Tigers topple Redmen, Gee-Gees defeat X-Men to book tickets to the Shoveller final

Dalhousie 64 vs McGill 50

The Dalhousie Tigers punched their ticket to the final of the Rod and Joan Shoveller Memorial tournament Saturday night as they defeated the McGill Redmen 64-50 at the Dalplex.

The start of the game was slow offensively for both teams as the game stood at 4-4 after five minutes of play. Both teams came out strong defensively but it was the Tigers who came out on top after Sven Stammberger hit a three to make it 16-12 for the Tigers after the first ten minutes of play.

The Tigers came out hot in the second quarter with an 11-2 run and they played strong defense all quarter, limiting the Redmen to just seven points in the frame as they held a 34-19 going into halftime.

Dele Ogundokun made a three in the third quarter to trim the deficit to nine points, but that's as close as the Redmen would get as the Tigers would go on to win 64-50, the lowest they've allowed all season against CIS competition.

Four of the Tigers starters finished in double figures, with Devon Stedman leading the way with a team-high 14 points and eight rebounds. Third-year point guard Ritchie Kanza Mata was named the player of the game after an eight assist, five steal, four point and three rebound effort.

Francois Bourque had a team-high 13 points on 5-8 shooting in the loss for McGill, while Vincent Dufort added eight points and eight rebounds.

With the win, the Tigers have earned their place in the final of the Rod and Joan Shoveller Memorial tournament, where they'll look to win their second title in three years. They'll face the CIS No. 2 ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees at 3:00pm, while the Redmen will tip off against the StFX X-Men at 1:00pm. 

Ottawa 89 vs StFX 71

At times it look there was going to be a major upset at the Shoveller as the StFX X-Men trailed the CIS No. 2 ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees by just two points at halftime. The Gee-Gees regrouped coming out of halftime and used a big third quarter to cement an 89-71 victory to book their ticket to the final.

After Cameron Walker made a layup with 1:37 left in the first quarter to make it an 18-17 game for Ottawa, the Gee-Gees strung together a 9-2 run to make it 27-19. Alastair Cole, who dropped 29 points on Friday night against UPEI, sank a last second shot and the X-Men trailed 27-21 after ten minutes of play.

The X-Men came out with a sense of urgency in the second quarter and went on a 12-4 to open the quarter and Cole's free throw with 4:53 left in the quarter tied the game at 31. Tied at 43 with 49 seconds left in the half, Mehdi Tihani hit a layup with 32 seconds left off a feed from Alex Ratte and the Gee-Gees held a slim 45-43 lead going into halftime. 

Whatever Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin said at halftime, it really worked. The Gee-Gees dropped 26 points in the quarter, while limiting the X-Men to just 13 points in the frame. The fourth quarter saw more of the same and the Gee-Gees booked their ticket to the final with a 89-71 victory.

Johnny Berhanemeskel had a game-high 21 points in the victory for Ottawa, while Mike L'Africain added 18 points, seven assists and four boards. Cameron Walker led the X-Men with 12 points and seven boards, while Julius Antoine had a team-high 15 points in the loss.

Ottawa will face the Dalhousie Tigers in the final tomorrow at 3:00pm, while StFX's loss means that they'll face the McGill Redmen tomorrow at 1:00pm.