A whole lot of semifinals: recapping day two of the U Sports Final 8 National Men’s Basketball Championship

Megan Swain/GATG

On Mar 14, UBC had two different sets of semifinals for the men’s basketball national championship. Four teams would be playing the consolation semifinals in an attempt to continue their season going and possibly securing a spot to fight for fifth place. And the other four teams would be fighting to get a shot of winning gold in the finals. The matchups are described below.

Consolation Semifinals #1 - Concordia University vs Bishop’s University 

Concordia University sting the Bishop Gaiters in a 81-66 game and move forward to the consolation finals

On Mar 14, The Concordia University Stingers scored a total of 81 baskets to gain a spot at the consolation finals, leaving the Bishop’s University Gaiters out of the tournament with just 66 points.

War Memorial Gym at UBC was raging at the 11am tip-off between the Stingers and the Gaiters. The first basket was scored by Stingers Karam Sahly, setting the tone for the game. This gave Concordia the lead but Bishops answered with a three-pointer from Obinna Dike. The first quarter was marked by close scores from both teams. Each time the Stingers advanced three points, the Gaiters trailed right behind scoring layups to catch up. Yet the Stingers’ Alec Phaneuf and Karam Sahly’s continuous efforts allowed for the quarter to end with a 6 point advantage for Concordia. 

The second quarter began with an electric slam dunk by Bishop’s Charles Robert. This incredible basket seemed to increase momentum for the Gaiters. After a few free throws, Bishop’s University managed to lead the game 26–27. This quarter was defined by a trading of baskets, with tight scores and fleeting leads. By the end, the Stingers maintained their lead by a single point.

The second half was marked by a defensive effort from Bishops. Once Concordia was attacking on offence, the crowd loudly chanted “defense", in a successful effort to motivate the Gaiters. Once Bishop regained control of the ball, Zach John made the layup, getting the score to 51–46. Each defensive effort allowed for the Gaiters to slow the Stinger’s fast scoring in the earlier quarters, ending with 57–51.

The final quarter began with a three-pointer by Yohan Leger from Concordia University. This alone increased momentum for the Stingers, who continued getting multiple point shots. Bishop’s tried to level their game, playing more aggressively and getting baskets in but the Stingers were smarter with their passes and more strategic about who shot to score. After three quarters of the teams going head-to-head in points, the final minutes of the game gave the Stingers a 15 point lead.

The Stingers called the game with 81–66 points against the Gaiters. The Stingers shine in offence yet the Gaiters’ excellent defence allowed for the score to tighten right until the end. This win will allow Concordia University to play in the consolation finals to try and achieve a fifth place in the tournament. Their next game will be played Mar 15 at 1 p.m. at War Memorial Gym. 

Consolation Semifinals #2 - UBC vs Queen’s University

UBC Thunderbirds redeem themselves and punch a ticket to the consolation finals

The Thunderbirds battled the Gaels from Queen’s University on Mar 14 resulting in a 107–98 final score at the War Memorial Gym.

After a devastating loss against the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers, the UBC Thunderbirds open the first quarter of the consolation game with a basket from Victor Radocaj. Queen’s University was fast to score, with Luka Syllas evening the score. UBC’s Brendan Sullivan continuously shows how dynamic of a player he is with strong throws and quick feet, he opens spaces to create scoring opportunities. The quarter was marked with UBC leading the scoring with aggressive attacks on the offensive zone.

This was switched early in the second quarter, where Queen’s University dominated the O-zone yet could not finish their baskets. However, this offensive comeback allowed for the Gaels to climb up to 31–38, only 7 points behind the T-Birds. The whole quarter was a point-by-point battle where UBC was struggling to maintain a big lead. But this was quickly turned around heading into half-time, where UBC’s continuous behind the arc shots allowed for a 47–63 lead.

During the third quarter, things began to even out. The Gaels were dominating the court by making smarter plays than the T-Birds and capitalizing on their mistakes to create scoring opportunities. UBC continued climbing the score-board yet Queen’s University was tailing right behind them. By the end of the quarter, the ‘Birds began relying on smarter passes, diverting attention from certain players as distraction for the real shooters.

The Gaels gained momentum at the start of the fourth quarter. Luka Syllas continuously delivered basket after basket, single handedly pushing to shorten the gap. The Thunderbirds began to push harder, striving for three-pointers in order to dominate the game. Although their start was strong, they struggled to maintain momentum and prowess which the Gaels seemed to get more of with each passing second. Yet by the end of the game, the T-Birds reached triple digits with a three-pointer from Gus Goerzen.

