Wednesday 31 October 2007

Wednesday's CIS vs. NCAA Results

Brock 66, Air Force Falcons 63 6'3" Rohan Steen hit a three pointer with one second remaining to lift the Badgers to a victory at the Air Force Academy in a game best described as a three-point shooting gallery. The teams combined to shoot 27 for 58 from downtown for the game as Brock went 16 for 30 including an incredible 11 for 17 in the second half. Surprisingly, Steen was only 1-9 from the floor prior to making his big shot to give Brock their first win against a Division 1 team on the road in recent memory (the Badgers have defeated other D1 teams at home in recent years). The Badgers knocked eight of their first nine 3's in the second half to erase an early 9 point second-half deficit. Brock's barrage of threes was led by 6'2" Mike Kemp who scored 25 points on 7-11 shooting from 3. 6'0" Scott Murray was also red-hot from beyond the arc, going 6-9 for a total of 20 points. His sixth 3 pointer tied the game at 61 with 2:41 to play. The Falcons broke a 28 all tie with a 7-0 run to end the first half as the Badgers went 6-14 from downtown to keep themselves close. Brock welcomed back 5'10" Brad Rootes, who missed the previous five games with an ankle injury as Rootes was instrumental in setting the table for the Badgers perimeter threats, finishing with 10 assists against only 2 turnovers and scoring 8 points including finding Steen for the winning shot with one second to play. Tim Anderson led Air Force with 25 points, only 5 after the intermission, as he shot 5 for 6 from 3 point land while playing all 20 minutes of the first half but made only one three in the second half. The Badgers move over to Boulder, Colorado to face the University of Colorado Buffalos (Chauncey Billups alma mater) tomorrow night.

UQAM 80, Maine Fort Kent (NAIA) 73 From the Maine Fort Kent web site... Bengals Fall to Citadens; Fort Kent, ME – The University of Quebec at Montreal strolled onto the University of Maine at Fort Kent campus Wednesday and scared UMFK stiff in the second half, pulling away for a 80-73 men’s basketball victory. UMFK built an eight point lead at the end of the first half but second half action was dominated by the propelling UQAM offense. Leaders for the Division I CIS Citadins were Karim Gueye (10 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals), Samuel Johnson (16 points, six rebounds, two blocks, and one steal), and Mario Joesph (14 points, two assists and one steal). The Bengals had strong encouragement despite the loss from vets Yair Gal (Ashdod, Isreal), who had 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists; and Gediminas Sumyla who added 14 points, four assists, two steals, and one block. Freshmen Othniel Hyliger (Sandy Point St. Kitts) had 14 points and a team-best eight boards while Jimmy Lopez (Fitchburg, MA) had 13 and Edmundas Akstinas reached double figures with 10.

Vermont Catamounts 92, Concordia 66 A 22-7 run to close the first half broke open a tight game gave the Catamounts a victory in their exhibition season opener. After turning it over on their first three possessions of the game resulted in Concordia being down 8-0 and then 10-2, the Stingers had a 14-5 run culminated by a jumper from 6'5" freshman James Clark to give Concordia their only lead of the game at 16-15 with 13 minutes left in the first half. During the run, 5'9" Levi Vann hit three's on three consecutive possessions; Vann ended the first half with 4 3's and 12 points. The teams traded baskets until about the 10 minute mark when Vermont's junior co-captain Mike Trimboli went to work, giving the Catamounts a 17 point halftime lead. Trimboli finished the first half with 10 points during which the Stingers shot only 27% (9-33) and gave up 11 offensive boards. Concordia got it back to as close as 15 at 67-52 with 9 minutes left in the second half on a Vann jumper but the Catamounts peeled off an 8-0 run, finishing the game on a 25-14 run to win going away. Vann led all scorers with 20 points including a sterling 6 for 12 effort from behind the arc and added 5 rebounds from the guard spot while 6'8" Jamal Gallier added a 13-point/11-rebound double double. The Stingers welcomed back 6'2" guard Damian Buckley from a knee injury and he played sparingly scoring 5 points in 16 minutes while his brother 6'3" Dwayne Buckley, struggled from the floor, going 1-13 for just 6 points. The Stingers meet Northern Arizona on Friday night.

Charlotte 49ers 92, Ottawa 36 The 49ers raced out to a 53-14 lead by halftime and cruised to victory over the reeling Gee-Gees. Ottawa, starting two freshmen after already missing starters 6'3" Donnie Gibson and 6'5" David Labentowicz, went to their bench down 9 at 18-9 with about 12 minutes remaining in the half and the results were disasterous as Charlotte ripped off a 25-0 run. When 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe finally stopped the bleeding with a jumper, Charlotte led 47-9 and the route was definitely on. 6'0" Leemire Goldwire had 23 points including 7 for 10 from downtown and added 7 rebounds for Charlotte while Josh Gibson-Bascombe had 11 including 2-4 3's, 6'3" Sean Peter 10 points/7 rebounds and 6'9" Dax Dessureault added 7 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks for Ottawa. Ottawa faces UNC-Wilmington Seahawks tomorrow night.

Wednesday's CIS vs. NCAA Games

There are four games on the slate involving CIS squads south of the border tonight, including #3 Concordia Stingers at Vermont to face the Catamounts in Burlington, VT. The Brock Badgers, Ottawa Gee-Gees and UQAM Citadins are also in action tonight. Happy Halowe'en to all !

Wednesday, Oct. 31 CIS vs. NCAA Games
all games listed as Eastern time

7 PM Ottawa at Charlotte 49ers The Gee-Gees play the first of their two-game trip through the state of North Carolina in Charlotte against the 49ers, members of the Atlantic 10 conference (NCAA Division 1). Charlotte returns three seniors from last year's team that finished 14-16 and lost in the first round of the A-10 tournament to Dayton: 6'9" Sean Phaler, 5'11" Leemire Goldwire and 6'0" Jerrell Lewis. Long-time Coach Bobby Lutz, who brought his team to Canada for 4 games during Labour Day 2006, recruited what one expert called the #13 recruiting class in the USA this season. The 49ers incoming class includes current signees Javarris Barnett (Charlotte, N.C.), Lamont Mack (Chicago, Ill.), Gaby Ngoundjo (Little Rock, Ark.) and An'Juan Wilderness (Dunwoody, Ga.) as well as sophomore walk-on Dijuan Harris (Charlotte, N.C.), who has completed one year at Hillsborough Junior College and has been accepted into the university. Ottawa will be without a pair of starters as 6'3" Donnie Gibson is nursing a knee injury and 6'5" David Labentowicz continues to battle an ankle injury. Although both should be available for the start of league play, neither will play on this trip and the Gee-Gees plan to start a pair of freshmen in their place in 6'6" forward Justin Bell and 6'1" Vlad Pislaru. As of now, there is no audio, video or live stats coverage for this game.

7 PM #3 Concordia at Vermont Catamounts The Stingers embark on a five-games-in-eight-days road trip, starting with a reasonably short van ride from Montreal to Burlington, VT to face the Catamounts, perennial contenders in America East (NCAA Division 1). Vermont is playing the first of two exhibition games prior to the official start of their pre-season schedule. The Catamounts return a solid nucleus from last year's squad that won the America East Regular Season Championship by going 15-1 in league play and advanced to the post-season National Invitation Tournament nearly knocking off Big 12 member Kansas State on its home court. After starting the season 5-5 Vermont finished the year winning 20 of its next 23 and tied the school record for wins with 25. Vermont's run of five straight conference championship appearances is the second longest active streak in the nation behind Gonzaga and is one shy of tying the America East record for consecutive title game runs. Leading the team this season will be junior point guard Mike Trimboli, the reigning America East Fans' Choice Player of the Year. Trimboli has led the team in scoring in each of his first two seasons at Vermont and is also the only first team all-league selection from last year to return this season. The Stingers are likely to welcome back 6'1" Damian Buckley, who has missed the past five Stinger games with a knee injury but has been pronounced ready to go and will likely start. As well, 6'8" Jamal Gallier, who had been suffering from a leg contusion, should be at or near full strength. Here is a Game Preview from the Vermont site. As well, the game can be followed in real time via LIVE STATS!. For those wishing to either watch or listen live, click on the game preview link above and there are further links for pay-per-view of the game.

8 PM UQAM at Maine Fort-Kent Bengals (NAIA) The Citadins travel just across the border to Fort Kent, MA to face the Bengals, who last season lost in the championship game of the Sunrise (NAIA) conference. The Bengals feature a lineup full of foreign players including a Croatian, two players from Lithuania, one player from Isreal and two players from the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean. UQAM has not played since the House-Laughton tournament at Carleton more than two weeks ago during which the Citadins went 0-3. The athletic, up-tempo Citadins try to take advantage of their quickness and speed and are led by 6'2" veteran guard Samuel Johnson, now playing again after a serious back injury, 6'4" Mario Joseph and 6'4" Joseph Atangana, an all-star at the House-Laughton tournament. UQAM will also play an exhibition game on Friday night at the University of New Brunswick.

9 PM Brock at Air Force Falcons The Badgers play the first of two games against NCAA Division 1 teams in Colorado when they tangle with the Falcons, members of the Mountain West conference. Air Force won 3 games against CIS teams over the Labour Day weekend in the Vancouver area. Brock hopes to have 5'10" All-Canadian Brad Rootes back from an ankle injury. In Rootes' absence, Brock has managed to go only 1-5. Here is a game preview from the Falcons site.

