Courtesy: Stephen KassimSee bottom of the page for boxscores for each game.
Game 9: Saskatchewan 89, UNB 85
The Saskatchewan Huskies and UNB Varsity Reds battled a full forty minutes and then some as the Darcel Wright Memorial Classic final required overtime to decide a champion. Trailing through the first three quarters, Saskatchewan found late heroics to send the game into overtime and then powered their way to an 89-85 victory.
UNB held a 17-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and built an 11 point advantage on the strength of a 9-0 run to lead 28-17 with 5:20 remaining in the second quarter. The Reds penetrated deep into the Saskatchewan paint and were able to kick it back out to the free throw line for open jumpers.
Saskatchewan turned to senior guard Kiera Lyons to lead them back as she rattled off 13 consecutive points for the Huskies to help close the Reds' lead to just two at 32-30 with 2:50 remaining. The teams exchanged the final points of the half and UNB held a 38-37 edge at the break.
Tilly Ettinger (Calgary, Alta.) and Rachel Cleary (Brantford, Ont.) had strong third quarters for UNB as the Reds were able to maintain their lead over the Huskies, holding a 58-56 advantage through three quarters.
Huskies' forward Dalyce Emmerson went to work for Saskatchewan in the fourth, netting seven points to help keep the Huskies within striking distance. Trailing 70-68 with 15 seconds remaining in the quarter, Lyons had potential game-winning three point attempt rim out, but the Huskies retained possession. A costly turnover by Riley Humbert with 9.5 seconds remaining on the clock made it appear as though UNB would hold on for the victory.
Humbert had other ideas, however, as after an Ettinger free throw extended UNB's lead to 71-68 with 7.5 seconds remaining, Humbert redeemed herself and connected on a buzzer beater three pointer to send the game into overtime tied 71-71.
Overtime had a frantic pace as the teams combined for 32 points in the five minute frame. Emmerson and Lyons paced the Huskies, scoring the first 14 Saskatchewan points and establishing an 85-80 lead with 24 seconds left.
UNB's Colleen Daly (Ancaster, Ont.) kept the Varsity Reds within striking distance, draining two deep three pointers in the frame, including one to cut the lead to 87-85 with eight seconds to go. Saskatchewan's Kabree Howard sealed the victory with two free throws to make the final score 89-85.
Emmerson finished the game 11-for-13 shooting for a game-high 30 points while Lyons finished 11-for-20 including 3-for-5 from three point range for 28 points and added a team-high four assists.
Five Varsity Reds finished in double digit scoring including Ettinger with a team-high 17 points, Laura Fowler (Moncton, N.B.) with 15, Claire Colborne (Calgary, Alta.) with 14, Cleary with 13, and Daly with 10. Melissa Foster (Moncton, N.B.) was UNB's top rebounder with seven.
Following the game, UNB's Colborne was named a tournament all-star, along with Saskatchewan's Kabree Howard and Kiera Lyons. Huskies' forward Emmerson took home tournament MVP honours.
Game 10: Brock 78, McMaster 70
The Brock Badgers claimed fifth place at the Darcel Wright Memorial Classic with a 78-70 victory over the McMaster Marauders to claim the consolation final. In an all OUA west division matchup, the Badgers outscored the Marauders for three quarters to take the victory.
Both teams started slowly, as McMaster committed turnovers on their first two possessions and Brock started the game 0-for-5 from the field. The first points of the game went to the Marauders' Hailey Milligan (Brantford, Ont.) as she converted from the free throw line. McMaster didn't score their first field goal until 3:45 remained on the clock, a span which allowed Brock to build a 19-9 advantage.
Despite the slow start, McMaster closed the quarter with the final five points to leave Brock with just a five point advantage at 19-14.
The Marauders put together a 24 point second quarter on the strength of ten points from Danielle Boiago (Hamilton, Ont.) to take a 31-28 lead with 2:10 remaining, their first lead since the score read 2-0. Boaigo closed the quarter with a layup to give McMaster a 38-32 half time lead.
In the third, the Badgers stepped up their defensive intensity and executed more efficiently on offence, putting together several small runs to chip away at the McMaster lead. Six points in the span of a minute helped cut the deficit to just one at 44-43 with 5:20 remaining. Both teams would add ten more points, giving McMaster a 54-53 lead through three quarters.
Brock put together their best offensive quarter in the fourth, tallying 25 points. Seven straight points helped the Badgers build a 65-55 lead with 7:40 remaining and it was a lead they would never relinquish.
McMaster kept it close down the stretch with seven straight points of their own to narrow the score to 67-65 with 4:35 to go, but the Marauders couldn't hold the Badgers off the board as Brock came away with a 76-70 victory.
