ACAA Tournament Recap: Mystics Pull Off Upset, Tommies Fall just Short
MBB Championship Game: Tommies Fall Short in ACAA Finals
The Holland College Hurricanes (2) defeated the St. Thomas Tommies (1) in the ACAA Men’s Basketball Championship finals 97-78 Sunday afternoon at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym.
The top-ranked Tommies came out fast to start the match but were unable to sustain the pace as Holland College was able to withstand the pressure and eventually turn the tide. The Hurricanes were down by as much as 12 points in the first half before Chris Cheatham went coast to coast to lay it in as the buzzer sounded, squaring the score at 43-43 going into halftime.
The Hurricanes started the second half with all the momentum, shooting over 50 percent from the field and scoring 38 points in the quarter. ACAA rookie of the year, Kyree Thompson, stunned the Tommies with 13 of his 27 points in the third.
The Hurricanes would go into the final quarter with a 20-point lead over the Tommies.
“We knew coming out of the gates it was going to be a fight. Going into halftime it was tied, if we came out and hit a couple big shots and played defense, we would be able to come out with the win,” said Hurricanes’ first-year guard Kyree Thompson.
The Hurricanes’ backcourt pairing of Thompson and ACAA All-Conference First Team player, Jalen Menzies, combined for 41 points and 12 rebounds in the game.
Hurricanes’ Head Coach, Tim Kendrick, was impressed with his team’s ability to play hard through the end of the second quarter and carry their momentum into the third.
“We didn’t feel like we shot the ball very well through the first two quarters. We thought that eventually our shot would fall, and it did when we came out in the third quarter after a spurt at the end of the second,” Kendrick said.
The Hurricanes will head to Calgary, Alberta to face Canada’s best in the CCAA National Championships from March 15-19.
WBB Championship Game: Mystics Upset No. 1 Nationally Ranked Mounties
The Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics (3rd) took down the #1 CCAA Nationally-ranked Mount Allison University Mounties (1st) 58-39 in the ACAA Women’s Basketball Championship game.
The two teams went back-and-forth for the first half, with the Mystics clinging to a 1-point lead at 24-23 heading into the break.
The Mystics started the third quarter off with a bang, going on an 11-2 run. This run changed the entire course of the matchup, as the Mystics outscored the Mounties 21-8 in the third quarter.
The Mounties couldn’t respond, only mustering another eight points in the final quarter, as the Mystics’ defense sucked the life out of the Mounties, leading to the 58-39 victory.
Mark Forward, Mystic’s Head Coach, said that after playing three playoff games in three days, that he and his team felt exhausted.
“But these kinds of days are for them. I’m so proud of them,” Forward said. “We have 100 percent respect for the Mounties. They had our number all year; we had close games with them. We’ve been in this situation before - I’m just very proud of the girls.”
Emily Holt finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and three steals to cap off an amazing season for the Mystics. Alisha McNeil played some of her best basketball of the playoffs in the second half – after finishing the first half 1-11 from the field and 0-8 from three, McNeil went on to match Holt with 14 points while adding nine rebounds.
On the Mounties’ side, Torrie Janes led the way with a game-high 16 points and four rebounds. ACAA Player of the Year, Abby Miller, chipped in with six points.
The Mystics won their fourth-consecutive title and will represent the ACAA in the CCAA Nationals in Hamilton, Ontario March 15-18.
MBB Semifinals: Tommies Huge Start Lifts to ACAA Finals
The St. Thomas University Tommies (1) have earned their shot at redemption, running over the Mount Allison University Mounties (5) in the ACAA Championship semifinals. The Tommies made it to the finals last season but fell short to the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics on their home court. STU defeated the Mounties 94-57.
Tre Campbell (Scarborough, ON) led all scorers with 23 points, going 5-6 from beyond-the-arc with four rebounds. All-Conference Second team and Defensive Player of the Year Gayo Isaya (Fredericton, NB) came up huge playing the first 30 minutes before resting the whole final quarter, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. Tanner Hoyt (Saint John, NB) provided energy off the bench with 16 points with four rebounds.
On the Mounties’ side, Jonas Munroe led all Mounties with 15 points. ACAA All-Conference star Noah McCarthy followed with 11 points.