Tuesday 30 October 2007

First NABCC Top Ten of 2007-08 Season

The National Association of Basketball Coaches in Canada (NABCC) has issued their first Men's Basketball Top Ten of the 2007-08 season and it is no surprise that the Carleton Ravens are #1 in the first coaches poll, garnering 41 of a possible 43 first-place votes. UBC was voted first on one coaches ballot while one coach abstained. Each week during the season that games are played, all 43 CIS coaches are asked to submit their Top 10 and the votes are compiled. Here is a complete look at this week's NABCC Top 10 coaches poll:

October 30, 2007 (first place votes in brackets)

1. Carleton (41) 503 votes
2. Windsor 401 votes
3. UBC (1) 371 votes
4. Saint Mary's 359 votes
5. Concordia 326 votes
6. Alberta 300 votes
7. Acadia 252 votes
8. Brandon 231 votes
9. Queen's 114 votes
10. Toronto 98 votes

Others:
11. Cape Breton 90 votes
12. Saskatchewan 75 votes
13. Calgary 50 votes
14. Guelph 30 votes
15. Western 19 votes

Monday 29 October 2007

Carleton Loses at Louisville; More from the weekend

LOUISVILLE 82, CARLETON 49 The Cardinals held Carleton scoreless for the first 5 1/2 minutes of the second half and to only 31% shooting for the game (incluidng 3-21 14% from downtown) as 6'9" sophomore Derrick Caracter led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds (including 5 "o" boards) while 6'9" senior forward David Padgett added 18 points/13 rebounds (including 4 "o" boards) to lead Louisville to the romp. The Cardinals made their first 5 three-pointers of the game to pull out to early leads as large as 11 but a 9-3 Ravens run got the game back to 27-22 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half (teams played NCAA rules). From there, Carleton scored only 9 points in the next 12+ minutes of play bridging the first and second half as the athletic Cardinals dug in defensively. Louisville finished the half on a 17-7 run to lead by 15, primarily on the strength of second chances (14 offensive rebounds in the first half for the Cards). The Cards then scored the first 7 points of the second half before 6'5" Daron Leonard nailed a jumper for Carleton's first points of the second half with 5 1/2 minutes gone. At that point in the game, Carleton was 1-11 from downtown and was shooting only 28%. Carleton went on a mini 5-0 run culminated by a three pointer by 6'3" Elliot Thompson after which Cards coach Rick Pitino took a 30 second timeout. Louisville then iced the game with a 10-2 run to lead 63-38 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining. 6'8" Aaron Doornekamp led Carleton with 11 points but went only 1-8 from the floor and 0-4 from three point land while Thompson added 8 points including 2-5 3's, both late in the game. Carleton's 6'4" guard Ryan Bell struggled, scoring only 2 points on 1-7 shooting including 0-5 on 3's and turned the ball over 6 times in 29 minutes. Carleton faces the Providence Friars, another Big East team on Friday night in Providence, Rhode Island.

Some notes from Louisville on tonight's game NBA Scouts at Louisville/Carleton game also Canadian Champs are Cards first test and another Cards face Carleton in opener

Here are the Lethbridge tournament all-stars and final standings:

All-Stars
Kyle Grant, guard; University of Saskatchewan
Boris Bakovic, post; Ryerson Univeristy
Richard Steed, pt guard; University of Lethbridge
Ryan Anderson, post; University of Lethbridge
Chase Sukut, guard; Rocky Mountain College
MVP Elijah Swann, guard; Rocky Mountain College

Rocky Mountain College 3-0; University of Lethbridge 1-2; University of Saskatchewan 1-2; Ryerson University 1-2.

Thanks to Peter Campbell for sending along the tournament all-stars at the Hawk Challenge at Laurier. The Golden Hawks chose a novel concept, naming one All-Star per team as follows: Windsor's 6'8" Greg Surmacz was named tournament MVP while 6'5" Eric Breland from Cape Breton, 6'1" Junior Nicolas from Bishop's and 6'5" freshman Kale Harrison from Laurier were named tournament all stars.

Here is a Waterloo Warriors weekend update from Curtis Dauber, Warriors Assistant Coach; many thanks to Curtis for passing this along The Waterloo Men's basketball team went 1-2 and ended up in a 3 way tie for second place at the University of Alberta Tournament this weekend in Edmonton. In the first game Waterloo was at a distinct disadvantage having hoped on a plane at 9am, flown 4 hours then played against the hosts in their home opener a few hours later. The fatigue showed as Alberta jumped out to a 20 point lead at halftime. The lead went to as many as 30 points before the young Warriors battled back to get within 9 points at the start of the 4th. A 7-14 effort from the foul line didn't help Waterloo's cause, and Andrew Parker from Alberta, one of the most athletic players in the country hitting his first 7 3 pointers didn't help either. Waterloo was on the losing end of an 89-68 score. Freshman Cam Mcintyre led the team with 18 points, and Alan Goodhoofd scored 10 and grabbed 7 rebounds in the losing cause. Game 2 of the tournament cam against the perenial powers from Ottawa, the Ottawa Gee-gees. Hot shooting and some great team play highlighted Waterloo's highest scoring output in a few years. 6 players ended up in double figures led by Dan White's 21 point 11 rebound effort. 4 man Ben Frisby came into his own, showing his great all round game by scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Great to see point guard Dave Burnett brake out of a slump with 14 points and 9 assists. Waterloo didn't take their first lead until there were 2 minutes remaining in the game, at 82-80, and ended up hanging on for a 99-91 victory in Overtime. Most impressive was the leadership of the only 4th year player on the team, Co-captain Dan White who first hit 2 three's to get the game close, then hit a pull up 2 to take the lead, and a ridiculous falling out of bounds, no look 3 from the corner with 2 Gee-Gee's draped all over him as the shot clock expired. In the last game of the tournament Waterloo faced the York Lions, a team that has traditionally given Waterloo problems with their size. Yorks big man Matt Terejko had the game of his life, scoring 26 points on 12-15 shooting. In a bizarre game, York shot 28 free throws, to just 8 by Waterloo. At one point in the first half, Waterloo was given technicals, first for slapping the ground (after getting knocked to it) then for looking up at the ceiling after a bad call. By the time the dust had settled York was leading by 13 at half. Things continued to look bad for the Warriors as first Ben Frisby went down 4 minutes into the game after coming down on a York players ankle - he did not return. His replacement, Alan Goodhoofd left the game for good after an elbow to the teeth left him in a lot of pain - as well as somehow receiving another foul on the play. The depth of the Warriors showed as 3rd year big man Matt Hayes showed off his tenacious attitude in grabbing 12 boards in only 22 minutes. Waterloo went on a run and it was a 4 point game with 3 minutes to go. However, the Warriors dug themselves into too big of a hole, and ended up losing 88-80. Cam Mcintyre again led the team in scoring, with 21 points, and is starting to assert himself as one of the leaders for OUA West rookie of the year. Next up for Waterloo is a trip to New York next weekend, and the following weekend a trip to Toronto for the start of league play.

Gudgeon named Canada West Player-of-the-Week... from Mike Tucker, UVic Sports Info; University of Victoria Vikes Athletics; VICTORIA - Mitch Gudgeon, a fourth-year forward of the University of Victoria men's basketball team, has been named Canada West Athlete of the Week, for the week ending Sunday, October 28.

Mitch Gudegon delivered the Vikes a pair of victories in the opening weekend of Canada West basketball. Gudgeon's weekend began with a career-best 34 points, including 14 in the final frame, to lead the Vikes past Simon Fraser 79-66. The Oak Bay High graduate followed that up with 15 points over TWU, in the Vikes 71-56 win.

Gudgeon's 34-point performance was the highest single-game total by a Vikes player since 2002. Gudgeon missed just three shots all game, shooting 14-for-17, and followed that up with a 5-for-7 performance in Saturday's win. His 15 points against TWU led Vikes' starters, and Gudgeon also hauled in six boards.
With the Vikes' top-five leading scorers gone from last season, Gudgeon has been leaned on to fill a considerable scoring void. Entering 2006-07 Gudgeon had a three-year career average of 5.8 points. This season the Education major has led the Vikes in scoring half of their games, and is averaging 14.0 points.

Next up for Gudgeon and the Vikes is a road series to Calgary and Lethbridge. The Vikes play the Dinos on November 2, followed by a game against the Pronghorns on November 3. Both games tip-off at 7 p.m. PST.

Some corrections; thanks to a note from Tony Petrella who has informed that Guelph's freshman point guard Mike Patrella actually goes by Michael - thanks for the note. Also, in several spots we originally identified Alberta's fifth-year sensation Andrew Parker as Stephen, who of course graduated in 2002 after leading the Bears to their third CIS championship. We regret the oversight.

