By Ian Froese, Staff Contributor
This was not how it was supposed to happen.
The underdog Dalhousie Tigers had the makings of a team destined to upset. The sixth-seeded club had the crowd on their side, they were coming off their best basketball of the year, had rolled through the AUS championships, and superstar Simon Farine looked unstoppable at the right time.
The Tigers’ dreams, however, ran up against the reigning national champions.
The No. 3 nationally ranked Saskatchewan Huskies fended off a stingy Dal squad with an impressively dominant second half on their way to a 91 – 79 quarter-final victory at the CIS Final 8 men’s basketball championship at the Metro Centre.
The heartbreaking defeat places the Tigers out of contention for the program’s first ever national crown and extends the Tigers’ winless streak at nationals: they’ve never won a game. They are relegated to a consolation matchup against Concordia. The Huskies’ triumph will guide them to a semi-final battle opposite Carleton.
Although the Tigers were not considered favourites, it doesn’t make their defeat any less painful to endure.
“We came in here expecting to win,” fifth-year veteran Farine said candidly, his wish for a national title forever out of his grasp. “Taking nothing away from them, they’re a great team, but I think we didn’t execute defensively down the stretch and we let them kind of penetrate at will. It’s good for Dal’s program to make it to nationals twice in three years but we were hoping to make some noise here.”
The vocal Tiger faithful had good reason to raise their voices in the first half with the Atlantic champions trading baskets with the Huskies and leading the game 37 – 36 at the half. Then the second half started and Canada West MVP Jamelle Barrett made his presence known.
The third-year guard, in his first season with Saskatchewan after playing college ball in the US, sunk 19 points after the break and fed teammate Michael Lieffers with a gorgeous dunk to carry his team to a 55 – 42 half.
Barrett, who had 27 points, bettered his game when his explosive teammate Rejean Chabot, a Canada West second-team all star, fouled out of the contest.
“He was a big part of our offence,” said Barrett, “so when he went out I had to be way more aggressive offensively.” Barrett was awarded with player of the game honours.
Huskies head coach Barry Rawlyk was among the first to celebrate the Californian’s talents.
“Jamelle kind of took the right shots here down the stretch. But, I mean, he’s showing why, in my mind, he’s the best player in the country. He’s really a big time player.”
Huskies fourth-year forward Michael Lieffers won numerous battles, and had with 19 points and 17 rebounds to show for it. Chabot added 19 more to the score before fouling out.
“In the first half we did a reasonably good job, but we struggled at times to contain penetration,” explained Tigers head coach John Campbell. “In the second half there was just a little more of that. Barrett was able to break us down and he did a great job creating space for the bigs.”
The defeat prevents the Tigers from taking a run at the W.P. McGee Trophy. It is the final opportunity for fifth-year athletes Farine, Joseph Schow, Sandy Veit and Peter Leighton to win a national title.
The support the Tigers received from the heavily partisan crowd did not go unnoticed.
“I thought they did a great job, the students and the community, supporting us tonight,” said Farine. “They gave us the opportunity to kind of ride their energy for a good tournament and we let them down.”
Schow had 24 points and 13 assists, Farine contributed with 22 markers, and Juleous Grant sunk 10.
Recent Comments