With a 107–98 score, the UBC Thunderbirds punched their ticket to the consolation finals, where they will battle the Concordia University Stingers for a fifth place in the championship. The game will take place Mar 15 at War Memorial Gym at 1 p.m.

Semifinals #1 – University of Ottawa vs University of Victoria

The UOttawa Gee-Gees’ chance at gold slipped through their fingers as the UVic Vikes dominate the O-zone to clinch the first spot of the national championship finals

The University of Victoria faced the University of Ottawa in an exciting battle at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, where the Vikes won their spot in the U Sports national championship finals.

The Ottawa Gee-Gees opened the scoring with a basket by Jacques-Mélaine Guemeta yet his efforts were not met by the rest of his team. The Vikes dominated the first quarter offensively, with good defence that allowed them to continue creating offensive plays and dunking buckets. The first quarter was marked by a high-scoring Victoria team, making fancy plays, like a slam dunk by Shadynn Smith, that got the crowd roaring. 

The second quarter played out similarly as the first, where the Gee-Gees continued to struggle to score on the Vikes. Their only advantage was their three-point scoring, allowing for the few times where they attacked on offence to rack up enough points to level with the Vikes in the middle of the quarter. With just an 11 point deficit, the Gee-Gees would need to regroup at the halftime break for a chance to fight for their spot.

Sure enough, the break was what Ottawa needed to tweak their defence and amp up the pressure. The crowd was shown a motivated and assertive team, where the Gee-Gees picked up the pace and matched Victoria’s scoring. The Vikes were definitely being challenged by the change of pace from their opponent, but they did not allow for that to distract them from their objective. Their counter-attack? Increased aggression, which allowed for a score of 72–54 as the quarter ended.

The atmosphere in the final quarter was electric. The crowd knew it, the players knew it: this was it, their chance for gold was so close and yet so far. As the quarter advanced, aggression and physicality increased for both teams, it seemed like the Vikes and Gee-Gees were clawing their way to a win. With Victoria’s dynamic offence and continuous scoring, the Gee-Gees were unable to climb to the top despite their efforts. With a final score of 89–75, the University of Victoria Vikes became the first team to clinch a spot at the national championship finals.

The Vikes will be playing for gold in the finals on Mar 16 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbirds Centre, with a 1 p.m. tip-off.

Semifinals #2 – University of Calgary vs University of Prince Edward Island

Calgary Dinos electrify the Thunderbird Sports Centre with a 87–54 win against the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers to seek the gold

The University of Calgary Dinos emerged victorious after a 87–54 win against the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers on Mar 13 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, where they secured their spot in the national championship finals.

The UPEI Panthers got on the board first with a basket by Kyree Thompson but were soon tied by Dinos Nate Petrone. This competitiveness set the tone, not only for the quarter, but for the rest of the game. Both teams continued to shoot and seek scoring opportunities, but the Dinos had a 28–17 lead by the end of the quarter.

The second quarter was characterized by an increased momentum from the Panthers. Even as they lagged in points, UPEI looked energized and motivated to achieve a comeback, with the possibility of winning gold for the first time in franchise history. Yet the Dinos offence fought back and continued to close off all opportunities for the Panthers to gain any kind of victory.

Starting the second half of the game, the Dinos and Panthers went bucket-to-bucket, each seemingly scoring any chance they could. The scoreboard continued going up almost by the same amount of points once a team had made a shot. But the Dinos were not going to let this define their fate, pushing their offense even more to secure a 19 point lead at the end of the quarter.

Calgary’s team was clearly driven by Nate Petrone, who was named U Sports Player of the year. His grit and determination, agile feet, and smart sense of creating plays in the moment, allow him to capitalize on UPEI’s mistakes and analyze the court to know what needs to be done. Yet the Panthers did not give up easily as they sought out any scoring opportunities, even if it was on the rebounds. However, Petrone’s scoring abilities and the Dinos’ energy pushed Calgary to the top with an 87-54 win. 

The Dinos now have to prepare to face-off the University of Victoria Vikes on what will for sure be an exhilarating match-up on Mar 15 at 1 p.m. 

What color will you be repping? UVic blue or Calgary red? Stay tuned for more U Sports Final 8 coverage.