CISHOOPS.CA Top 10 for 29 October 2007

#1 Carleton (6-0, #1 last week) (this past weekend: IDLE. Carleton faces three NCAA Division 1 teams in the U.S. beginning tonight in Louisville in venerable Freedom Hall against the Cardinals. Carleton also faces Providence and Boston College later this week before beginning their OUA interlock schedule against McMaster and Lakehead the weekend after next.
#2 Windsor (4-1, #2 last week) (this past weekend: Won Hawk Challenge at Laurier by defeating Bishop's and then-#7 Cape Breton) Had two solid wins that were rarely in doubt, knocking Cape Breton from the ranks of the unbeaten and then against a better-than-advertised Gaiters team. The Lancers face Oakland University, an NCAA Division 1 team this coming Sunday night in Michigan before starting their OUA interlocking schedule at home the following weekend against York and Laurentian.
#3 Concordia (4-1, #3 last week) (this past weekend: IDLE. The Stingers now prepare for five games in eight days in the U.S. against NCAA Division 1 teams beginning next Wednesday night at Vermont. The Stingers come-from-behind win in overtime at Queen's two weeks ago, the Gaels only loss thus far, looks that much more impressive given how well the Gaels (who are now ranked in our Top 10) have played. Concordia begins their defense of the QSSF championship on Friday, November 16th at Bishop's in Lennoxville.
#4 UBC (3-0, 2-0 in Canada West, #4 last week) (this past weekend: defeated TWU at home and Simon Fraser on the road) The T-Birds pounded a pair of Canada West Pacific Division opponents this past weekend, defeating Trinity Western at home and then shellacking Simon Fraser on the road in Burnaby. UBC faces a two-game swing through the province of Alberta where they will face Lethbridge and a highly-touted Calgary Dinos team in a tough road contest for the defending Canada West champions.
#5 St. Mary's (8-1, #5 last week) (this past weekend: 3-0 won Laval Tourney defeating UNB, Laval & Laurentian) The Huskies, in the midst of an eight-game winning streak, have won every tight game they've played in, including Saturday's overtime win against Laval. Coach Ross Quackenbush has much more depth than last season and apart from his main rotation, is also getting unlikely contributions from freshmen such as Jazz Cain who led the way back against Les Rouge et Or and Jack Gallinaugh who lit up Laurentian's zone on Sunday. St. Mary's faces conference rival Cape Breton at the X tournament this weekend with the winner meeting the X/UPEI winner in the championship game of the four-team, two-day event in Antigonish, NS.
#6 Acadia (5-1, #6 last week) (this past weekend: IDLE) The Axemen had a solid pre-season with their only loss coming to St. Mary's in the championship of the UNB tournament and have quality wins against Bishop's, Victoria and the Huskies in Moncton in the first game of the season. Acadia begins AUS regular season play on Nov. 7th (Wednesday night) when they host St. Mary's in Wolfville.
#7 Alberta (5-1, NR last week) (This past weekend: Won their own Golden Bear Invitational, going 3-0 by defeating Waterloo, York and Ottawa) With their only loss a tight 5 point game against #1 Carleton in which they shot 40% from the line plus wins at Victoria, Brandon and a pounding of an Ottawa team that had only one loss prior, the Bears could easily be considered for an even higher ranking. In 6'4" Andrew Parker and 6'2" Alex Steele, Alberta has a pair of high-honours candidates and are deep and experienced throughout their rotation. Alberta kicks off their Canada West regular season schedule this weekend, traveling to B.C. to meet Fraser Valley and Thompson Rivers.
#8 Brandon (4-2, #8 last week) (this past weekend: 3-0 with wins against U.S. NAIA schools Dakota State, at Mayville State and at Minot State) The Cats have wins against quality opponents Saskatchewan (before injuries set in on the Huskies) and at Victoria. Both losses came to top teams: #1 Carleton and #7 Alberta. Brandon opens their Canada West regular season this coming weekend, hosting Simon Fraser and Trinity Western. The 'Cats defeated the Clan earlier in the Super 8 tournament three weeks ago.
#9 Queen's (5-1, NR last week) (this past weekend: 3-0 winning Western's Purple & White tournament) On the verge of being ranked all last season, the Gaels finally break onto the national scene with an impressive set of wins at Western including a come-from-behind win against the host Mustangs in the championship game. The Gaels found ways to stay in games early on the weekend and then relied on their solid half-court "d" and ability to create open shots down the stretch. The only blemish on Queen's season is an overtime loss to #3 Concordia in which the Stingers rallied from a 4 point deficit with 15 seconds to play and won in the extra session. Queen's also has a pair of wins against former Top 10 team McGill. 6'3" Simon Mitchell is taking the next step to becoming an elite CIS player while Coach Rob Smart is getting top performances out of at least three unheralded freshmen including 6'5" Travis Mitchell, 6'4" Nick DiDonato, 6'1" Jon Odgen. Queen's meet St. Lawrence College (NCAA Division III) in Canton, NY on Saturday and then hosts Guelph and Brock the following weekend to kick off the interlocking portion of their OUA regular season.
#10 Toronto (7-2, NR last week) The Blues, winners of 4 in a row, have already defeated then-#10 Dalhousie, St. FX and a touted Calgary team at Waterloo. Varsity also traveled to B.C., losing a tight game at Simon Fraser in which they came from 18 points down before losing and then building a big lead at #4 UBC before succuming down the stretch. Toronto has been holding teams in the low 40% defensively and creating open shots offensively. Free throw shooting, a problem for the past couple of years, could have been the difference in at least one of their losses. The Blues will play a pair of games at Daemen College in Buffalo this weekend before hosting Waterloo and Laurier the following weekend to kick off their regular season.

Also considered:
last week's #7 Cape Breton (5-2) (this past weekend: went 2-2 on a tour of Southern Ontario, defeating Brock and Laurier before losing to #2 Windsor and Guelph) The Capers had to deal with not having arguably their second best player in Paul Blake for half of the Windsor loss and all of the Guelph loss. Cape Breton has defeated Brock (2-6) twice, Laval (4-5), UPEI (1-8) and won at Laurier (2-4). Especially with Blake in the lineup, the Capers should push the Top 10 all season long. Cape Breton faces #5 St. Mary's in the first round of the X tournament this coming weekend.
Guelph (5-2) (this past weekend: 3-0 with home wins against Memorial, then-#10 Dalhousie and then-#7 Cape Breton) Winners of five in a row, the Gryphs played Carleton tough on their home floor and have really only played one rough game, their season opener against Dal, who they later came back to defeat comfortably at home. Guelph travels to Kingston to face RMC and Queen's in two weeks to kick off their regular season.

Weekend Recap

The final set of pre-season tournaments were played this past weekend with St. Mary's capturing a championship for the second consecutive weekend, winning the Laval tournament highlighted by a comeback victory over the hosts in overtime on Saturday evening. The Alberta Golden Bears ran through 3 OUA teams at home in Edmonton to capture the Golden Bear Invitational while Queen's defeated Western in the championship game of the Purple and White tournament in London at the University of Western Ontario. The Windsor Lancers captured the Hawk Invitational at Laurier. Finally, Rocky Mountain College, an NAIA team from Montana, captured the Lethbridge tournament... Count Bishop's Head Coach Eddie Pomykala in the group of observers who believes Windsor Lancers are among the elite teams in the CIS. After his Gaiters were defeated by Windsor on Friday night at the Hawk Challenge at Laurier, Pomykala had high praise for the Lancers: "Windsor played like the #2 team in the country... (they) came out of the blocks hard and completely blew us out early. Playing great fundamental basketball, they jumped out to a quick lead... they are an excellent team and hopefully we gained something in the long term for playing them."... With every setback comes opportunity for another which is a mantra that hopefully will apply to Saskatchewan Huskies 6'4" freshman two-guard Brennan Jarrett. Jarrett started some games for the Huskies this weekend at the Lethbridge tournament and observers saw tremendous promise in his game. Jarrett likely will come off the bench when 6'0" guard Rob Lovelace comes back from injury but Jarrett did look promising and could become a very important player in the coming seasons when Saskatchewan loses their core of current players to graduation. Also with Saskatchewan, expect 6'2" Chris Bodnar to join the Huskies after football, where he is a backup quarterback, and he should see time in the rotation almost immediately. Bodnar was very capable as the starting point for Saskatchewan at the 2005 Canada Games.

INJURIES UPDATE: Several potential All-Canadians and other honours candidates have been sidelined recently including 5'10" point guard Brad Rootes from Brock, who has missed 5 consecutive games since injurying his ankle against Laval during the opening round of last weekend's Jack Donohue Memorial tournament at Ottawa. Rootes should practice sparingly early this week and rejoin the Badgers when they face Air Force and Colorado, a pair of NCAA Division 1 teams out west this coming Wednesday and Thursday. The Badgers kick off their regular season in about two weeks, travelling to Kingston to face RMC and Queen's... 6'8" Andrew Spagrud and 6'0" Rob Lovelace, a pair of starters on the Saskatchewan Huskies, each missed all three games at this weekend's Lethbridge tournament during which the host Pronghorns upset the Huskies. Both Spagrud and Lovelace are expected back when Saskatchewan begins their Canada West regular season with a pair of games in B.C., Friday night at Fraser Valley and Saturday at Thompson Rivers... UBC's 6'8" Bryson Kool, who suffered a knee injury over Labour Day weekend, returned to action to play sparingly although he did not start as the T-Birds went 2-0 against Trinity Western and Simon Fraser to open their Canada West regular season. Kool played 8 minutes against TWU and then had 15 minutes, scoring 8 points, against Simon Fraser. UBC travels to the province of Alberta this coming weekend to face Lethbridge Pronghorns (Friday) and then Calgary Dinos (Saturday)... Speaking of the Dinos, their leading scorer Henry Bekkering missed their victory over Whitworth College of Spokane, WA on Saturday afternoon but brother Ross picked up the slack in Calgary's victory. The Dinos have two tough games to kick off their Canada West schedule as UVic Vikes and UBC T-Birds come into the Jack Simpson Gym at U of C this coming weekend... Winnipeg's 5'9" Erfan Nasajpour, who picked up where he left off last season by winning the MVP at the Pembina Chrysler (Winnipeg) tournament two weeks ago, missed both of the Wesmen's games last weekend in Southern Ontario and with the Wesmen idle this past weekend, the Wesmen hope he has had enough time off to be ready as they start their season on Thursday night, hosting the Duckworth Challenge against the Manitoba Bisons. The teams then have a return engagament at U of M on Saturday night... Guelph hopes to have 6'4" Jonathan Moscatelli available as they host Canada Basketball's NEDA (National Elite Development Academy) team at the U of G this coming Saturday night for a controlled scrimmage... McMaster is still without 6'6" Andrew Losier, one of their few key returning veterans who was expected to log significant minutes up front for the Marauders this season. With the emergence of 6'8" Mouchtar Diaby, 6'7" freshman Matt Wilusz and increasing minutes from sophomore 6'10" Geoff McLaughlin among others, Mac has filled the void somewhat, but would love to have Losier, who suffered a knee injury in practice about 2 1/2 weeks ago, back in time for when they open their OUA regular season hosting #1 Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees in two weekends... Queen's Golden Gaels, on the verge of a Top 10 spot in the cishoops.ca rankings after capturing the Purple & White tournament, are playing very well even without two projected starters 6'5" Mitch Leger, runner up for OUA East Freshman-of-the-Year last season and 6'2" Ryan Hairsine, who has added strength and the ability to get to the rim and create to an already lethal long-distance shooting skill. Leger could be ready near the end of November however the news may not be so good on Hairsine who is probably out until after the first semester with an ankle injury... Concordia has been playing without 6'2" Damian Buckley, their quarterback and defensive presence in the back court. The Stingers embark on a five-game-in-eight-day tour of the U.S. later this week... The Cape Breton Capers lost starting wing 6'4" Paul Blake in the first half of their loss to the Windsor Lancers in the championship game of the Hawk Challenge in Laurier; Blake was unavailable the following day as the Capers were defeated in Guelph. Cape Breton meets St. Mary's in the first game of the X tournament in Antigonish this coming weekend.

