Lancers repeat as Bronze Baby champions - Mar 20, 2012
CALGARY (CIS) The fourth-seeded Windsor Lancers captured a second straight Bronze Baby Trophy as CIS womens basketball champions on Monday night thanks to a 69-53 gold medal win over the No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds at the University of Calgarys Jack Simpson Gymnasium.
After rebounding from a 49-point thumping by the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA final just 16 days ago, the Lancers successfully defended their 2011 title by defeating AUS champion Acadia in the quarter-final, host Calgary in the semi, and the Canada West winner Thunderbirds to take the Bronze Baby back to Windsor.
And for the second straight season, third-year guard Miah-Marie Langlois (176-PG-91), who was on Friday night named the CIS defensive player of the year, earned the title of CIS championship MVP. In the final, Langlois had 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, all game highs.
We just stuck to our game plan all we had to do was tighten the screws, said the second-team all-Canadian from Windsor. At the beginning of the tournament they ranked us at number four, but it just shows that no matter what youre ranked you can still end up at the top.
Jessica Clemenon, a first-team all-Canadian forward from France and last years CIS most outstanding player, chipped in with 16 points and five boards and was chosen MVP of the championship game for Windsor for the second year in a row.
Bojana Kovacevic (180-F-89), also a native of Windsor, contributed 14 points and six boards in the win and accompanied Langlois on the all-tourney team. The fourth-year guard scored 12 of her points from beyond the arc.
UBC was led by Kris Young (183-F-92), a sophomore guard from Vancouver, who was also named a championship all-star after tallying a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds.
Windsor led 20-12 after the opening quarter, 35-26 at halftime and 51-47 after 30 minutes, and sealed the victory with a dominating 18-6 fourth quarter.
UBC returned to the Final 8 for the first time since 2008, when the T-Birds claimed their sixth national title. The Canada West champions, now 6-2 all-time in CIS finals, handled McGill in day one and went on to defeat No. 3 Ottawa in the semifinal. For the third time in the tournament, UBC was matched up on Monday with an opponent from outside its conference.
In the postseason we had to go against a lot of great teams, said Thunderbirds head coach Deb Huband, We ended up being one of the last two to play in the season for the CIS so were really proud of the girls.
In the early going neither side gave up the easy baskets in a low-scoring first quarter. Some of the best opportunities were coming at mid-range as players were stepping back to put down shots. The Lancers were able to take an early 20-12 lead though the first quarter. Kovacevic scored nine of those points, all from beyond the arc, while the Thunderbirds were held without a made three-point shot or free throw until the second quarter.
Windsor built on its lead in the second quarter with some work down low. The defending champions used the paint to pick up 10 of their 15 points in the quarter as they held a 35-26 lead over the Thunderbirds at half time. UBC was fairly successful on their field goal attempts going 41.4 per cent, but wasnt getting the free throws that would have built up their score because of the discipline of the Lancers. Kovacevic topped Windsor with 11 points at the half, while Young had eight to lead UBC.
The Thunderbirds came out in the third quarter looking like a brand new team. With 12 and 14 points scored in the first two quarters respectively, UBC put up 21 in the third to bring the score within four going into the final 10 minute session. A big difference was the Thunderbirds ability to pick up more rebounds and get physical, causing the Lancers to foul. After having just one free throw in the first half, UBC had 11 in the third quarter.
But the Lancers dominated the fourth with an 18 point-performance, while holding UBC to just six points on 3-of-18 shooting.
In the fourth quarter we had to seal the game here as the clock was winding down, just getting more energy knowing the Bronze Baby is minutes away, we kept saying one more quarter, one more quarter, one more shot, said Windsor head coach Chantal Valle. Were one great team and I'm very proud of the girls.
Fifth-year forwards Zara Huntley and Alex Vieweg, the only T-Birds who won the Bronze Baby with UBC in 2008, chipped in with 13 and 11 points, respectively, on the night. Vieweg was named UBCs player of the game for her efforts.
