Written by Josh Young
The Dalhousie Tigers won their final game of the Shoveller Memorial Basketball Tournament, defeating the Cape Breton University Capers 79-73 at Dalplex.
Cape Breton got off to a 6-0 run in the first two minutes of the game and the Tigers quickly adjusted by putting a bigger line-up on the floor. Peter Moses (Windsor, ON) scored six straight points to get Dal back into the game. Afterwards, Matthew Smith (Halifax, NS) and Benjamin Gory (Mont de Marsan, France) hit two threes for Dal. The first quarter ended tied at 19.
The second quarter was tight with both teams putting up 10 points seven minutes into the quarter. Cape Breton's Justus Peuser (Geisenheim, Germany) had four points and assisted on a three-point shot. Afterwards, Malcolm Smith hit five points and an assist to provide an offensive boost for Dal. Nginyu Ngala (Montreal, QC) assisted on two of Smith's points including an alley-hoop pass. Both went to the half with Cape Breton up 36-35.
The Tigers had an excellent third quarter outscoring the Capers 25-12. Malcolm Christie (Fredericton, NB) was dangerous for the Tigers, knocking down a three-point shot three times and scoring a layup off a Euro step. He scored 11 points in the quarter. Ngala used his speed to cause problems for the Capers defenders and finished the quarter with six points and two assists. The Tigers led 61-47 going into the fourth.
Cape Breton battled back in the fourth quarter. Chris Ruta (Calgary, AB) and Tyson Cato (Ajax, ON) penetrated the paint and scored 10 of Cape Breton's 15 points eight minutes in, but Dal was still up 74-62 due to a strong quarter from Ngala. Then, the Capers scored 11 points in a minute-and-a-half from Peuser and Cato to narrow the lead 77-73 with 18 seconds left. Dal's Lydell Husbands-Browne (Halifax, NS) hit two free throws to seal the win for Dalhousie.
Peter Moses was named the player of the game for Dalhousie. He scored eight points and grabbed 12 rebounds with a game high nine offensive rebounds. Christie with 17 points and Ngala with 16 points also played well for Dal. Peuser's 14 points led the Capers.
Other results
Seventh Place Game:
The UPEI Panthers defeated the Saint Mary's Huskies 75-71. The game was close heading into the fourth quarter with the score 55-52 for the Panthers. Both teams were even in the fourth quarter with UPEI managing to get one more point to win by four points. Elijah Miller (Rexdale, ON) led the Panthers with 27 points while Dontae Mitchell (Vaughan, ON) led the Huskies with 17. Miller was named the player of the game for his effort.
Third Place Game:
The Concordia Stingers beat the Waterloo Warriors 89-72. Concordia had a big second half, outscoring Waterloo 52-36. Tyrell Williams (Montreal, QC) scored 18 points in the first half to lead all players. Although Waterloo outshot Concordia from the field, and pulled down ten more rebounds than their opponents, they turned the ball over 21 times in the game. Williams ended the game with 30 points and Sami Jahan (Hamilton, ON) scored 20 to lead the Stingers. Kuel Thomas's (Kitchener, ON) 19 points led Waterloo. Williams was named the player of the game.
Championship Game:
The STFX X-Men cruised to a 68-50 win over the McGill Redbirds in the championship game. The X-Men outscored their opponents in three of the four quarters, shooting 35% from the field and 53% from the line. STFX was able to score by committee on the way to the win with Avan Nava scoring 15 points and David Muenkat adding 14 and snagging 7 rebounds. Nava was named the player of the game for his efforts. Once again, the McGill offence was a tale of Samuel Chaput putting on a show. He led the Redbirds with 22 points.
Tournament Awards
MVP: Antoine Vernon
All-Stars:
Sami Jahan, Concordia
Samuel Chaput, McGill
Sean Herscovitch, McGill
David Munekat, STFX
Antoine Vernon, STFX