WHO GOT OFF THIS WEEKEND: UVic's 6'7" Mitch Gudgeon thrilled fans on the island on opening night against Simon Fraser, going off for a career-high 34 points in the Vikes successful Canada West season opener. In the absence of 6'6" Jacob Doerksen, Gudgeon is playing more of a lead offensive role up front for the Vikes this season and he delivered on opening night... Regina's 6'1" sharpshooter Jeffrey Lukomski had the weekend high of 35 in the Cougars loss at Carroll College of Montana on Thursday night while 6'4" Kiraan Posey finished with 34 in a Lakehead loss to the host team at the Mayville State tournament, also stateside... Tournament MVP 6'4" Andrew Parker went 7 for 8 from downtown as part of his 29-point/8-rebound line in the Alberta Golden Bears win over Waterloo in the opening round of the Golden Bear Invitational on Thursday night. We've already written about how hard Parker worked each and every day on his game over the spring and summer, dispelling the notion that he is only a great athlete. Still, Parker remains a highlight-reel waiting to happen, especially in transition as he showed frequently this weekend, finishing a number of allyoop dunks similar to those that Canada West fans have got used to witnessing throughout his career. Later in the tournament, the Bears 6'2" guard Alex Steele lit up the York Lions for 26 points; Steele is another of Alberta's honours candidates this season... In that same game, the Lions prolific 6'2" guard Tut Ruach kept his team in the game with a 6 for 7 performance from downtown and finished with 24 points... Ottawa's 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe had 30 points in an overtime loss to Waterloo at the Bear Invitational... UBC's 6'7" Matt Rachar had a solid start to his Canada West regular season, scoring 27 points in the T-Birds opener against Trinity Western. 6'3" Chris Dyck added 21 points/6 assists in the same game... Guelph's 6'3" Nick Pankerichan is beginning to dominate games consistently in this his fourth year. The Hamilton, ON native had 26 points and 5 rebounds in a victory against Dalhousie and quickly followed up that effort with another career-high of 27 points and added 7 assists as the red-hot Gryphons defeated Cape Breton, sweeping three games against AUS competition this past weekend... In the Cape Breton game against Guelph, 6'5" Eric Breland did his best to keep the Capers in the game with 28 points. Breland also had 22 ponts/17 rebounds in a victory at Brock on Thursday night... McMaster's 6'2" freshman guard Tyrell Vernon had a career-high 27 points yesterday afternoon agains Dalhousie... Saturday night's exciting triple overtime affair between Bishop's and Laurier at the Hawk Challenge produced a pair of tremendous offensive efforts as Gaiters' star guard Junior Nicolas finished with 28 points and 9 assists before fouling out in regulation and 6'5" freshman Dominique Brown had a career-high 27 points, including 3 free throws with no time on the clock to force a third overtime, and added 9 rebounds. Brown is a product of Etobicoke, Ontario's Henry Carr College School, one of the top high school programs in Ontario... UPEI's 6'6" freshman from Ottawa, ON, Manock Lual had an impressive 28-point/14-rebound double/double in the Panthers loss to Western at the Purple & White tournament; Lual was named a tournament all-star... Mustangs 6'6" Brad Smith had another 30 point game, this time leading Western to an overtime win against McGill and garnered a tournament all-star for his efforts... St. Mary's designated zone buster, 6'1" Jack Gallinaugh, did his thing when Laurentian dropped back into a zone on the final day of the Laval tournament, knocking down six 3's, all in the second half, to allow the Huskies to pull away and capture the tournament championship... In that same tournament, 6'7" J.P. Morin went 12 for 16 and had 29 points against the Voyageurs... York's 6'7" veteran post Matt Terejko had a career-high 26 points as the Lions won their first game of the season against CIS competition, knocking off Waterloo on the final day of the Golden Bear Invitational at U of Alberta in Edmonton... A pair of Ryerson Rams had big nights in Lethbridge as 6'7" Boris Bakovic had 29 points/10 rebounds in a loss to eventual tournament champion Rocky Mountain College (NAIA). Later 6'2" Brandon Krupa led the Rams to their first victory against a CIS school this season, going for 26 points against the host Lethbridge Pronghorns.

By popular demand, here is a list of honours winners from the weekend:

Golden Bear Invitational at U of Alberta in Edmonton: MVP: Andrew Parker, Alberta. All-Stars: Alex Steele, Alberta; Tut Ruach, York; Cam McIntyre, Waterloo; Dax Dessureault, Ottawa.

Laval Rouge et Or Tornament: MVP: Shane Morrison, St. Mary's All-Stars: Ike Uchegbu, St. Mary's; J.F. Beaulieu, Jerome Turcotte, Laval; Omar Linder, Laurentian; Colton Wilson, UNB.

Purple & White Tournament at University of Western Ontario: MVP: Simon Mitchell - Queen's; ALL STAR TEAM - Jon Ogden - Queen's; Brad Smith - Western; Matt Curtis - Western; Manock Lual - UPEI; Sean Anthony - McGill.

We should have similar summaries from the Lethbridge and Laurier tournaments later this week. Congratulations to all the honours winners.

Sunday 28 October 2007

CIS vs. NCAA Games begin Monday in Louisville

The next couple of weeks brings a number of games between CIS and NCAA schools in the U.S. U.S. Division 1 schools are allowed two exhibition games per season (games that do not count toward their official record or against their maximum number of games allowable by the NCAA) and especially since the NCAA officially prohibited games against "All-Star" teams, U.S. schools have been scheduling games against CIS teams. Five-time defending champion Carleton Ravens kick off this season's schedule on Monday night when they travel to Louisville, KY to meet the Cardinals at famed Freedom Hall. The Cards are pre-season favorites to capture the Big East title and last season needed a put back by 6'6" Juan Tello Palacios with 1.2 seconds left to squeak out a one-point victory over Carleton at the Ravens Nest in Ottawa. While the Cards were without 6'8" David Padgett, 6'3" senior Brandon Jenkins (since graduated) and 6'9" Derrick Caracter and many of Louisville's freshmen were playing their first-ever college games including 6'1" Edgar Sosa and 6'4" Jerry Smith, Carleton could have easily knocked off the Cards. Louisville will look for redemption tomorrow night but will do so without Palacios, the oft-injured forward who again is hurt. As well, Caracter, who has battled weight problems, must lose a couple of pounds prior to tip-off to meet a Head Coach Rick Pitino-invoked rule to have his weight at a certain level before he can play. Carleton will travel with their entire group except for 6'10" Neil Dawson, who has academic committments stemming from his graduate program that preclude him from travelling; Dawson has not yet been a big part of Coach Dave Smart's rotation. Expect Carleton to be very well prepared and give the Cards a solid, tough test tomorrow night. Louisville Courier-Journal article on Carleton/Louisville game .

Here is the entire schedule of games between CIS and U.S. schools:

Oct. 29th through early November: CIS vs. U.S. Schools (non-conference games)
Monday, Oct. 29
7 PM Carleton at Louisville (WHAS Radio 840, WBKI Television)
Wednesday, Oct. 31
7 PM Ottawa at UNC-Charlotte 49ers
7 PM #3 Concordia at Vermont Catamounts
8 PM UQAM at Maine Fort Kent
9 PM Brock at Air Force Falcons
Thursday, Nov. 1
7 PM Ottawa at UNC-Wilmington Seahawks
8 PM UQAM at Maine
9 PM Laval at Weber State
9 PM Brock at Colorado
Friday, November 2
7 PM Dalhousie at Maine Black Bears
7 PM McMaster at Mansfield University (Division II)
7 PM Ryerson at Nazareth College
7:30 PM Carleton at Providence
8 PM Toronto at Daemen College
8:30 PM Mayville State (NAIA) at Lakehead
9 PM Laval at Brigham Young Cougars
10 PM #2 Concordia at Northern Arizona
UQAM at UNB (CIS non-conference game)
Saturday, November 3
2 PM Toronto at Daemen College
3 PM Waterloo at St. John Fisher College (Rochester, NY)
4 PM Queen's at St. Lawrence College (NCAA Division III) (Canton, NY)
6 PM McMaster at Medaille College (NCAA Division III) (Buffalo NY)
7 PM Ryerson at Brockport College
8:30 PM Mayville State (NAIA) at Lakehead
9 PM Laval at Utah State
Sunday, November 4
2 PM Carleton at Boston College Eagles
5 PM #4 Concordia at Arizona Wildcats
7 PM Windsor at Oakland (MI)
Monday, November 5
7 PM #4 Concordia at Rhode Island Rams
Wednesday, November 7
7 PM #4 Concordia at Maryland Terrapins

Sunday in the CIS

For a report on Saturday's action in the CIS, please click here For multiple newspaper reports of last night's game, scroll down below today's game reports.