The Lancers out-rebounded the Thunderbirds 41-34 and shot 41.7 per cent from the field, compared to UBCs 35. From long range, the Lancers were deadly at 42.9 per cent, while UBC made just one of its 11 three-point shots on the night.
GAME NOTES: Ottawas Jenna Gilbert (183-F/C, college: La Salle) and Calgarys Jenna Kaye (168-F) rounded out the all-tournament team... The championship will be held in Regina in 2013.
STAT LEADERS
Scoring by quarter: WSR 20-15-16-18: 69 UBC 12-14-21-6: 53
CALGARY (CIS) The third-seeded University of Ottawa Gee-Gees used their size to rebound their way to a 79-73 win over the hometown No. 8 University of Calgary Dinos in the bronze medal game at the CIS womens basketball championship at the Jack Simpson Gym on Monday.
The Gee-Gees were making their third appearance at the Final 8 in four years. With their best performance at the tournament already made, Ottawa captured its first-ever medal. One of the best games of the tournament saw the Gee-Gees get past Saskatchewan in overtime in the quarter finals. The next night Ottawa was up against a very tough UBC team and lost 59-51.
Its been a great tournament for us, said Ottawa head coach Andy Sparks after the win. It was so well run and we had tough games every time with excellent west teams.
Calgary pulled off a miraculous upset in the first day of the tournament as they defeated the top-seeded Cougars. Sunday night in front of another packed crowd at the Jack, the Dinos played a wire-to-wire game, but fell 81-71 to the defending CIS champion Windsor Lancers. Calgary was looking for a ninth medal at the national tournament.
I dont know what else we could have done, stated 18 year head coach Shawnee Harle, I felt we emptied the tank, we played every defence we had, we ran everything in our playbook and all of our quick hits, it was a two-possession game late, and thats all that I can ask.
Both clubs had success early as the game took the form of a track meet with the teams trading baskets. The Gee-Gees Jenna Gilbert (183-F/C, college: La Salle) of Ottawa was able to put up an early eight points, including two treys, and went on to finish with 19 points.
Ottawa opened a gap on the scoreboard with a run in the second quarter. The Gee-Gees lead grew to as big as 13 before the Dinos fought back to make it a five-point game with the score 43-38 at halftime. The visiting team was able to sustain the lead by dominating in the rebound department at 21-11 through 20 minutes.
The OUA champions started the third quarter on a 6-0 run which put them up by twelve in the first five minutes of the half. Characteristically of them in this tournament, the Dinos continued to shoot well, but got beaten to the ball on numerous occasions. Calgary trailed Ottawa 56-48 going into the final quarter.
As they did for most of the game, the Gee-Gees looked like they were about to pull away. The resilient Dinos worked their way back though, creating a thrilling final few minutes. Calgary managed to bring the score within four, but Ottawa was able to put in their free throws to clinch bronze.
The Gee-Gees out-rebounded the home team 51-30 and had a 43.3 field goal percentage, compared to Calgarys 38.3.
The player of the game for the Dinos was Jessica Franz (185-F) of Surrey, B.C., who had 19 points along with six rebounds. Kellie Ring, the OUA rookie of the year from Ottawa picked up the honours for the Gee-Gees with a tournament-high 13 assists.
