March 18, 2006
MAC FALLS IN OT
HALIFAX (CIS) - Six-foot-10 centre Neil MacDonald led a last-minute comeback with a 23-point, 13-rebound double-double as the fourth-seeded StFX X-Men edged the No. 5 McMaster Marauders
81-77 in overtime in the third quarter-final at the 2006 Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's basketball Final 10, in front of 6,663 fans at the Metro Centre in Halifax.
Championship web site: http://www.cisport.ca/e/championships/m_basketball/2006
Three-time CIS champion StFX has now advanced to the semi-final round in its last five appearances at the nationals, a streak that started with back-to-back championship wins in 2000 and 2001. The X-Men will play the winners of tonight's last quarter-final between the No. 9 Saskatchewan Huskies and the top-seeded Victoria Vikes Saturday at 9 p.m. Atlantic Time (The Score).
McMaster is eliminated in the first round for the third straight time, having dropped its tournament opener in 2003 and 2004. The Marauders, missed the nationals a year ago, will play on the consolation side Saturday.
The X-Men erased a nine-point deficit in the final six minutes of regulation, and were trailing by four with 35 seconds remaining.
The game was decided at the free-throw line, where McMaster was only 8-for-23 (34.8%) on the night, including a dismal 1-for-8 in the final 35 seconds of regulation and in overtime. StFX converted 20 of 29 foul shots (69.0%).
\"The last two times we won the championship we had a tough battle like that against Mac on our way to the final. Hopefully the streak can continue this weekend,\" said StFX head coach Steve Konchalski, whose troops beat the Marauders 82-79 in the first round in 2000 and 78-76 in the semis in 2001 on its way to claiming the W.P. McGee Trophy.
MacDonald was named player of the game for the winning side following a brilliant performance. The fourth-year veteran from Sydney Mines, N.S. sent the contest to extra time when he scored from close range with 3.7 seconds left on the clock, and had the X-Men's first four points in OT before fouling out with 2:38 left.
\"It was a great team effort, we really stuck together in tough times,\" commented MacDonald. \"Now we have to concentrate on playing our game. We can't worry about our next opponent, if we play our game, which we didn't do the entire game tonight, we'll be fine.\"
MacDonald tied the game at 33-33 going into the locker room at halftime, sinking a pair of free throws with no time left on the clock.
Back from the break, the teams stayed within four points of one another in the first nine minutes, with McMaster taking its first lead of the second period, at 49-48, with 11 minutes left. The OUA champions started to pull away and built a 65-56 advantage with 6:30 remaining.
Mac's lead had shrunk to 64-60 when its problems at the foul line started, with the clock showing 35 seconds.
Fourth-year guard Martin Ajayi of Hamilton missed two free throws and, after StFX failed to score on the ensuing possession, it was John Obrovac's turn to go 0-for-2 at the line, with 23.9 seconds remaining.
After fifth-year guard Michael Baxter had pulled the X-Men to within one on a three-pointer, at 68-67, fifth-year senior Rob Scully of Burlington, Ont. stepped to the charity stripe with 12 seconds on the clock with a chance to send McMaster ahead by three, but could only convert one of two tries.
MacDonald tied the contest at 69 all on X's final possession, with 3.7 seconds left.
In overtime, sophomore guard Tyler Richards of Halifax was good on two free-throw attempts to give StFX an 80-77 lead with 7.8 seconds to go. His teammate Zach Russell, a fifth-year guard from Richmond, B.C. then fouled Marauder guard Justin Gunter of Dundas, Ont. on purpose to prevent him from potentially tying the game once more with a three-point shot. Gunter went 0-for-2 at the line.
X fifth-year senior Alexander Stephen of Toronto rounded out the scoring hitting one of two free throws.
Third-year guard Garry Gallimore of Ottawa, with 14 points, and Stephen and Richards, with 12 apiece, also reached double-digits in scoring for StFX.
\"I hadn't hit anything all game, so when I was at the line in OT all I was thinking about was I had to do something for my team,\" said Richards, who was good on only three of 10 field-goal attempts on the night, including 0-for-3 from long distance. \"Hopefully though, we'll learn from tonight and won't put ourselves in this kind of position again.\"
Six-foot-7, fourth-year forward Adam Steiner of Dundas paced McMaster with 17 points and was named player of the game for the Marauders. Toms Lokmakis of Toronto was 6-for-6 from the floor and finished with 13 points, while Ben Katz, also from Toronto, scored 12.