Sun. Oct. 28th Tournament and Exhibition Games

Jamestown State (NAIA) 104, Lakehead 83 (Exhibition) Game Report courtesy of Mike Aylward from Lakehead Sports Information... The Lakehead Thunderwolves men’s basketball team lost 104-83 to the Jamestown College Jimmies Sunday afternoon in Jamestown, North Dakota. Lakehead is now 3-5 in non-conference play. Lakehead now has a 3-6 pre-season mark; 2-4 against CIS opponents and 1-2 against US NAIA teams. The score was 64-36 Jamestown at the half but the Wolves battled back to within 14 in the second only to see the Jimmies pull away at the end. Warren Thomas continued his hot scoring for the Wolves in North Dakota; notching 21 points and 8 rebounds despite being double teamed most of the game. Jamie Searle had 18 points and 5 rebounds and Lerry Williams had 10 points on 8-8 free throw shooting. Lakehead Head Coach Scott Morrison said he liked how his team played in the second half. "It wasn’t a great overall game but I was happy with how we picked up our intensity in the second half so it was a good way to end the game and something to build on for next week’s rematch against Mayville State." Lakehead will host the Mayville State Comets this Thursday night at the Thunderdome in Thunder Bay.

Queen's (5-1) 87, Western (4-2) 82 The Gaels came back from a 10 point first-half deficit with solid offensive execution down the stretch to win the first basketball tournament in the history of Queen's basketball (as far as we know) defeating the hometown Mustangs to take home the championship of the Purple & White tournament. 6'6" Travis Mitchell, who was instrumental when it counted at the end, had 16 points for Queen's and was involved in several key possessions when the Gaels built an 8 point lead late in the game. 6'3" Simon Mitchell led Queen's with 17 points while underrated 6'5" freshman Nick DiDonato added 15 points and did a stellar job of defending Western's star forward Brad Smith, holding him to 12 points and zero rebounds. 6'6" Andrew Wedemire led all scorers with 19 points for the Mustangs. The Mustangs jumped out to an early lead and could easily have blown the doors off the game but the Gaels kept their composure and hung around. Queen's now prepares to face St. Lawrence College, an NCAA Division III team in Canton, NY next Saturday while Western prepares for their season opener on Friday, November 9th when they host York Lions at Alumni Hall. We hope to have more on this game and the tournament summary including MVP and all-stars soon. Here is Andy Watson's report from Mustangs Sports Information... Fourth quarter lapse costs Mustangs men tourney title; LONDON, Ont. - Simon Mitchell scored 17 points as the Queen's Golden Gales dominated the fourth quarter to defeat Western 87-82 and win the Purple & White Invitational in the men's division. Mitchell, the tournament MVP, scored 11 points in the second half and was clutch in the fourth quarter as the Gaels outscored Western 28-19 in the final quarter. Western's Andy Wedemire led his team, coming off the bench with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Adam Ruickbie pulled down 12 boards for the Mustangs. Leading 17-15 after the first quarter and 39-32 at the half, Western looked ot be in control with a four-point lead entering the fourth quarter. Four Gaels finished in double figures in scoring. Western outrebounded Queen's 40-26. The Mustangs open their season on Nov. 9 when they host the York Lions at 8 p.m. at Alumni Hall. Purple & White all-tournament team: MVP - Simon Mitchell - Queen's; ALL STAR TEAM - Jon Ogden - Queen's; Brad Smith - Western; Matt Curtis - Western; Manock Lual - UPEI; Sean Anthony - McGill.

McMaster (5-2) 74, #10 Dalhousie (5-4) 62 6'1" Aminu Bello had 5 consecutive points including a tie-breaking three-pointer during the game-deciding 20-5 run in the first 7 1/2 minutes of the fourth quarter as the Marauder turned around an 8 point game after three quarters to win their fifth straight and hand the Tigers their third straight loss on their weekend tour of Southern Ontario. Bello, a sophomore from Hamilton, had 7 points during the run while 6'8" Mouchtar Diaby had nine of his 17 points, including 5 consecutive free throws, during the flurry. Diaby's "and 1" tied the game at 58 with just over 6 minutes to play, setting up Bello's heroics. Rapidly emerging 6'2" freshman guard Tyrell Vernon had another career-high of 26 points for Mac, which trailed 55-47 entering the fourth quarter. 6'1" Simon Farine led Dal with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists but committed 7 turnovers including 2 during Mac's big run. 6'5" Drew Stratton shot 9 for 17 and finished with 18 points/7 rebounds for the Tigers who also got 14 points from 6'2" guard Andrew Sullivan on 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Mac/Dal Box Score HERE IS DALE STEVENS REPORT ON THIS AFTERNOON'S GAME VERNON EARLY, DIABY LATE PACE MARAUDERS OVER TIGERS (Hamilton, ON) The first three quarters belonged to Tyrell Vernon. In the last 10 minutes, the big guy took over. The end result was a five game winning streak. The McMaster University Marauders parlayed a one-man show from freshman point guard Tyrell Vernon (Hamilton, ON) for the first three quarters, followed by domination in the paint by centre Mouctar Diaby (Hamilton, ON) in the fourth period, in a 74-62 victory over the Dalhousie University Tigers, in CIS men's exhibiton action on Sunday afternoon at the Burridge Gym. The win was the 5th straight for the Maroon and Grey, improving their non-conference record to 5-2. The Tigers, ranked 10th in the most recent cishoops.ca Top-10, fell to 5-4 with the loss. Early on, it was all Dalhousie. The Tigers, led by standout guard Simon Farine (Tornto, ON), jumped out to an early 14-4 advantage, leading 17-11 at the end of the first quarter. Vernon single-handedly brought Mac back into the contest, scoring at will from everywhere on the offensive end. A three-point basket by guard Jason Scully (Burlington, ON) with 30 seconds left in the first half gave the Marauders their first lead of the contest, 34-33. But Farine's two free throws in the dying seconds put the visitors back on top, 35-34, at the intermission. Vernon finished the half with 20 points, while Farine answered with 15 for Dal, as the two guards took turns electrifying the crowd. There was not much to choose from for either squad early in the third quarter. McMaster led 42-41, before the Tigers scored 14 of the next 16 points, to seemingly blow the game open at 55-44. But someone forgot to tell the young Marauders. Vernon's bomb from beyond the three-point arc gave Mac a bit of life as the third quarter buzzer sounded, as the home side trailed 55-47 with 10 minutes to play. Diaby took over for Mac as the fourth quarter began. Unable to pound the ball inside to the big man earlier in the game, the play was finally there, and using his size advantage, Diaby took over. He dominated the paint down the stretch, scoring nine points in the final period. The Maroon and Grey fought back to get to within one, 56-55, with just over seven minutes to play. Following an offensive foul, Farine seemed to lose focus, first throwing an elbow at a McMaster player, and then losing the calm demeanor he exhibited to that point in the game. That allowed the Marauders to take advantage, scoring 21 of 26 points at one point. Farine's 4th personal foul, followed by a technical, sealed the fate of the AUS squad, as Mac went on to the 12 point win. Vernon continues to improve each game out, looking more like a player well beyond his years of experience. He finished with a game high 27 points, in addition to pulling down 5 rebounds. Diaby, who was held in check until the final ten minutes, scored 17 points and added 5 boards. Freshman Matt Wilusz (Hamilton, ON) struggled with his shooting touch, but pulled down a game high 11 rebounds. Aminu Bello (Hamilton, ON), who was held scoreless in the first half, rebounded to finish with 11 points, many of them at the important time of the game. He also grabbed 8 rebounds. Farine had a stellar first three quarters, finishing with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Forward Drew Stratton (Halifax, NS) had 18 points and 7 rebounds, while guard Andrew Sullivan (Riverview, NB) knocked down 14 points. No doubt the Tigers were feeling the effects of their third trip to Ontario so far in the exhibition schedule. With Farine at the controls, and a good supporting cast, Dalhousie will be a contender in the AUS. McMaster completes non-conference play with a couple of games in United States next weekend. On Friday, they tangle with the Mansfield (PA) University Mountaineers of the Prnnsylvania State Athletic Conference (Division II). On Saturday evening, the Marauders tip off against the Medaille College (NY) Mavericks of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (Division III).

Laval (4-5) 93, UNB (2-6) 63 6'5" Francois-Olivier Gagnon-Hebert had 19 points and 8 rebounds as the Rouge et Or jumped out to a 49-30 halftime lead to pound the Varsity Reds on the final day of the Laval tournament. 6'3" tournament all-star J.F. Beaulieu added 13 points for Laval, which finished 2-1 on the weekend. St. Mary's had clinched the tournament championship earlier by defeating Laurentian behind tournament MVP Shane Morrison. Also included on the tournament all-star team were Huskies' 6'5" center Ike Uchegbu, 6'5" Omar Linder of Laurentian, 6'4" Jerome Turcotte of the hometown Rouge et Or and UNB's Colton Wilson.

Toronto (7-2) 85, St. FX (4-4) 72 The Blues took the early lead with some easy transition scores and then stayed on top with solid shooting for beyond the arc (12-25 from downtown) to sweep their three weekend games against AUS competition. The Blues had 5 players in double figures led by 6'3" fifth-year guard Mike DeGiorgio who finished with 20 points on 4-5 shooting from 3 and added 9 assists. Toronto played alot of zone against the explosive X-Men and limited their transition by taking care of the ball (only 9 U of T turnovers all afternoon). 6'2" Nick Magalas added 17 points on 5-7 shooting from 3 for Toronto, which shot 48% as a team, while 6'8" Nick Snow had a 16 point/10 rebound double-double. 6'2" Tyler Richards led X with 20 points while 6'8" Islam de Toledo also had 20 with 9 rebounds. Toronto led by 10 at halftime and had leads as large as 14 in the second half to win their fourth straight. X heads back home after losing two of three on their tour of Southern Ontario and will get set to host their own tournament in Antigonish, getting UPEI in the first round next weekend.

