Exhibition: Walsh University takes RNIT title with win over Ryerson Rams
Tuesday, December 28
Game 1: 1:00 p.m. Toronto 101 vs. Mohawk 60
Game 2: 3:00 p.m. York 71 vs. Walsh 97
Game 3: 5:30 p.m. Waterloo 74 vs. New Brunswick 81
Game 4: 7:30 p.m. Ryerson 66 vs. Algoma 50 Wednesday, December 29
Game 5: 1:00 p.m. Mohawk 72 vs. York 102
Game 6: 3:00 p.m. Waterloo 84 vs. Algoma 63
Game 7: 5:30 p.m. Toronto 77 vs. Walsh 85
Game 8: 7:30 p.m. New Brunswick 62 vs. Ryerson 71
Thursday, December 30
Game 9: 11:30 a.m. Mohawk 97 vs. Algoma 99 2OT
Game 10: 1:30 p.m. York 91 vs. Waterloo 95
Game 11: 4:00 p.m. Toronto 84 vs. New Brunswick 83 - 3rd Place
Game 12: 6:00 p.m. Walsh 88 vs. Ryerson 64 - Championship
TOURNAMENT ALL-STARS
MVP:
J.J. Sutton (Walsh)
All-Stars:
Lamar Skeeter (Walsh)
Jahmal Jones (Ryerson)
Ryan McNeilly (Ryerson)
Andrew Wasik (Toronto)
Alex Desroches (New Brunswick)
RECAPS
Game 12: Walsh 88 vs. Ryerson 64 - Championship
Eric Schiele recorded 18 points and nine rebounds as the Walsh University Cavaliers rode an impressive night of shooting to a championship victory over the Ryerson Rams on Thursday night, defeating the hosts 88-64. The Cavs put on a clinic on perimeter offence, shooting over 50% from beyond the arc, while the Rams could only go 4-of-13 in response.
"I thought we competed (hard) against a very strong team," said Rams coach Roy Rana. "In the end our poor finishing hurt us, we had a lot of opportunities to score and didn't. (They also) outrebounded us and I think that was the difference." Walsh brought down 35 boards, eight more than Ryerson.
The game started out slow, as neither Ryerson nor Walsh could generate a lot of offence in the opening five minutes. However, Cameron Mitchell helped spur his team with a couple of jumpers, one from above the three-point line, and the Cavs took a healthy 16-6 lead into the second quarter.
The Rams picked up the slack offensively as Matthew Lapointe recorded four points in the low post while Jahmal Jones netted his first points of the period, bringing Ryerson within seven. Lapointe would go on to score 10 points in the half.
The Cavaliers were not thwarted, and continued to generate points both from strong outside shooting and in the paint. Terrance Saintil, the 6'9'' tower out of North Miami, FL, made his presence known underneath the basket, powering his way to the rim for two lay-ups that maintained the point spread for Walsh. Minutes later Jeremy Shardo sunk a three-pointer, and the Cavaliers would take a 12-point lead.
However, a 6-0 run by the Rams brought the deficit down to six, but another long-range buzzer beater by Mitchell deflated Ryerson, as they went to the locker room down by 11 at half.
The Cavaliers were determined to put the game on ice early, as they came out firing in the second half. Tournament all-star Lamar Skeeter hit a pair from downtown, as did Schiele, giving Walsh a 17-point advantage over Ryerson just minutes into the third quarter. The Cavs finished the quarter with seven three-pointers, as Ron Kinney added three long-range shots to the tally.
To the Rams credit, they opened the fourth quarter with a 7-1 run, and managed to lower the deficit to 10 points with plenty of time left in regulation. Lapointe helped cut into the lead with a couple of well-earned baskets in the paint. He would finish with a team-high 14 points and six rebounds.
However, Walsh was simply lights out from the perimeter, shooting a formidable 67% from beyond the arc in the second half. Schiele dropped eight points in the final quarter, six of which came from three-point land, and the monster Saintil continued to dominate the low post, picking up four blocks to go along with six points and six boards throughout the contest.
