Heartbreaking defeat to undefeated Capers

What a game.

There was no shortage of drama in a seesaw battle between the undefeated Cape Breton Capers and the now 6-7 Dalhousie Tigers Jan. 26, in front of a packed house on residence night at the Dalplex. The Tigers faithful were treated to a thriller that came down to the final seconds.

Dal’s attempt at a massive upset over the third-ranked team in the country came up just short. At the end of the third quarter, the Tigers led 55-44 and looked well on their way to handing the Capers—the only undefeated team in the CIS—their first loss of the season. CBU rallied in the final frame, however, to complete the comeback and eke out a 76-74 victory.

In the final 25 seconds of the game, the Tigers faced a three-point deficit. With 8.2 seconds left, the Dalplex erupted as rookie Devon Stedman drained a clutch three-pointer to tie it up at 74.

Immediately after Stedman’s three, the Capers stunned the hometown crowd as reigning AUS MVP James Dorsey assisted on a layup to Sean McCormick, who was wide open in the paint to put CBU ahead by two with 2.2 seconds remaining.

Dal’s Derek Norris threw up a prayer but it didn’t connect, as the Capers’ undefeated record remained intact.

After the game, Tigers head coach John Campbell did not mince words.

“It doesn’t matter how you play for a period, you need to play the full game,” Campbell said. “We don’t need moral victories right now, we need wins.

“Playing hard isn’t enough.”

Key to Cape Breton’s rally was standout rookie Kayon Mayers. He added to his game-high 21 points by catching fire in the second half, making multiple threes and throwing down an emphatic slam dunk that put his team in the lead with under a minute remaining in the fourth.

Dal’s Simon Marr, who finished the game with a team-high 20 points, answered right back with a huge three-pointer that brought the Tigers within two with 32.5 seconds left.

Marr and McCormick were named players of the game for Dal and CBU, respectively.

Norris, who led the Tigers with five assists, acknowledged his team’s anguish.

“That was a tough way to lose,” he said. “To be leading for the better part of the game and to let it slip away like that is devastating, but we have to put it behind us.”

Dal will travel to UNB to take on the Varsity Reds Friday, Feb. 1 in a game with critical playoff implications.

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VIDEO: Devon Stedman nails a three-pointer to tie the match at 74. (Video from Sam Vlessing)