Guelph (5-2) 97, #7 Cape Breton (5-2) 83 6'3" Nick Pankerichan, finally showing the great potential forecasted for him as one of Ontario's top recruits four years ago, had his second consecutive sterling effort, scoring 27 points and adding 7 assists plus 3 boards to lead the Gryphs to their fifth straight win. Guelph broke open a five point halftime game with a tremendous effort executing offensively and 6'1" freshman Mike Patrella continues to show he is one of the more underrated freshmen in the country. Patrella's solid play at the point has allowed Pankerichan (pictured) to assume more of a scoring role and the results are beginning to speak for themselves as the fourth-year guard from Hamilton once again established a career-high in points today. 6'9" Duncan Milne added 18 points, 5 rebounds for Guelph while 6'4" Jay Mott, back from a knee injury had 14, 6'4" Borko Popic 12 points and Petrella 10. 6'5" Eric Breland had 28 for the Capers to lead all scorers however only 8 came after halftime. Cape Breton played without 6'4" fifth-year wing Paul Blake, who was injured in the first half of last night's Caper defeat to Windsor and was unavailable today. The Gryphs get ready to begin their OUA regular season in two weeks (in Kingston vs. RMC & Queen's) with a controlled scrimmage next Saturday against Canada Basketball's National Elite Development Academy (NEDA) squad in which they hope to have prized recruit 6'4" Jonathan Moscatelli available for action. Cape Breton prepares to meet St. Mary's in the first round of the St.FX tournament next weekend in Antigonish, NS.

#5 Saint Mary's (8-1) 81, Laurentian (1-5) 66 (at St-François, Quebec) In an early game that began at 11 AM, the Huskies pulled away in the second half to clinch the Laval tournament championship as 6'1" freshman Jack Gallinaugh showed his long-distance shooting capabilities by banging in six second-half 3's for a game-high 18 points after Laurentian went to a zone "d". The Huskies led by 9 at halftime and Laurentian stayed in the game in the second half with a great effort from 6'2" Paul Kovacs, who had 11 of his team-high 12 points after halftime. 6'1" Shane Morrison added 16 points for St. Mary's, winners of eight in a row as they prepare for the St. FX tournament next weekend in Antigonish where they will face Cape Breton in the opening round. 6'2" Mark McLaughlin added 13 for the Huskies while 6'5" Omar Linder had all 11 of his points in the first half for the Vees.

Brock (3-6) 106, Memorial (1-9) 59 The Badgers shot 60% in the second half, building on an 18 point halftime lead to trounce the Seahawks. 6'0" Scott Murray had 22 to lead all scorers and 6'7" Owen White added 19 as five Badgers hit double figures including 6'4" freshman Andrew Ferguson who had his first double digit scoring effort of his career with 11 points. All 12 Badgers who dressed hit the scoresheet. 6'5" Grant Harvey had 16 for MUN which turned the ball over 31 times. Brock now prepares to meet Air Force Falcons and Colorado Buffalos, a pair of NCAA Division 1 teams in the state of Colorado this coming Wednesday and Thursday. Brock/MUN Box Score

McGill (5-3) 83, UPEI (1-8) 73 (Western Purple & White tournament) Courtesy of Andy Watson, Western Sports Info... LONDON, Ont. - McGill played sound defence, limiting PEI's outside shooting to defeat the Panthers on the final day of Western's Purple & White Invitational Tournament at Alumni Hall. 6'4" Sean Anthony paced McGill with 19 points and seven rebounds as McGill had five players in double-digits. The Redmen bench combined for 24 points led by 6'4" Michael White (13 pts) and 6'6" Yannick Chouinard (10 pts) who were both effective inside. 6'6" freshman Manock Lual led all scorers with 21 points and added five rebounds. 6'2" sophomore Jonathan Cooper, who was effective and consistent throughout the weekend, added 17 points for the Panthers, who went 0-3 at the tournament. UPEI looked strong early as Panther forward 6'5" Vlad Farcas began dominating the boards at both ends. However, McGill's effective transition game and their balanced offence posed difficulty for the Panthers defence, allowing the Redmen to pull away and lead by as many as 20 points. Utilizing half-court pressure and a variety of defensive looks, McGill seemed to catch the Panthers off guard throughout the game. But the young Panthers squad handled the versatility well displaying their athleticism and keeping pace with a quick McGill team. Farcas and Lual were particularly effective inside but the Panthers shooting from downtown was ineffective (4-21 on the game for 19%). While McGill is extremely athletic, they were exploited inside all weekend with mismatches at the post position. Their transition game bailed them out. UPEI's Jared Budd continued to struggle at the point guard position, limiting the UPEI offence. With open looks late in the game, he opted to pass instead of shooting showing a lack of confidence. The teams were tied at 26 after the first quarter, but UPEI looked to be the stronger team early on. However, McGill's defence held the Panthers in check, and the Redmen took a lead by the end of the 2nd quarter with solid shooting beyond the arc. McGill led 43-38 at the half and 65-53 after the 3rd quarter. The Panthers played strong defence in the final quarter and made a late rally, pulling within 11 with three minutes left and then within six points with just under two minutes remaining after two big stops on defence. 6'4" Shakir Chambers came off the bench to hit a key three-pointer, but it wasn't enough as McGill's 6'3" Moustafa El Zanaty hit a pair of shots from the charity stripe to stop the Panther run and ice the game. PEI's one-dimensional offence, inside to Lual was effective but their perimeter shooting cost them the game. McGill was more effective from beyond the arc shooting at 33% for 24 of their points. McGill finishes the tourney with a 1-2 record, while UPEI was 0-3.

Once again, Scott McLean of Simon Fraser Sports Information has put together a tremendous video highlight package of last night's Clan home-opening loss to #4 UBC Thunderbirds in Burnaby UBC/Simon Fraser VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Ron Rauch from Victoria Times-Colonist recaps UVic's three point barrage in their win over Trinity Western last night in Victoria Vikes men make some bombs

Chris O'Leary summarizes Alberta's perfect weekend in capturing their Golden Bear Invitational including last night's win over Ottawa in this morning's Edmonton Journal Golden Bears begin season on a high note

A number of exciting "barnburners" as SMU Head Coach Ross Quackenbush called his team's comeback victory at Laval yesterday including the Bishop's/Laurier triple overtime game and the Huskies seventh win in a row. The championship of the Purple & White in London, ON will be decided today as the Queen's Golden Gaels meet host Western, which was involved in another thrilling overtime game against McGill yesterday to put themselves in a position to win their own tournament. Three interesting exhibitions in Southern Ontario today include St. FX at Toronto; #7 Cape Breton at Guelph and #10 Dalhousie at McMaster.

Saturday 27 October 2007

Saturday's Action in the CIS

CIS REGULAR SEASON - CANADA WEST PACIFIC DIVISION - Saturday, Oct. 27th
#4 UBC (2-0 Canada West, 3-0 overall) 92, Simon Fraser (0-2 Canada West, 1-5 vs. CIS overall) 55 Courtesy of Scott McLean at Simon Fraser Sports Info... Burnaby, B.C. – Five ‘Birds reached double figures in scoring as the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds rolled to a decisive 92-55 win over the Simon Fraser University Clan men’s basketball team on Saturday night. The game marked SFU’s Canada West regular season home opener, however UBC quickly set-up shop against the Clan, leading from pillar to post, to improve to 2-0 on the year. The loss drops Simon Fraser to 0-2 on the season. UBC opened the night on a 16-4 run in the first quarter, including ten points in the paint from Matt Rachar. SFU guard Sean Burke combined with Nolan Holmes to close the gap to six (18-12) before the end of the first quarter, with Burke creating his own three-pointer and Holmes following it up with a three-point play by making a tough bucket inside while being fouled by Balraj Bains. All the momentum SFU generated near the end of the first was lost in the second quarter, as the ‘Birds outscored the Clan 33-to-16 in the frame, opening the period with an 18-to-4 run, and never looked back, leading 51-28 at the half. SFU head coach Scott Clark then sat his starting five, allowing his bench to get playing time in the lopsided contest as UBC pulled away, leading 73-41 after three quarters and by as much as 41 points in the fourth. Rachar finished the contest shooting 7-for-10 from the floor for 16 points, while adding seven rebounds and three assists. Brent Malish was second on UBC with 13 points, while Alex Murphy added 12 points and seven assists. Kyle Watson led all rebounders with nine boards. Burke led the Clan with 12 points, while Greg Wallis added ten points and five rebounds. SFU was out rebounded 47-to-35 on the evening, and shot a paltry 26.7 per cent from the field. UBC shot 63.6 per cent in the opening half, and ended the night hitting on 34-of-63 field goal attempts. Next weekend the Clan are on the road, with games against Brandon and Regina. Their next home stand is on November 9-10, when they host Calgary and Lethbridge. UBC/Simon Fraser Box Score


Victoria (2-0 Canada West, 3-5 overall) 71, Trinity Western (0-2 Canada West, 0-2 overall) 56 The Vikes rode a 24-11 first quarter start to methodically defeat the visiting Spartans before 875 fans in Victoria. Cyril Indome led the way for the Vikes with 17 points including 5 for 10 from beyond the arc while Friday's hero 6'7" Mitch Gudgeon added 15 points and 6 rebounds. 6'6" Tyler Hass had 6 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes for Vic. Jon Loewen led the way for the Spartans with 20 points while Luke Robinson added 11. TWU/UVic Box Score

Fraser Valley (2-0 Canada West, 3-2 overall) 82, Thompson Rivers (0-2 Canada West, 1-2 overall) 74 The Cascades made it a weekend sweep over TRU at home with a game-deciding 32-12 run in the third quarter that broke open a tie game at halftime. 6'1" freshman guard Tristan Smith (California) had 18 points to lead Fraser Valley while Anthony Lao added 14 points/9 rebounds. Drew Bleth had 24 points to lead the Wolfpack. Fraser Valley/Thompson Rivers Box Score

Saturday's Exhibition and Tournament Results

#2 Windsor (4-1) 81, #7 Cape Breton (5-1) 72 (Hawk Challenge at Laurier) The Lancers captured the championship of the Hawk Challenge, leading virtually throughout the game using their inside game combined with their outside shooting and executed very well in the final 4 minutes down the stretch to knock the Capers from the ranks of the unbeaten. 6'8" Greg Surmacz and 6'0" Ryan Steer (Windsor, ON) each had 22 points and 8 rebounds to lead the way for the Lancers. 6'2" reserve guard Matt Handsor added 11 points while burly 6'6" Greg Allin and 6'5" Kevin Kloostra each added 10 points for Windsor. 6'1" guard Mark McGarrigle led the Capers with 16 points while veteran 6'5" post Eric Breland and sharpshooting 6'3" wing Paul Blake each had 14 points, with Breland adding 10 rebounds for a double/double. The Capers cut a four point Windsor first quarter lead to 1 at 40-39 by halftime. Cape Breton had it to four after three quarters but the Lancers showed their veteran savvy down the stretch to pull away late. Cape Breton faces Guelph this afternoon.