The Tommies came running right out of the gate, as ACAA Player of the Year Geoffrey Lavoie (Ottawa, ON) started things off with the jumpshot from the free throw line, followed by a trey ball from Campbell to give STU a 5-0 lead. The Tommies went on to score the next 11 points, taking a 16-0 lead.
Lavoie went on to hit back-to-back threes followed by a three from Hoyt – the home crowd was roaring as the Mounties didn’t score until the 5:07 mark when Munroe hit a jumpshot.
STU would take a 20-point lead before the first quarter ended and didn’t look back. They ended the first with a 30-11 lead.
Isaya would continue to keep the Tommies’ crowd entertained, driving to the rim and throwing down the dunk. He came down a few possessions later, sizing up his defender before blowing by and rising again for the poster dunk. The Tommies took a 49- 28 lead into the half, holding the ACAA leading scorer to just seven points.
STU wouldn’t take long to get their lead to 30. Ethan Tumwine’s three put STU at 66 while the Mounties were at 35. STU led 68-41 after three quarters before sealing the deal to earn another trip to the ACAA finals.
Campbell was named the Player of the Game for the Tommies.
STU will wait for the winner of the Holland College Hurricanes (2) and Crandall University Chargers (3) to see who they’ll take on for an ACAA title tomorrow at 3:00 PM
WBB Semifinals: Tommies Take Mounties to Limit in ACAA Semifinals
The Mount Allison University Mounties advanced to the Atlantic Collegiate Athletics Association Women’s Basketball Championships Final after defeating the St. Thomas University Tommies by a score of 51-49.
Right from tip-off, the top seeded Mounties were in control of the match. Their lead fluctuated throughout the game, but they never surrendered it. Sophie Trail led the offense for the Mounties, finishing with 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
Emily Owens and Celine Sterckel drove the Tommies’ late push, as they managed to tie the game at 49, with only 20 seconds left on the clock.
In the dying seconds of the game, ACAA All-Conference Second Team player, Maddie Greatorex, put the Mounties ahead by 2, sealing the victory in dramatic fashion for the Mounties.
The Mounties await their opponents for the final on Sunday. They will take on the winner of the second semi-final between the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics and the Holland College Hurricanes.
WBB Semifinals: Mystics Punch Ticket to Championship Game
The Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics (3rd) are heading back to the ACAA Women’s Basketball Final after taking down the Holland College Hurricanes (2nd) 74-67 at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym in Fredericton.
Emily Holt led the way for the Mystics with a monster performance, racking up 21 points, 18 rebounds, and two blocks. Chloe Oxner put up 16 points and five assists, while Gwen Ettinger had 13 points.
ACAA Rookie of the Year Lauren Armstrong led the scoring for the Hurricanes with 17 points and eight rebounds. All-Conference star Karla Benitez scored 14 points, while Molly Steadman was steady off the bench with 14 points of her own.
The Mystics led 68-67 with 48 seconds left and had the dagger ready. Alisha McNeil faded out to the three-point line to nail the trey, extending the Mystics lead to four, sealing the Mystics’ date with the Mount Allison University Mounties in the ACAA finals.
The scheduled tip-off for the ACAA Women’s Basketball Final is 1:00 PM at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym.
MBB Seminfinals: Hurricanes' Big Second Half Charges them to Finals
The Holland College Hurricanes (2nd) advanced to the ACAA Men’s Basketball Final in convincing fashion, defeating the Crandall University Chargers (3rd) 90-74 at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym.
Holland’s backcourt pairing of Jalen Menzies and Kyree Thompson were too much for Crandall to handle, as the pair combined for 39 points.
The Chargers led by as much as 7 points in the first quarter, but a Logan Rempel three-pointer with 3 minutes left in the first would give Holland a lead that they would not relinquish.
The ‘Canes controlled the second quarter and took an 8-point lead into the half.
Crandall tightened up defensively and cut the lead to only 8 points in the third quarter, but the defense wouldn’t hold as Holland was able to put up 31 points in the fourth quarter, punching a ticket to Sunday’s final.