STAT LEADERS
No. 4 StFX X-Men 33-36-12:81
No. 5 McMaster Marauders 33-36-8:77
StFX
Points - Neil MacDonald (23), Garry Gallimore (14)
Rebounds - Neil MacDonald (13)
Assists - Zach Russell (8)
Minutes - Tyler Richards (43), Garry Gallimore (42)
Player of the game: Neil MacDonald
McMaster
Points - Adam Steiner (17), Toms Lokmanis (13)
Rebounds - John Obrovac (6), Ben Katz (6)
Assists - Justin Gunter (6)
Minutes - Ben Katz (41), Adam Steiner (40)
Player of the game: Adam Steiner
SEEDING, SCHEDULE & RESULTS (All times LOCAL / Atlantic Time)
1. Victoria Vikes
2. UBC Thunderbirds
3. Carleton Ravens
4. StFX X-Men
5. McMaster Marauders
6. UQAM Citadins
7. Cape Breton Capers
8. York Lions
9. Saskatchewan Huskies
10. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
Thursday, March 16
Game #1: Cape Breton 62, Wilfrid Laurier 53
Game #2: Saskatchewan 75, York 74
Friday, March 17
Consolation (9th place): Wilfrid Laurier 76, York 65
Quarter-final #1: Carleton 62, UQAM 59
Quarter-final #2: Cape Breton 80, UBC 62
Quarter-final #3: StFX 81, McMaster 77 (OT)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: Saskatchewan (9) vs. Victoria (1) (Live on The Score)
Saturday, March 18
11:30 Consolation #1: UQAM (6) vs. UBC (2)
13:30 Consolation #2: McMaster (5) vs. TBD
18:30 Semi-final #1 (Live on The Score): Cape Breton (7) vs. Carleton (3)
21:00 Semi-final #2 (Live on The Score): StFX (4) vs. TBD
Sunday, March 19
13:00 Consolation final (5th place)
16:00 Championship final (Live on The Score)
- CIS -
(Source: Michel Belanger, CIS Communications Manager.)
81-77 in overtime in the third quarter-final at the 2006 Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's basketball Final 10, in front of 6,663 fans at the Metro Centre in Halifax.
Championship web site: http://www.cisport.ca/e/championships/m_basketball/2006
Three-time CIS champion StFX has now advanced to the semi-final round in its last five appearances at the nationals, a streak that started with back-to-back championship wins in 2000 and 2001. The X-Men will play the winners of tonight's last quarter-final between the No. 9 Saskatchewan Huskies and the top-seeded Victoria Vikes Saturday at 9 p.m. Atlantic Time (The Score).
McMaster is eliminated in the first round for the third straight time, having dropped its tournament opener in 2003 and 2004. The Marauders, missed the nationals a year ago, will play on the consolation side Saturday.
The X-Men erased a nine-point deficit in the final six minutes of regulation, and were trailing by four with 35 seconds remaining.
The game was decided at the free-throw line, where McMaster was only 8-for-23 (34.8%) on the night, including a dismal 1-for-8 in the final 35 seconds of regulation and in overtime. StFX converted 20 of 29 foul shots (69.0%).
\"The last two times we won the championship we had a tough battle like that against Mac on our way to the final. Hopefully the streak can continue this weekend,\" said StFX head coach Steve Konchalski, whose troops beat the Marauders 82-79 in the first round in 2000 and 78-76 in the semis in 2001 on its way to claiming the W.P. McGee Trophy.
MacDonald was named player of the game for the winning side following a brilliant performance. The fourth-year veteran from Sydney Mines, N.S. sent the contest to extra time when he scored from close range with 3.7 seconds left on the clock, and had the X-Men's first four points in OT before fouling out with 2:38 left.
\"It was a great team effort, we really stuck together in tough times,\" commented MacDonald. \"Now we have to concentrate on playing our game. We can't worry about our next opponent, if we play our game, which we didn't do the entire game tonight, we'll be fine.\"
MacDonald tied the game at 33-33 going into the locker room at halftime, sinking a pair of free throws with no time left on the clock.
