LETHBRIDGE – In the opening matchup of the Canada West quarterfinals, the #4 seeded University of Saskatchewan Huskies outlasted the #5 seeded University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 88-87 to secure their place in the Canada West Final Four.
Heading into the fourth quarter trailing 70-68, Saskatchewan would knock down three triples early to take a 79-74 lead, forcing a UBC timeout. The Thunderbirds would respond with consecutive three pointers, courtesy of Sukhman Sandhu and James Woods. With UBC up 82-81, a three pointer by Alexander Dewar would give Saskatchewan the lead before a Brian Wallack drive to the paint would tie the game 84-84.
Following a bucket from Chan De Ciman, the teams would alternate turning the ball over before a UBC timeout with 70 seconds left. The 'Birds would turn the ball over once again on their ensuing possession, with Saskatchewan unable to capitalize. A goaltend and foul would be called on the 'Birds next trip, to put UBC up 87-86 with 27 seconds to play.
With Saskatchewan earning a trip to the line to go ahead 88-87, UBC would earn the game's final possession down one point. A drive to the basket would trickle out at the rim, with the 'Birds earning multiple chance for a tip in to win the game. Ultimately, the shot would not fall with the Huskies prevailing.
"We knew whoever we played it was going to be a tough matchup," noted Huskies guard Marquavian Stephens when asked about the game. "We knew UBC was a good team, but we knew if we stick to our game plan we could get the win."
The Huskies were led by 20 points from Marquavian Stephens, while Chan De Ciman, Tyrese Potoma, and Alexander Dewar added 19, 14, and 13 points apiece. Dewar was excellent from three-point range, connecting on three of his four attempts.
When asked about his performance, Stephens stated, "I just wanted to bring whatever I could to my team. I knew my team was going to rely on me. I came in with a mindset that I just wanted to focus on my shots. I just wanted to do the best I could."
The Huskies were led by associate head coach Chad Jacobson this weekend.
"Coach Chad did amazing to be able to step in," said Stephens. "He took in the moment, and he just hit every scout and his game plan was perfect and we are so proud to have him coaching and leading."
The 'Birds were led by 27 points from James Woods, including a phenomenal six of eight from three. Sukhman Sandhu would chip in 19 points, shooting 5 of 7 from the field.
"It was a great matchup between two top ten teams," noted Thunderbirds assistant coach Sean Shook when asked about the game. "They jumped on us and I thought our guys battled back. This was a game between two really good teams and unfortunately one team had to go home. Kudos to Saskatchewan - we had to make a lot of adjustments and I thought our guys did a really good job stepping up. It is pretty difficult to know in 40 minutes you are either moving on to the final four or your season is over. Kudos to our kids for staying strong."
The Huskies started the game firing on all cylinders, as two early triples would set the pace for a 14-5 run. With Saskatchewan seemingly in control, a layup from 'Birds guard Triston Matthews would provide a spark for UBC. The Thunderbirds would hold the Huskies without a point for the remainder of the quarter while scoring 13 consecutive points to take an 18-14 lead into the second quarter.
An 8-0 run by the Huskies to start the quarter would give Saskatchewan a 22-18 advantage. However, it was the substitution of captain Grant Audu back into the game for the 'Birds that would fuel a 13-4 UBC run, prompting a Huskies timeout trailing 31-26. After trading baskets, a phenomenal stretch by the Huskies in the final 90 seconds would see Saskatchewan score three triples in that period to take a 47-41 lead into halftime.
The 'Birds would shift their offensive focus to creating an open look on the perimeter, as UBC would connect on four three pointers in the opening three minutes of the quarter. A foul on the ensuing UBC three-point attempt would mark 15 straight points for the 'Birds on three point attempts. The teams would trade blows for the remainder of the quarter with the Thunderbirds ultimately taking a 70-68 lead into the final quarter.
With the victory, the Huskies will advance to the Canada West final four March 18th to March 20th hosted by the Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton. Catch the action live on CanadaWest.TV presented by Co-op.