STAT LEADERS
Scoring by quarter: OTT 23-20-13-23: 79 CGY 22-16-10-25: 73
Monday, March 19 13:00 5th place: Regina 64, Saskatchewan 60 15:00 Bronze medal: Ottawa 79, Calgary 73 19:00 Championship final: UBC vs. Windsor (LIVE on Shaw TV / tape delay 9 p.m. MT on NBA TV Canada) Courtesy of: Courtesy of University of Calgary sports information office
Axewomen claim first AUS banner with win over Capers - Mar 21, 2012
ANTIGONISH, N.S. - For the first time in 61 seasons, the CIS No. 7-ranked Acadia Axewomen are AUS champions as they defeated the three time defending champion Cape Breton Capers by a score of 82-72 in the final of the Subway AUS women's basketball championship at StFX's Oland Centre. For the Axewomen, the championship was the culmination of a year that included a 17-3 record; a thirteen game winning streak and an undefeated season at home. Acadia's Stef Chapman, who was named to the tournament all-star squad, was able to hold AUS most valuable player Cassie Cook below her 31 points per game average against Acadia this past season, to a low of 22 points. A commanding 18-5 Acadia lead with just over two minutes remaining the opening quarter, narrowed to a 20-10 gap. Tying the game at 25 with just over three minutes remaining in the first half, Cape Breton closed the second frame down by just two points at 32-30. Opening the second half with two three-point shots from Abbey Duinker and Lindsay Harris along with a jumper by Emma Duinker, pushed the margin to 10. In the closing minutes of the third, Jahlica Kirnon and Cassie Cooke closed the lead to 58-52. A timely three from Acadia's Kristy Moore at 8:31 in the final frame created what would become a nearly insurmountable 12-point lead, but the Capers closed the gap to six points with 1:20 remaining in the final half. Controlling the clock and ball, the Axewomen pushed the lead to 11 in the remaining minute of the game from the free throw line. While Cassie Cook was held to 22 points, Jahlica Kirnon added 19 points in a losing cause. Four of Acadia's five starters reached double digit scoring, led by Emma Duinker and Lindsay Harris who both netted 18 points. Stef Chapman and Abbey Duinker added 11 points and senior graduating Axewomen Jasmine Parent, off the bench, added 13 points. The Axewomen bettered Cape Breton with 42.5% from the floor compared to the Caper's 36.8%. The championship win gives Acadia an automatic berth into the CIS Final 8 in Calgary. The Capers will head to Ottawa for one of two regional tournaments that will determine the final four teams to enter the National Championship Tournament beginning on March 17.
Source: Acadia Sports Information
Final: Acadia-Cape Breton 82-72
All-Atlantic Division 1st Team 2012
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Player of the Year:Cassie Cooke (175-G-91) of Cape Breton Rookie of the Year:Vanessa Pickard (180-G-92) of St.Francis X. Defensive Player of the Year:Anna Von Maltzahn (180-G-91) of Dalhousie Tracy Macleod Award Nominee:Rachael Harrison (168-G-87) of Dalhousie Coach of the Year:Bev Greenlaw of Acadia
UBC breaks Cougars' streak to take Canada West title - Mar 21, 2012
REGINA - The UBC Thunderbirds survived a mid-game surge by the No. 1-ranked Regina Cougars and claimed the Canada West women's basketball championship with a 78-59 win on Saturday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport. Kris Young led the way for UBC with 18 points, while Zara Huntley scored 14 and Leigh Stansfield collected 13. Lindsay Ledingham had 17 points for the Cougars, while rookie Alyssia Kajati had 10 points and pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds in just 14 minutes on the floor. Joanna Zalesiak also got into double figures for Regina, scoring 10 points while playing a season-high 37 minutes. The win gives UBC its seventh Canada West women's basketball championship and its first since the Thunderbirds won back-to-back conference titles in 2007 and 2008. UBC earns an automatic berth to the 2012 CIS Championship, which is scheduled for March 16 through March 19 in Calgary. The Cougars will travel to Saskatoon next weekend to participate in the four-team CIS West Regional along with Saskatchewan, Brock, and Concordia. Seedings for the regional will be announced by the CIS on Sunday. UBC, Ottawa, McGill and host Calgary are the four confirmed teams so far for the 2012 CIS championship.