Back from the break, the teams stayed within four points of one another in the first nine minutes, with McMaster taking its first lead of the second period, at 49-48, with 11 minutes left. The OUA champions started to pull away and built a 65-56 advantage with 6:30 remaining.
Mac's lead had shrunk to 64-60 when its problems at the foul line started, with the clock showing 35 seconds.
Fourth-year guard Martin Ajayi of Hamilton missed two free throws and, after StFX failed to score on the ensuing possession, it was John Obrovac's turn to go 0-for-2 at the line, with 23.9 seconds remaining.
After fifth-year guard Michael Baxter had pulled the X-Men to within one on a three-pointer, at 68-67, fifth-year senior Rob Scully of Burlington, Ont. stepped to the charity stripe with 12 seconds on the clock with a chance to send McMaster ahead by three, but could only convert one of two tries.
MacDonald tied the contest at 69 all on X's final possession, with 3.7 seconds left.
In overtime, sophomore guard Tyler Richards of Halifax was good on two free-throw attempts to give StFX an 80-77 lead with 7.8 seconds to go. His teammate Zach Russell, a fifth-year guard from Richmond, B.C. then fouled Marauder guard Justin Gunter of Dundas, Ont. on purpose to prevent him from potentially tying the game once more with a three-point shot. Gunter went 0-for-2 at the line.
X fifth-year senior Alexander Stephen of Toronto rounded out the scoring hitting one of two free throws.
Third-year guard Garry Gallimore of Ottawa, with 14 points, and Stephen and Richards, with 12 apiece, also reached double-digits in scoring for StFX.
\"I hadn't hit anything all game, so when I was at the line in OT all I was thinking about was I had to do something for my team,\" said Richards, who was good on only three of 10 field-goal attempts on the night, including 0-for-3 from long distance. \"Hopefully though, we'll learn from tonight and won't put ourselves in this kind of position again.\"
Six-foot-7, fourth-year forward Adam Steiner of Dundas paced McMaster with 17 points and was named player of the game for the Marauders. Toms Lokmakis of Toronto was 6-for-6 from the floor and finished with 13 points, while Ben Katz, also from Toronto, scored 12.
STAT LEADERS
No. 4 StFX X-Men 33-36-12:81
No. 5 McMaster Marauders 33-36-8:77
StFX
Points - Neil MacDonald (23), Garry Gallimore (14)
Rebounds - Neil MacDonald (13)
Assists - Zach Russell (8)
Minutes - Tyler Richards (43), Garry Gallimore (42)
Player of the game: Neil MacDonald
McMaster
Points - Adam Steiner (17), Toms Lokmanis (13)
Rebounds - John Obrovac (6), Ben Katz (6)
Assists - Justin Gunter (6)
Minutes - Ben Katz (41), Adam Steiner (40)
Player of the game: Adam Steiner
SEEDING, SCHEDULE & RESULTS (All times LOCAL / Atlantic Time)
1. Victoria Vikes
2. UBC Thunderbirds
3. Carleton Ravens
4. StFX X-Men
5. McMaster Marauders
6. UQAM Citadins
7. Cape Breton Capers
8. York Lions
9. Saskatchewan Huskies
10. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
Thursday, March 16
Game #1: Cape Breton 62, Wilfrid Laurier 53
Game #2: Saskatchewan 75, York 74
Friday, March 17
Consolation (9th place): Wilfrid Laurier 76, York 65
Quarter-final #1: Carleton 62, UQAM 59
Quarter-final #2: Cape Breton 80, UBC 62
Quarter-final #3: StFX 81, McMaster 77 (OT)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: Saskatchewan (9) vs. Victoria (1) (Live on The Score)
Saturday, March 18
11:30 Consolation #1: UQAM (6) vs. UBC (2)
13:30 Consolation #2: McMaster (5) vs. TBD
18:30 Semi-final #1 (Live on The Score): Cape Breton (7) vs. Carleton (3)
21:00 Semi-final #2 (Live on The Score): StFX (4) vs. TBD
Sunday, March 19
13:00 Consolation final (5th place)
16:00 Championship final (Live on The Score)
- CIS -
(Source: Michel Belanger, CIS Communications Manager.)