The Hurricanes will face the host STU Tommies in the ACAA Men’s Basketball Final. Tip-off is set for 3:30PM at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym.
WBB Quarterfinals: Chargers exit postseason after 65-85 loss to MSVU
WBB Quarterfinals: Tommies Best Blue Devils, Advance To Semi-Final
The St. Thomas Tommies (4th) defeated the University of King's College (5th) 82-60 in the quarter-finals of the ACAA Women's Basketball Championships at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym.
Vanessa Soffee led the way for the Tommies with 12 points and six steals. Kylee Roi matched Soffee with 12 points of her own, while adding four rebounds.
On the Blue Devils side, Jenna Bain posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards. Nalini Maharaj scored a game-high 15 points.
The Tommies and Blue Devils traded points in the first quarter, as neither team could pull ahead. It wasn't until a 3-pointer from Charlee Connors put the Tommies up 17-15, giving STU a lead that would stick for the remainder of the game.
UKC couldn't match the Tommies in the third, scoring just nine points, as the Tommies took a near 30-point lead into the final 10 minutes. A buzzer-beating shot from beyond-the-arc from Tommies' guard Emily Owens (Fredericton, NB) would suck the life out of the Blue Devils.
STU forced a total of 30 turnovers in the game and held UKC to 37.5% from the field. The Tommies shot 37.2% but limited UKC to 64 attempts, 30 less than STU's 94.
The Tommies now have a date with the CCAA's top ranked Mount Allison University Mounties in the ACAA Semi-final tomorrow at 1:00 PM at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym.
MBB Quarterfinals: Crandall Chargers dominate UKC Blue Devils 87-55
Crandall Chargers were unstoppable Friday afternoon as they had a vendetta to settle against UKC after a single-point loss in their last meeting that led to the Chargers falling out of a first-round bye.
Crandall would start the game on fire with a 31-13 lead after ten minutes, a lead they would never let UKC come anywhere near.
Devon Glenn opened up the game with a pair of 3's, going 6/14 from the field with 18 points 7 rebounds, and 5 rebounds.
Gabriel Cormier led the Chargers in scoring with 22 points going 9/14 from the field and making both of his free-throw attempts. Cormier's performance was enough to earn him the Player of the game from the Crandall side.
The Chargers capitalized on every opportunity they had, getting their hands into passing lanes and forcing UKC into 19 turnovers which Crandall was able to convert into 31 points.
Crandall was able to give their starters ample rest time to ensure fresh legs for the three-day championship. Leading the bench players was Tyray Cooper with 16 points shooting 80.0%.
Ryan Campbell and Colby McIntosh each played a significant role coming off the bench scoring 6 and 4 points, respectively.
The Crandall Chargers will be back in action tomorrow evening as they will face off against the second seed, Holland Hurricanes. With the Hurricanes being the only team the Chargers have yet to win against this season Crandall will have their hands full but a repeat performance of today has the chance to send them to the gold-medal game on Sunday.
MBB Quarterfinals: Mounties Advance To Semi-Final With Victory Over Mystics
Noah McCarthy and Will Spaulding went head-to-head in an epic battle between the Mount Allison University Mounties and the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics in the ACAA Men’s Basketball quarter-final on Friday evening.
The game was a fight between two of the league’s top-scorers and it did not disappoint. In the first half, the game was tight, with the Mystics heading into the break with a one-point advantage.
Three players led the Mystics in the first half. The duo of Ty Murnaghan and Isaac Matheson combined for 22 points and six rebounds. This was not enough to eclipse the mystical performance of Spaulding, who finished with 43 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
The Mounties came out in the second half like a completely different team. In the third quarter, the Mounties put up 31 points and held MSVU to just 13 points.
The Mounties had help from Jonas Munroe, who registered 19 points and nine rebounds, and Tim Ellison, who had a 14 point and 10 rebound double-double. There was no star that shone brighter than McCarthy in this game. McCarthy’s second half performance was immense as he finished with 32 points and five rebounds, leading the Mounties to a 104-86 victory.
The Mounties next opponents will be the first semi-final match, against the Tommies on Saturday. The second semi-final will be between the Crandall University Chargers and the Holland University