#5 Saint Mary's (7-1) 81, Laval (3-5) 78 (Laval Tournament) OVERTIME The Huskies came back from an 11 point fourth quarter deficit, watching as Les Rouge et Or missed a pair of free throws with 4 seconds remaining that could have clinched it and then pulled away in the extra frame for the victory in what was described as a "barnburner". Laval jumped out to a quick 11-3 lead off the start of the game but the Huskies were able to claw back into a five point lead of their own early in the second quarter. Laval extended a 10 point lead at the end of the third quarter but St. Mary's began getting the ball inside successfully (Huskies shot 54% from the floor for the game) and came back to tie to force overtime. SMU's 6'1" guard Shane Morrison had 21 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Huskies while 6'5" Ike Uchegbu was a force inside with 15 points/11 rebounds. 6'2" Mark McLaughlin added 13 points and 6 rebounds and 6'5" Aaron Duncan had 11 for St. Mary's, which has won 7 in a row. The Huskies hurt themselves by going only 15-31 (48.4%) from the foul line and having 25 turnovers. 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu had 22 points and 7 boards to lead Laval while 6'7" J.P. Morin added 18 points/8 rebounds. 5'10" freshman point guard Xavier Barbeau had a career-high 17 points including 5-11 from three point land while fellow freshman 6'4" Jerome Turcotte had a 12 point/10 rebound double/double. Laval also had their troubles at the foul line, going only 7-15 (47%). The tournament concludes today with Laval facing UNB while the Huskies take on Laurentian.

Bishop's (4-4) 118, Laurier (2-4) 114 TRIPLE OVERTIME (Hawk Challenge at Laurier) In a wild affair that took over 3 hours to play, the Gaiters scored the first 7 points of the third OT and then went 6 of 8 from the foul line to clinch an exciting victory. Bishop's was down 5 late in the second overtime when 6'5" Doug McCooeye finished an "and 1" after a putback of an air ball and later got the tying basket with 7 seconds remaining to force another period. Laurier had mounted their own exciting comeback at the end of the first overtime as 6'5" freshman Dominique Brown knocked in three straight free throws with no time remaining on the clock after being fouled shooting an off-balance three pointer. Bishop's guard Junior Nicolas, a tournament all-star, finished with 28 points and 9 rebounds in 33 minutes before fouling out in regulation. Gaiters also got 26 points (13-14 from FT), 16 rebounds and 2 blocks from 6'6" Hermon Tesfaghebriel while 6'0" guard Andrew Wright had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals plus a pair of free throws late in the third overtime that clinched it. McCooeye added 17 points and 12 rebounds. Brown led Laurier with a career-high 27 points and 8 rebounds while 6'5" veteran Matt Walker added 21 points and 8 rebounds. 6'5" freshman Kale Harrison continued his stellar early-season play with 21 points and 6'8" sophomore Andrew Pennycook also pulled down 8 rebounds and added 7 blocked shots. Five Golden Hawks fouled out of the game.... Thanks to Laurier Assistant Mike Quigley for his game report of this exciting affair... Day 2 of the Hawk Challenge at Wilfrid Laurier University began with The Golden Hawks hosting the Bishop’s University Gaiters at 6:00 pm. By the time the game was over 3 hours later, after 3 overtime periods, 63 fouls with 6 players fouling out and a lot of very exciting basketball for the fans but probably not the coaches, Bishop’s prevailed by a 118-114 score. Laurier opened the game with a 6-0 run before the Gaiters hit the scoresheet. Gradually, Bishop’s were able to get back into the game but the Hawks held a 22-16 lead at the end of the quarter. The 2nd quarter began with the teams exchanging baskets but neither team was able to sustain any momentum. The Gaiters were able to get the Hawks into foul trouble and were in the penalty after only 2 minutes. By going 9/10 from the foul line in the quarter, Bishop’s was able to take a 42-40 lead into the dressing room at the half. The 3rd quarter saw Bishop’s open with a 14-2 run to gap the Hawks. Laurier worked their way back into the game over the middle of the quarter with a
10-3 run of their own. Again, the Gaiters success from the foul line (8/10) kept them ahead and the ended the frame up 67-56. During the 4th quarter the momentum seemed to shift as the Golden Hawks rallied from a 14 point deficit to tie the game at 76-76 with 1:14 to play. Each team had 3 or 4 more possessions as time ran down but no one was able to score the go-ahead points and the game was headed to overtime. In the 1st overtime period each team regained their scoring touch and the lead seemed to go back and forth on each possession. As time ran out and Bishop’s up by 3 points, rookie Dominique Brown was fouled shooting a 3. He calmly walked to the foul line and sank all 3 shots tying the game at 91-91 and forcing a second overtime period. In the second overtime the Hawks caught fire nailing a couple of baskets and following it up with a pair of 3's. A basket and a pair of foul shots later the Hawks held a 105-100 lead with 0:49 to go. Bishop’s would not quit though and after hitting a foul shot, they rebounded the missed second for a putback and followed it up with the tying basket with 7 seconds to go. The Hawks final attempt missed and the game was still tied at 105-105. The 3rd overtime period saw the Gaiters go on a 7-0 run to open up a lead. The Hawks replied with 6 points to cut the lead to 1 but were forced to foul to stop the clock. The Gaiters managed to hit 6/8 foul shots down the final stretch and finish the marathon game ahead 118-114. Laurier was led by rookie Dominique Brown (Woodbridge, ON) who finished with 27 points and 8 rebounds. Matthew Walker (Waterloo, ON) added 21 points and 8 boards and Kale Harrison also scored 21 points. Andrew Pennycook also pulled down 8 rebounds and added 7 blocked shots. Five Golden Hawks fouled out of the game. Bishop’s was led by Emmanuel Jr. Nicolas (Montreal, PQ) with a game high 28 points. Hermon Tesfaghebreil (Coquitlam, BC) had 26 points and 16 rebounds. Andrew Wright (Fredricton, NB) finished with 18 points, Doug McCooeye (Pointe Claire, PQ) had 17 points and 12 boards while Damon Anderson (Verdun, PQ) added 10 points. Bishop’s had 2 players foul out and went 39/51 from the foul line for the game.

Alberta (5-1) 88, Ottawa (4-2) 57 (Golden Bear Invitational at Alberta) Tournament MVP Andrew Parker had 18 points and all-star Alex Steele added 12 as the Bears rolled to the championship of their own Golden Bear Invitational with an easy victory against the Gee-Gees. After a tight first quarter, Alberta rolled to a 20 point halftime lead and cruised from there. Alberta Slams Ottawa plus Alberta/Ottawa Box Score

York (1-6) 88, Waterloo (1-5) 80 (Golden Bear Invitational at Alberta) The Lions won their first of the season against CIS competiton by knocking off the Warriors as 6'7" Matthew Terejko, being counted on as a key post player for the Lions, who lost a number of talented big men to graduation after last season, emerged with a career-high 25 points. York jumped out to a 14 point halftime lead and held on for the victory. Waterloo's 6'3" freshman wing Cam McIntyre had 21 to lead the Warriors.

Toronto (6-2) 79, Memorial (1-8) 52 (Exhibition) The Blues led 47-19 at halftime, using their entire bench, and crushed the Seahawks. 6'2" Rob Paris had 17 while 6'0" Anthony DeGiorgio had a career-high 13 points on 5-8 shooting. Toronto's 6'7" freshman forward Drazen Glisic had 10 points and 10 rebounds, both career-highs while 6'8" forward Nick Snow also added 10 for the Blues, who entertain St. FX tomorrow afternoon.

Ryerson (1-5) 83, Lethbridge (1-2) 58 The Rams won their first game against CIS competition, jumping out to a 10 point first quarter lead before pulling away with a 43-29 second half advantage at Lethbridge. Ryerson, which shot a very strong 29-35 from the foul line, was led by 6'2" Brandon Krupa with 26 points while 6'7" Boris Bakovic added 23 points on 8-10 shooting and 7 rebounds. 6'11" Igor Bakovic had 15 points/13 rebounds for Rye. Quinn Van Gaalen led the Pronghorns with 18. Ryerson/Lethbridge Box Score

Queen's (4-1) 83, UPEI (1-7) 56 (Purple & White Tournament in London, ON) The Gaels jumped out to a big early cushion with their patented three point shooting and paint-stuffing defense, leading by 38-17 at halftime and then coasted to an easy win over the Panthers. Travis Mitchell had 18 points to lead the Gaels, who went 15-34 from 3 point land and held UPEI to only 29% shooting, while 6'2" Baris Ondul added 16. 6'4" freshman Nick DiDonato again had a solid effort with 13 points while fellow freshman Tim Boyle added 10. Chad MacDonald led UPEI with 11 points. Queen's meets Western tomorrow with the winner claiming the tournament championship.