Brianne Ozimok (Midhurst, Ont.) and Kayla Santilli (Brantford, Ont.) each had 13 points for the Badgers. Samantha deJong (St. Catharines, Ont.) was the top rebounder with seven. The Badgers outshot McMaster going 25-for-58 (43.1%) from the floor while the Marauders were 18-for 57 (31.6%). Brock also went 8-for-14 from beyond the arc while Mac was just 3-for-9.
Milligan had a game-high 23 points and 16 rebounds in the loss for the Marauders while Boiago added 20. More than half of Boiago's points came from the charity stripe where she was 12-for-15 for the game.
Game 11: Laval 62, UBC 50
The Laval Rouge et Or finished third at the Darcel Wright Memorial Classic following a 62-50 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds. Laval outscored UBC in each quarter to secure the win.
The first quarter was a defensive battle between the clubs as only 17 points were scored and Laval held a 10-7 edge through ten minutes.
Laval's Marie-Pascale Nadeau (Levis, Que.) took over in the second quarter, registering seven points in the frame to help guide the Rouge et Or to a 25-21 advantage at the half time break.
The third was the most productive offensive quarter for both teams, with each club going on an extended run. Laval started the quarter on a 9-2 run to build a 13 point lead at 36-23. With 3:25 remaining in the quarter and the score reading 41-27 in favour of the Rouge et Or, UBC called a timeout and tallied the next eight points to close the deficit. Laval still led by eight after three quarters, 45-37.
UBC closed the gap to just three at 46-43 with 6:50 remaining but that was as close as they would come as Laval continued to run the floor and execute offensively to come away with the 62-50 victory.
Laval's Nadeau and UBC's Leigh Stansfield (Victoria, B.C.) went toe-to-toe all game long in a battle of fifth year post players. Nadeau edged Stansfield on the boards, recording 11 rebounds while Stansfield outscored Nadeau, netting a game-high 15 points. Both players were named tournament all-stars at the conclusion of the game.
Marjorie Ferland (Quebec City, Que.) had a strong game for the Rouge et Or finishing with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting and added a game-high four assists.
UBC's Victoria Spangehl (White Rock, B.C.) also finished in double digits behind Stansfield with 10 points. Her seven rebounds were also second on the squad.
Game 12: Toronto 80, Ryerson 38
The Toronto Varsity Blues won their first game at the Darcel Wright Memorial Classic in the last game of the day, defeating host Ryerson 80-38. The Blues looked out of sync early and had to overcome a first quarter deficit in order to secure the victory.
After starting slow in each of their first two games, Ryerson came out aggressively and after scoring the first basket, Toronto called a timeout just 30 seconds into the game as they obviously didn't like what they saw in the opening moments. The timeout didn't pay immediate dividends though, as Ryerson scored the next six points to grab an 8-0 lead. C'airah Gabriel-Robinson (Mississauga, Ont.) scored all eight points for the Rams in the early going.
Toronto started to win the battles down low and an Amanda Lauzon (Niagara Falls, Ont.) offensive rebound and put-back narrowed the score to 13-12 with 1:15 remaining. Ryerson's Silvana Jez (Kitchener, Ont.) nailed a three pointer to go up 17-12 but a pair of late Toronto free throws ended the first quarter at 17-14 in favour of the Rams.
In the second, the Blues imposed a full court press which caused Ryerson all sorts of problems and forced numerous turnovers. Toronto outscored the Rams 20-12 in the second quarter to take a 37-26 lead at half time.
The Rams turnover struggles continued in the second half which limited their offensive opportunities. Ryerson tallied just five points in the frame, allowing Toronto to gain a 61-31 advantage through 30 minutes of play.
Toronto freshman Vanessa Wallace (Ottawa, Ont.) made good use of her playing time, knocking down three from long range in the fourth quarter to help the Blues close out an 80-38 victory.
Wallace led the Blues with 16 points in 16 minutes while Lauzon added 12. Jasmine Lewin (Brampton, Ont.) was the Blues' top rebounder with a game-high 10 boards.
Gabriel-Robinson led the Rams with 13 points and added seven rebounds, three of which were of the offensive variety. Silvana Jez finished with nine points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Tournament All-Stars:
Kiera Lyons (SASK)
Kabree Howard (SASK)
Claire Colborne (UNB)
Marie-Pascale Nadeau (LAV)
Leigh Stansfield (UBC)
Tournament MVP:
Dalyce Emmerson (SASK)
Final Results:
Day 1
UNB defeats Brock, 65-62
UBC defeats Toronto, 65-61
Laval defeats Ryerson, 81-49
Saskatchewan defeats McMaster, 73-63
Day 2
Brock defeats Toronto, 79-57
McMaster defeats Ryerson, 79-40
UNB defeats UBC, 76-60
Saskatchewan defeats Laval, 52-45
Day 3
Saskatchewan defeats UNB, 89-85
Brock defeats McMaster, 78-70
Laval defeats UBC, 62-50
Toronto defeats Ryerson, 80-38
