victoria with 15 points, while Robbie Kinnear had a monster night with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Ross Bekkering matched Kinnear’s double-double with one of his own, potting 11 points and hauling in 10 boards. Sihota added 15 points, while senior Cody Darrah added a dozen for Calgary. The win puts Calgary at 1-0 to open the Canada West season, while Victoria falls to 2-1 after its first setback of the season. The Vikes head south to face the Lethbridge Pronghorns Saturday night, while the Dinos will play host to the UBC Thunderbirds, with tip-off slated for 8 p.m.... Courtesy of Wayne Thomas, Dino Hoops News; Narrow Escape for Dinos in Opener 6'8" Henry Bekkering's basket at the buzzer gave the Dinos a dramatic two point win. Trailing for much of the game, and looking ragged through the opening minutes of the 4th quarter, the home-standing Calgary Dinos were searching for a spark, and, luckily, as he has done before, Robbie Sihota struck for 6 straight points to give the homeboys a lead. But Victoria had the ball with 29 seconds left and the scored knotted at 62, were patient to get a shot with 8 seconds left, missed, and Cody Darrah got the ball down the court and made a smart feed inside to Henry Bekkering, who powered up to score at the buzzer for 64-62 Dinos victory. It was a hard fought win against a tough Victoria team, who were led by posts Tyler Haas, Rob Kinnear and Mitch Gudgeon, who had 14-13-13 pts. each, and gave Calgary fits all night off the glass. The low scoring game seemed to suit the Vikes who worked the ball with discipline and seemed to get the cleaner chances near the rim. Brandon Dunlop, UVic's 2nd year pont guard from Camosun College in Victoria had a good night with his shooting and penetration. Calgary relied on the powerful presence of Ross Bekkering, the game's leading rebounder to battle the Vikes inside. Henry Bekkering and Sihota both had 15 pts. along with 12 from Darrah. Nerves appeared to be an issue with the Dinos as they were only 53% from the free throw line, and had numerous turnovers at the most inopportune moments. But they found a way to win, and they beat a good Vikes team in the clutch; they were well served by some tight defense in the final quarter, especially from Andrew Champagnie and Jeff Price on the UVic guards. Josh Lovestone and Joe Schow had some good minutes off the bench, despite having a tough time scoring. Saturday night Calgary faces UBC and Victoria travels to Lethbridge. Calgary/Victoria Box Score

#8 Brandon (1-0) 81, Simon Fraser (0-3) 74 6'1" fifth-year guard Yul Michel converted a conventional three-point play with 1:01 remaining in the game to give the Bobcats the lead for good and Brandon ended the game on a 9-0 run which included a pair of shot blocks inside by 6'9" Stevens Marcelin and 6'5" Adam Hartman as Brandon survived at home against the Clan. In a game that had numerous lead changes throughout, 6'3" Matt Kuzminski knocked in a three with just over one minute remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Clan a 74-72 lead, the natives began to sense a possible upset. But the slick Michel got inside and was fouled and the Bobcats followed with some sterling "d" when it counted to win their first Canada West regular season game of the year. Brandon had 5 players in double figures led by Michel's 20 points/7 rebounds and Hartman's 16 points/5 rebounds as all five starters logged at least 30 minutes. Marcelin, who played more than usual with the absence of 6'11" Yuri Whyms, added an 11 point, 12 rebound double/double while Manitoba transfer Tarik Tokar had 15 points/5 rebounds. The Cats survived an uncharacteristic 5-18 performance including 0-6 from 3 from All-Canadian candidate Dany Charlery. The Clan was led by 6'8" post Greg Wallis, who continues to show he is one of the better post players in the country, who had a game-high 25 points on 12-14 shooting while 6'3" Sean Burke added 15 points and 10 assists. Forward Nolan Holmes added 11 points/10 rebounds for Simon Fraser, which shot 49% as a team... 8th Ranked Bobcats Rally To Beat Clan Written by: Jeremy Sawatzky, BU Sports Information; BRANDON, MB – When it comes to snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat, the Brandon University Bobcats are becoming consummate professionals. As was the case throughout much of the 2006-07 campaign, the 8th ranked ‘Cats rallied their way to a stunning 81-74 victory over the Simon Fraser Clan Friday night in front of an appreciative crowd at the BU Gymnasium. Trailing 71-68 with just over three minutes remaining, the ‘Cats clamped down on defense and received 11 straight points from 5th year point guard Yul Michel en rout to an impressive come-from-behind win in their 2007-08 regular season opener. “It just seems like when we get into these tie games with 3 or 4 minutes remaining, our guys find a way to get it done,” said first year BU head coach Mike Raimbault. “We banded together and were able to get things done against a very good, physical Simon Fraser team.” The Bobcats were without forward Yuri Whyms – who was sidelined with a sore knee – and to make matters worse, Dany Charlery had an uncharacteristically bad game, shooting 5-18 from the field. However, the ‘Cats were able to string together a phenomenal final quarter of basketball, sparked by the sensational play of their veteran leader. “We probably played their tempo for most of the game,” noted Raimbault. “We were stagnant on offensive… but the guys somehow found a way to get it done.” Michel topped all BU players with 20 points and 7 assists (including 11 points in the final 3:20), while Adam Hartman delivered 16 points. Tarik Tokar notched 16 points, Charlery finished with 14, and Stevens Marcelin added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Greg Wallis led the way for SFU with 25 points on 12-14 shooting from the field. Nolan Holmes added 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Sean Burke scored 15 points. The Bobcats shot 45% (30-66) from the field, 25% (4-16) from three point range, and 68% (17-25) from the free throw line. The Clan made 49% (31-63) of their field goals, 40% (6-15) of their three’s, and 67% (6-9) of their free throws. BU out-rebounded SFU 34-33. Written by: Jeremy Sawatzky, BU Sports Information Brandon/Simon Fraser Box Score