Rocky Mountain College (NAIA) 89, #9 Saskatchewan (6-2) 69 Rocky Mt. had a bust-out second half for the second consecutive day, outscoring the reeling Huskies 48-31 after the break to claim a 20 point win. 6'4" Brennan Jarrett was high man for Saskatchewan with 18 points.

Calgary 81, Whitworth College (NAIA) 74 (Exhibition)

Laurentian (1-4) 90, UNB (2-5) 89 (Laval Tournament) 6'5" Omar Linder sank 2 free throws with 2.6 sec left to allow the Voyageurs to come all the way back from a 16 point halftime deficit to provide Shawn Swords with his first victory against a CIS opponent as a Head Coach. 6'0" Cambrian transfer Mike Raskevicius led the Vees with 18 points while Linder finished with a solid 15 points/8 rebounds. 5'11" point guard Darrel Drake and 6'2" Paul Kovacs each added 15 points/9 boards for Laurentian, which stayed in the game by grabbing 20 offensive rebounds and forcing the Varsity Reds into 19 turnovers. The Reds had their three point game in gear, going 11-28 from 3 (39%) led by Colin Swift's 19 points on 5-9 shooting from downtown. 6'0" Adam Creaghan added 17 for UNB.

Guelph (4-2) 78, Dalhousie (5-2) 68 (Exhibition) The Gryphs had a solid team defensive effort in getting up by as many as 17 points in the second half to win their fourth in a row and hand the Tigers their second consecutive loss on their third and final tour of Ontario. 6'3" Nick Pankerichan had maybe his best overall game as a Gryph with 26 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds to lead Guelph while 6'4" Borko Popic added a 16 point/12 rebound double/double as well as 5 assists. 6'9" Duncan Milne, who sat out major portions of the game in foul trouble, finished with 8 points and 6 rebounds before picking up his fifth foul in the second half.

Western (4-1) 108, McGill (4-3) 105 OVERTIME (Purple & White Tournament in London, ON) 6'6" Brad Smith had another 30 point game and hit a tough three pointer late in the fourth quarter to help put the game into overtime as the Mustangs outlasted the Redmen in an offensive barnburner. McGill's 6'5" Louis-Philippe Lagredelle actually forced the overtime with a put-back tip as time was running out in regulation before Western took control in the extra frame. The Redmen had 5 critical turnovers in the extra session including 2 on their final two possessions to allow Western to win their fourth in a row while McGill has now lost 3 straight. 6'1" Matt Curtis added 19 points for the 'Stangs, who had 6 players in double figures. McGill also had 6 in double figures led by 6'6" Yannick Chouinard and 6'4" Sean Anthony each with 19 while 6'3" Moustafa El-Zanaty added 18.

Lakehead 72, Dakota State 70 Courtesy of Lakehead Sports Info... The Lakehead Thunderwolves men’s basketball team scored a win Saturday night in their second game of the Mayville State Classic Tourney when they upended the Dakota State Trojans 72-70. Lakehead is now 3-5 in non-conference play. Warren Thomas had 22 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double in two nights. Kiraan Posey had 18 points on 6-11 shooting. Joe Backus had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Dakota State while Sean Baitinger had 21 points and 3 rebounds. Lakehead’s Thomas was fouled with .8 seconds left; and hit both free throws to seal the victory for the Wolves. Lakehead Head Coach Scott Morrison said his team played for 40 minutes. "I’m very happy today with the team effort; it was an emotional and critical game. We not only kept our cool but played tough for 40 minutes. That was what we were looking to do down here so hopefully we can finish this tour tomorrow on a winning note." Lakehead will end their three-game North Dakota tour with a game against the Jamestown College Jimmies on Sunday.

McMaster (4-2) 80, St. FX (4-3) 71 (Exhibition) The Marauders got major contributions from three newcomers to bounce the X-Men this afternoon in Hamilton, ON. 6'2" freshman Tyrell Vernon had a career-high 19 points while fellow freshman 6'7" Matt Wilusz added 17 for Mac. 6'8" Mohawk transfer Mouchtar Diaby also added 17 for the Marauders, who have won 4 in a row. Here is Dale Stevens report (thanks to him)... VERNON, WILUSZ AND DIABY LEAD MARAUDERS OVER X (Hamilton, ON) It has been said and written many times so far this CIS exhibition season: The 2007/2008 version of the McMaster University Marauders are a very young team, one that might struggle to find it's groove and identity early on, but one that will get better as the season progresses. On Saturday afternoon in the Burridge Gym, the Marauders continued their growth progression, playing better for the sixth straight game, and winning their fourth in a row, downing the perennial AUS power, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men 80-71. With the victory, the Maroon and Grey improve to 4-2 in non-conference play, while St. FX drops to 4-3. Being a young team means contributions will be necessary from young players. Saturday was no exception. With only one 4th year player in uniform, Mac relies a lot on youth. Guard Tyrell Vernon (Hamilton, ON) was a much sought after recruit, and his game has elevated more each time he has stepped on the floor. On this day, he ran the offense like a 5th year senior. But he had lots of help, mostly in the form of fellow freshman Matt Wilusz (Hamilton, ON), whose scoring touch and athleticism has brought early season rave reviews, including a CIS coach in the crowd, who marvelled at his abilities. Add in the wide body of centre Mouctar Diaby (Hamilton, ON), who is playing his first season in the CIS. Diaby has a soft touch in the paint, is very strong, and has the ability to move very well inside. Playing St. Francis Xavier means playing a quick, very athletic squad. Early on, the visitors showed their speed, jumping out to an early 12-6 lead. The Marauders took a timeout to regroup, and it helped, as they scored the final six points of the first quarter, to knot the score 12-12 after 10 minutes. X again took the upper hand, moving ahead 22-16, before McMaster came back to tie it again. At the half, the X-Men went to the locker room with a 31-28 advantage. Down 34-32 three minutes into the second half, Wilusz knocked down his third three-point shot of the game, giving the Maroon and Grey their first lead of the contest, 35-34. Ahead 46-42, it was Diaby's turn to take over on the offensive end for Mac. The big man scored the next eight Marauder points, giving the home side a 54-48 lead after 30 minutes. From there, Vernon and teammates put the game away. Mac led by as many as 15 points in the 4th quarter, before settling for the nine point win. Vernon paced the Marauders with 19 points. He was calm running the offense, and his confidence rubbed off on his teammates, who were able to withstand the expected X charge down the stretch. Wilusz and Diaby each contributed 17 points and 6 rebounds. Centre Geoff McLaughlin (Oakville, ON) and guard Aminu Bello (Hamilton, ON) tallied 8 points apiece. For St. FX, junior guard Tyler Richards (Halifax, NS) showed why he was a first team AUS All-Star a year ago, and and All Canadian candidate this year. His smooth stroke enabled him to score 19 points. Sophomore Christian "T-Bear" Upshaw, the AUS Rookie of the Year in 2006/2007, also tallied 19 points. Brazilian import Luiz Islam Toledo had a 15 point, 13 rebound double-double. The Marauders conclude their weekend set against AUS opponents at 3:00 on Sunday afternoon, when they host the 5-3 Dalhousie University Tigers. The Tigers, who have dropped contests to the University of Toronto and the University of Guelph on this Ontario swing, are led by stellar guard Simon Farine (Toronto, ON). X travels down the QEW to conclude their Ontario trip against the U of T Varsity Blues.

Also, Ron Rauch's article in this morning's Victoria Times-Colonist on Mitch Gudgeon's career-high 34 points in UVic's win over Simon Fraser last night Vikes men open with a bang plus yesterday's article previewing the game which we missed Vikes Rebuilding

St. Catharines Standard piece on the Brock Badgers highlighting their recent inability to make shots Badgers shooting woes continue

Billings Gazette article on Rocky Mountain College's win over Ryerson last night Sukut scores 28 in Rocky win

Alex Steele scored 26 as Alberta defeated York in a later game last night at Golden Bear Invitational. York's Tut Ruach went off for 24 points including 6 for 7 from the three point line. Here is an update from U of A web site Bears defeat Lions plus Alberta/York Box Score

SATURDAY'S PREVIEW... A number of interesting matchups today and tonight in the CIS, beginning with #4 UBC visiting Burnaby to face Simon Fraser Clan. Despite a 1-3 start vs. CIS teams in the pre-season and last night's season-opening loss at Victoria, the Clan is a veteran group with big guards which some observers predict will push the T-Birds for top spot in Canada West Pacific. UBC opened the CIS season with a 30 point win over Trinity Western at home on Thursday night. The game is available on two seperate radio networks (see below). Other intriguing matchups include #2 Windsor vs. #7 Cape Breton at the Hawk Invitational in Waterloo at Wilfred Laurier University. The Capers remained unbeaten with a three point win over Laurier last night while the Lancers had a comfortable win against an underrated Bishop's Gaiters team. In Quebec City, Laval Rouge et Or hosts #5 St. Mary's Huskies, who have won 6 in a row after opening with a loss to #6 Acadia three weeks ago. Laval is also tough at home and is coming off a route of Laurentian led by their All-Canadian candidate J.P. Morin. Two other games of note include McGill facing Western at Alumni Hall in London, ON on the second day of the Purple & White tournament and Ottawa visiting Alberta in Edmonton. All four teams should compete at or near the top of their conferences this season, although McGill has lost two in a row after winning their first four and the Gee-Gees were defeated in overtime in Alberta by Waterloo last night.

Sat., Oct. 27 CIS Tournament & Exhibition Schedule
1 PM Regina vs. University of Great Falls (NAIA) at MSU-Northern Classic (Havre, Montana)

9 PM Mayville State vs. Brandon

For a complete look at Friday's action in the CIS, click here