Mariners 2-1 to start CCAA Nationals
VIU advances to the CCAA Bronze Medal Game versus OCAA champion St. Clair Saints
CALGARY - The Mariners dropped out of contention for national gold with a quarterfinal loss but bounced back with two wins to advance to the national bronze medal game.
Recaps by the CCAA
Quarterfinal: Dawson Blues 91, VIU Mariners 85 (OT)
March 16, 2023
Dawson College needed overtime, but they are moving on.
The Blues defeated the Mariners 91-85 in their Day 1 CCAA quarter-final matchup played at the Jack Simpson Gym. The champs from RSEQ advance to the four-day event's semi-final Friday night.
VIU, who came in as the PACWEST wildcard, now falls to the consolation side of the draw and will play in a bronze quarter-final on Friday.
Dawson controlled most of the game, leading the game 40-31 at halftime. It wasn't until the fourth when the Mariners, who were ranked No. 1 in the CCAA rankings all season long, fought back to tie the game late thanks to a 26-20 run in the final 10 minutes of play - 12 of those points coming from Landon Radiff.
In overtime, Dawson took back control and went on a 14-8 run in the five-minute period – six of those from Schumel Shepherd, who went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the extra frame to help seal the win.
Iman Kheirati paced the Blues with 30 points and 13 rebounds, while teammate Christian Payawal contributed 19 points of his own. Richard Henderson and CCAA All-Canadian Tori Odom led the Mariners with 25 and 24 points, respectively.
Kheirati and Henderson were named the 4Imprint Players of the Game.
Bronze Quarterfinal: VIU Mariners 115, St. Mary's Lightning 91
March 17, 2023
The VIU Mariners are one step closer to a shot at a bronze medal, defeating the St. Mary's Lightning 115-91 in the first bronze quarterfinal between two wildcards at the 2023 CCAA Men's Basketball National Championship.
CCAA All-Canadian Tori Odom scored 21 of his 24 points in the first half, while also adding eight assists and five rebounds to pick up player of the game honours for the Mariners, while Akoi Yuot added 23 points and seven rebounds, and Richard Henderson posted a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
On the other side, CCAA All-Canadian Brock Dewsbery was the player of the game for the Lightning with 23 points and four rebounds, while Johnpaul Okodua had a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds; Averie Armbrister added 19 points of his own.
Dominance down low keyed VIU's victory, as they outscored St. Mary's 56-20 in the paint while also shooting 50 per cent from three-point range.
The first quarter saw Odom setting the tone early for the Mariners with his team's first six points of the contest, only for the Lightning to claw their way back to a 23-23 tie, bolstered by back-to-back threes from Armbrister as part of a 12-point frame. However, Odom keyed a late push by the Mariners, finishing the quarter with 16 to put VIU up 35-28 through 10 minutes of play.
The second quarter saw a number of momentum swings, beginning with the Lightning pulling the game to within two early in the frame, only for the Mariners to push back and extend their lead into 12 with just over two minutes to play. However, St. Mary's responded with an 11-2 run to close the half and cut VIU's lead to 65-62.
St. Mary's built on its momentum early in the third quarter to get even at 67-67, only for the Mariners to offer an emphatic response by building out an 18-point lead, eventually heading to the fourth up 93-79 after a late Lightning rally.
Any hope of a St. Mary's comeback in the fourth was snuffed out midway through the quarter by the Mariners, as a pair of Peter Li three-pointers extended VIU's lead to 105-83 with 5:20 remaining.
Bronze Semifinal: VIU Mariners, 91 George Brown Huskies 85
March 18, 2023
Akoi Yuot put on a show Saturday night, earning himself a shot at a CCCAA Men's Basketball National Championship bronze medal in the process.
Yuot scored a game-high 38 points while adding 15 rebounds to lead his VIU Mariners past the George Brown Huskies in the second bronze medal semi-final of the day.
The Mariners will meet the St. Clair Saints in Sunday's bronze medal final. VIU's last CCAA bronze came back in 2011 when they narrowly beat the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics 73-71.
St. Clair, who took silver in last year's Championship, will look for back-to-back medal performances.
With Alberta champs SAIT and RSEQ champs Dawson College playing in the gold medal game, the CCAA will have four of five of the country's conferences in attendance playing for a medal on Sunday.
After a high scoring first quarter in which the Mariners led the Huskies 29-28, the pace slowed down. By the time half came around, it was the Huskies that held a narrow 49-46 lead.
After the break, VIU's defense was the star, holding the Huskies to just 15 points in the third as they took back the lead and never let it go.
The final quarter saw the teams trade baskets, but George Brown could not overcome the deficit.
Yuot was named the 4Imprint Player of the Game, while Derrick Taylor took the honour for George Brown after scoring 12 points and hauling down 9 rebounds.