#4 UBC (3-0) 90, Lethbridge (0-1) 79 The Thunderbirds were led by Chris Dyck with a game high 23 points, while Matt Rachar chipped in with 16 points. College Transfer Shawn Nelson led the Horns with 22 points, while freshman Quinn Van Gaalen had an exceptional debut picking up 21 points and went 2 for 3 from behind the arc. Captain Richard Steed also hit double digits with 13 points and picked up 8 assists. UBC defeats Lethbridge plus UBC/Lethbridge Box Score

#7 Alberta (1-0) 101, Thompson Rivers (0-3) 63 Courtesy of Jennifer Robertson, TRU Sports Info; TRU WolfPack battle with two starters on the bench, Alberta too strong It was a rough start for the WolfPack tonight as the Alberta Golden Bears jumped on the court and dominated with a flurry of points and aggressive play. The Golden Bears racked up 59 points in the first half to the WolfPack's 28. "The University of Alberta is a very good team and they played very well in the first half," said head coach Nevin Gleddie. "We did not play well in the first half." The `Pack picked up their game in the second half and slowed down the Alberta charge to 42 points over the two quarters. TRU even dropped the same amount of points in the third quarter as the Golden Bears with 22 points each. The top point scorers for the game were two fifth-year Golden Bears, Andrew Parker (Edmonton, AB) with 21 points and Alex Steele (Edmonton, AB) with 17. The top rebounder for the Golden Bears was 6'11" Richard Bates (Sherwood Park, AB) who pulled in 10 rebounds. The WolfPack's Brian Smith (5th-year, Maple Ridge, BC) and Chris Vanderweide (2nd-year, Ladysmith, BC) both put 11 points on the board while first-year George Aramide (6'5" London, UK) rebounded the game high of 11. "I'm impressed with how we played in the second half," said Gleddie. "We played without two starters and we had to depend on a fifth year (Brian Smith) and a very good second year (Drew Bleth, Ridgefield, WA -10 points in the game)." Brent Traxel (5th-year, 6'7" Cochrane, AB) and Kamar Burke (2nd-year, 6'5" Mississauga, ON) are currently on the injury bench. The WolfPack play the University of Saskatchewan Huskies tomorrow night at the Tournament Capital Centre in Kamloops, BC. beginning at 7:00pm Pacific.

Regina (1-0) 81, Trinity Western (0-3) 78 6'5" Jamal Williams had 13 points and 20 rebounds including 10 on the offensive glass to lead the Cougars, who entered the fourth quarter leading by 23 points and held on for the win. Cougars 6'2" Bryden Wright, who missed all of last season after sustaining an injury at the start of camp in 2006, showed observers that he should be an honours candidate in Canada West with 25 points on 10-17 shooting while forward Kris Heshka added 17 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks for Regina. The Spartans mounted their comeback behind 6'0" RMC and Queen's transfer Lucas Goltz, who had a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds while Jason Keegstra added 18 points/11 rebounds. Regina/Trinity Western Box Score Also here is a report from the Cougars web site: The Trinity Western Spartans pressed the right buttons but couldn’t overcome a 23-point third quarter deficit, falling to Regina 81-78 in Canada West men’s basketball action at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport on Friday night. Trinity Western (0-3) created 32 turnovers playing a full court press for most of the game, a system that was successful against the hometown Cougars (1-0). Regina appeared to have the foul-filled affair wrapped up after three quarters leading 66-43, but the Spartans’ press worked wonders in the fourth quarter as they closed the gap to a single basket with one minute remaining in the game. “We were expecting the press. We handled it well for 25 minutes, but not for 15,” said Cougars head coach James Hillis. “It was unbelievable to me how we were turning over the ball with some dropped passes and catching the ball with one hand.” Fifth-year guard Bryden Wright led the Cougars offensively with 25 points and second-year forward Kris Heshka chipped in with 17 points and five blocked shots. Jamal Williams dominated the glass, collecting 20 of the Cougars’ 60 rebounds, 10 of which were offensive boards. The third-year forward also had 13 points. Third-year guard Lucas Goltz led the Spartans with 28 points and 11 rebounds in the losing cause while third-year forward Jason Keegstra added 18 points and 11 boards. The Spartans continue the search for their first win of the season in Brandon on Saturday night while the Cougars host the Simon Fraser University Clan (0-3) at the CKHS on Saturday. Tip-off is at 8:00.

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