Player of the Year:Joanna Zalesiak (174-G-88) of Regina Rookie of the Year:Dalyce Emmerson (191-F) of Saskatchewan Defensive Player of the Year:Katie Miyazaki (175-F-89) of Saskatchewan Tracy MacLeod Award Nominee:Nicole Wierks (178-F) of UFV Sylvia Sweeney Award Nominee:Lauren Taal (175-G) of Lethbridge Coach of the Year:Dave Taylor of Regina
Martlets clinch RSEQ crown for first time since 1996 - Mar 21, 2012
MONTREAL - Anneth Him-Lazarenko of Panama City racked up a 'double-double' with 17 points and a game-high dozen rebounds as McGill defeated Concordia 56-49 at Love Competition Hall, Friday. It was kind of like winning the lottery, in more ways than one. McGill did come away with the big prize, capturing their first league title in 16 years, to advance to the CIS championship in Calgary, March 17-19. They also won financially as they will save a good chunk of money by not having to fly to Saskatoon for a two-game CIS regional tourney, which will produce a wild-card spot at the Nationals. Kaylah Barrett, a sophomore guard from Brampton, Ont., scored a game-high 23 points in a losing cause for Concordia, which gets the consolation prize and will now have to spend about $20,000 for that trip to the Midwest. Teammate Natasha Raposo, a freshman from Montreal, added 13 points in just 17 minutes of playing time. 'It was a great accomplishment for this team to (finally) win the conference title, said conference coach of the year Ryan Thorne, in his ninth season as bench boss at McGill. 'This is a team that took a while to build and it also took some time to get them to believe that we could have excellence in athletics as well as in academics.' Concordia scored the opening basket but never led again after that. The Martlets jumped into a very comfortable 16-6 lead after the opening quarter, extending that to 30-16 at the half and 48-29 after three quarters. But the wheels almost fell off in the final stanza, as the Stingers mounted a furious comeback, which fell seven points short, outscoring McGill 20-8. 'We started out well and had a real good three quarters but we got a little tight in the fourth quarter and let the lead slip a bit,' noted Thorne. 'But the girls were tough, resilient and kept working hard. The lead that we built was just so hard for Concordia to overcome but they were a tough competitor.' McGill had a season-high 63 rebounds, compared to only 36 by Concordia but the Stingers crawled back in the game as a result of a 20-9 advantage in turnovers. Only six Martlets made the scoresheet. Lazarenko shot 7-for-17 from the floor and made only three of nine attempts from the charity stripe in 30 minutes of court-time. 'We were really ready with our game plan at the start, which was to box (them) out, push the ball (up court) and don't give the ball away, which we did a little bit,' confessed Lazarenko, a 5-foot-10 centre who earned all-conference honours for the third time in four years. 'But we did an amazing job boxing-out and I think that's what gave us a lot of transition buckets and a big lead. I didn't have my best season offensively but it was important to step up when we had a big game and I think I was able to do that today.' Teammate Francoise Charest, a third-year point-guard from Quebec City, added 14 points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes of court-time. 'Everyone played a solid game but Frankie (Francoise) was our leader out there, especially early on,' said Thorne of Charest, who connected for a pair of treys and went 4-for-4 from the line. 'She knocked down shots and got to the basket.' Rounding out the scoring for McGill was Natalie Larocque (9 pts, 8 rbs) of Quebec City, Marie-Eve Martin (6) of Granby, Que., Valerie L'Ecuyer (6) of Mirabel, Que., and Tiye Traore (4), a rookie from Sudbury, Ont. McGill shot 39.4 per cent from the field and made just four of 22 attempts from three-point range. They sunk 57.1 per cent of the free-throws (12 of 21). The Stingers did not fare much better, connecting on 26.2, 18.2 and 61.9, respectively. The Martlets have more than a week to recover and prepare before heading out to Nationals around March 13. MARTLET MURMURS: Each member of the Martlets, including the coaching staff, took turns in the post-game tradition of climbing up a step-ldder and cutting down a strand of string from the basket at one end of the court.... The game was played before an enthusiastic crowd of 360, including numerous hand-made signs... The fittest fans, no doubt, were a male foursome, clad only in designer boxers, each wearing a painted number on the bare backs for their favourite Martlets: 8 (Charest), 7 (Shelby Eveleigh), 13 (Gabriela Hebert) and 6 (Him-Lazarenko).
