It was an emotional evening at Concordia Gym tonight as the 3rd place Citadins were facing the Concordia Stingers for the 3rd straight time in the QSSF semi-final. The game could have marked the last game for the three best UQAM players - Samuel Johnson, Kevin Boucher and Mario Joseph.
The loud UQAM contingent making the trip to Loyola Gym pumped the Citadins earlier as they took a quick five point lead. The Stingers came back rapidly with a spectacular performance from point guard Damian Buckley. The first half was fast-paced as both teams pushed the ball hard in transition. UQAM up-tempo style of game was greatly matched by the Stingers. Concordia took the lead in the first minute of the 2nd quarter after some costly turnovers by the Citadins. Damien Buckley was simply on fire. He ended up with 20 points at the half.
The referees kept their whistles in their pockets for most of the half as very few fouls were called, especially on rebounds. Stingers got the message and started to be more agressive down low. They outmatched UQAM in the rebounds departement for the entire first half (10 vs 1 on offensive rebounds).
The third quarter was evenly match. Both teams created lots of turnovers. Concordia extended their lead to ten points at one point of the quarter. UQAM then came back with some clutch baskets by Mario Joseph, Jules Diagne and Kevin Boucher. Joseph Atangana showed everyone why he's one of the best blockers of the CIS, blocking 5 Concordia shots during the game. On of the key turning points of the game was Atangana blocking a Concordia shot in the 3rd quarter that led to one of his many dunks (+ the foul). Suddendly, UQAM was only down by 2.
The Citadins kept the momentum for most of the 4th quarter. Concordia's James Clarke and Andre Johnny fouled out quite early in the quarter. The Citadins didn't take advantage and let the Stingers back into the game. UQAM was leading the way by 4 with 3 minutes to play. UQAM turned the ball over two times on their next 3 possessions. Concordia was now leading by 3 with a minute to go. Levi Vann then drained an important three pointers, giving the Stingers a 6 points lead. UQAM came back with a three pointer with 4 seconds to go. Coach Dore called a timeout. The inbound was botched (middle of the field), UQAM stole the ball, Renaldo Maignan missed his 3 pointer, Kevin Boucher took the rebound, gave the ball to Sam Johnson, he got back to the 3 point line but never got the time to shoot the ball. Concordia advances to the QSSF final by the final score of 80-77. What a game!
Both team had a terrific night. Concordia shot for 46,9% vs 46,6% for UQAM. The Stingers won the game on the rebounds, outrebounding one of the best CIS rebounding team (ratio - for / against), 37 to 21.
As for individual efforts, Damien Buckley ended his night with 30 points. Jamal Gallier was a monster for Concordia. He finished the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds. On the other side, four Citadins got more than 10 points (Mario Joseph - 16, Joseph Atangana - 15, Jules Diagne - 14, Kevin Boucher - 13).
Thanks to Mark Wacyk for allowing me to post recaps after UQAM game. It was a fantastic season for me and for the Citadins. I really hope you enjoyed my recaps. I'll be back this summer with more news on the Citadins and/or the QSSF conference.
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