Player of the Year:Kaylah Barrett (173-G) of Concordia Rookie of the Year:Dianna Ros (170-PG) of McGill Defensive Player of the Year:Jessica Roy (173-G) of Bishop's Coach of the Year:Ryan Thorne of McGill
OTTAWA - For the third time in four years, uOttawa and Windsor's women's basketball teams met in the OUA championship game, with the provincial title on the line. In the 2009 championship game, Windsor won 68-51, while in 2010, the Gee-Gees were soundly defeated on home court, 83-55. On March 3, it was time for the Gee-Gees to return the favour, as Ottawa won their first OUA women's basketball title since the 2003-04 season. And the Gee-Gees won in an unexpected 89-40 blowout as uOttawa dominated their rivals in every facet of the game. Ottawa was ranked sixth in the CIS coming into the game, while Windsor was ranked second. Windsor, the defending CIS champions, will have one last chance to qualify for the CIS Final 8, via the CIS regionals.
'We've had a couple of good starts like that this year. But I think this is the first time we've maintained what we started. We played 40 minutes of solid basketball with everybody contributing, and there was no one player that was the dominant player,' said Gee-Gees head coach Andy Sparks. 'It was definitely a team contribution. It's what we've been looking for.'
Rookie point guard Kellie Ring (Ottawa, Ont.) helped the Gee-Gees get off to a quick start as she scored on Ottawa's first two offensive possessions. After fifth-year centre Hannah Sunley-Paisley (Toronto, Ont.) scored to stretch the lead to 6-0, Windsor was forced to take a timeout, less than three minutes into the match. But the Gee-Gees' run did not stop there as fourth-year forward Jenna Gilbert (Ottawa, Ont.) and fifth-year forward Bess Lennox (Ottawa, Ont.) hit back-to-back treys to stretch the lead to 12-0. After Windsor finally responded with a three-point play, Gilbert scored five more points, including another three-pointer. The six-foot-tall forward hit three treys in the first quarter alone, as Ottawa took a 28-12 lead after one.
Ottawa's dominant start continued into the second quarter, as the Gee-Gees stretched the lead to 23 points midway through the frame. With Sunley-Paisley on the bench, Lennox and fifth-year guard Teddi Firmi (Kitchener, Ont.) led the way for the Garnet and Grey on offence. The two crafty veterans made a big difference on the defensive end as well, and Windsor struggled to get good shot attempts. At halftime, the Gee-Gees held a commanding 46-16 lead, and limited Windsor to 15 per cent shooting from the field.
The Gee-Gees did not let up after the intermission, as Ottawa scored the first eight points of the third quarter, ending any hopes of a Windsor comeback. Another Gee-Gee three-pointer, this time by second-year guard Laura-Emilie Cyr (Montreal, Que), increased Ottawa's cushion to 42 points, late in the quarter.
uOttawa put the final touches on an OUA gold medal victory in the fourth quarter, with Ring providing a bulk of the offence. With the final result no longer in doubt, the Gee-Gees inserted some of their younger players into the game, and they performed just as well as their more experienced teammates. Fans at Montpetit Hall began to celebrate; the Gee-Gees had won their first championship banner of the 2011-12 varsity season.
'Going into Calgary, it's so good to know that my team can dominate with me on the bench. It was awesome to watch. To beat the reigning national champions like that, it makes me feel like we can go all the way,' said Sunley-Paisley. 'It's an awesome way to go out. The only thing better than this would be to win nationals.'
The game will be available on Rogers Cable 22 tape delay, starting at 9 p.m. tomorrow night. Ottawa will now play host to the CIS East regionals, next weekend.
University of Windsor wins the Canadian CIS 2011-2012 title (Photo: cis-sic.ca)
Vallee
ANTIGONISH, N.S. - For the first time in 61 seasons, the CIS No. 7-ranked Acadia Axewomen are AUS champions as they defeated the three time defending champion Cape Breton Capers by a score of 82-72 in the final of the Subway AUS women's basketball championship at StFX's Oland Centre.
REGINA - The UBC Thunderbirds survived a mid-game surge by the No. 1-ranked Regina Cougars and claimed the Canada West women's basketball championship with a 78-59 win on Saturday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.
MONTREAL - Anneth Him-Lazarenko of Panama City racked up a 'double-double' with 17 points and a game-high dozen rebounds as McGill defeated Concordia 56-49 at Love Competition Hall, Friday.