The Rams could not match that production, and Walsh would sail to victory, claiming the 2010 RNIT championship. L.J. Sutton of Youngstown, OH was named the tournament MVP, averaging 15.3 points and nine rebounds in three games. Jones and veteran Ryan McNeilly, who added nine points in the game, were also named tournament all-stars along with Skeeter of the Cavs.
As the Rams look forward to the New Year and the second half of the OUA season, there is optimism about their potential to become a more dangerous team in the conference. Ryerson limited opponents to an average of 67 points in the past three games, 22 less than what they've allowed in regular season play. Rana believes continuing to focus on the defence will be an important tool for righting the Rams ship in 2011. He also commented on the development of their young core.
"I'm excited. I think we are improving. Matthew Lapointe is a great picture of that, a guy who is an 18-year old sophomore but continually getting better. We are very young but our young guys are getting better. Hopefully that will create some wins in the second half."
Rana was also pleased with bringing a holiday tournament back to the city. "After such a long time of not having it here, I think it's a great success to bring it back to Toronto. It's great for Toronto hoops fans, and important for CIS basketball."
Ryerson will be quickly put to the test come January, as they face off against the Carleton Ravens next Friday, January 7. The Ravens are the No. 1 seed in the country, and currently undefeated heading into the second half of the season. They will return home on January 21 to host the Queen's Gaels.
Game 11: Toronto 84 vs. New Brunswick 83 - 3rd Place
Andrew Wasik scored 17 points and added 14 rebounds as the Toronto Varsity Blues escaped with an 84-83 victory over the upstart UNB Varsity Reds on Thursday evening in the bronze-medal match at the RNIT. Alex Hill also added 13 points, and was named player of the game for the Blues who were put to the test by the Varsity Reds, who held a slim advantage for most of the final period.
The Blues were in control of the contest in the opening quarter, and were able to build a 10-point lead at the beginning of the second frame, and a Wasik lay-up extended the lead to 11 at the 5:50 mark. The Varsity Reds managed to stay within striking distance of Toronto though, down by just seven at the half-time buzzer.
UNB opened the second half with a 5-0 streak, as Colton Wilson hit a couple of jumpers to cut the deficit. Andrew Wilson then nailed two straight three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, notching the game even at 58-58. The Reds would go on to outscore Toronto by nine in the third period to take a two-point lead into the final stanza.
The offence seemed to dry up in the fourth, as both teams picked up their play on the defensive side of the court. Wasik came up with another critical basket from in-low to put the Blues up by two, but Daniel Quirion answered two minutes later with a shot from beyond the arc, allowing the Reds to re-take the lead.
New Brunswick pushed the lead to three with two and half minutes left, but Justin Holmes came up big, draining another long-range shot to once again even the contest. After a flagrant foul against UNB put Hill on the line to make one of two shots, the Blues retained possession of the ball. Drazen Glisic picked up a rebound off his own shot, and was not denied on his second, as Toronto took back the lead with 1:05 left in regulation.
The final minute was a flurry of action around the Toronto basket, as both teams fought furiously for possession. The Varsity Reds turned over the ball, but managed to steal it back in time for a Quirion shot. Unfortunately, he could not find the mesh and the Blues would come away with a win.
Game 10: York 91 vs. Waterloo 95
Adam Goodhoofd recorded a game-high 25 points and added seven rebounds as the Waterloo Warriors completed a late fourth-quarter comeback to steal a 95-91 victory over the York Lions in the RNIT consolation final. After getting badly outscored in the third quarter and going down by ten heading into the closing period, Waterloo was sparked by Wayne Bridge, who netted a three-pointer, and then made four consecutive free throws. Bridge was perfect from the foul line, going 10-of-10 and tallying a total of 21 points. Although York would re-extend the lead to six with just over three minutes left, Waterloo was again brought up by Bridge, who created a turnover and was sent to the line for two more. OUA all-star Cam McIntyre hit a trademark jumper from beyond the arc, cutting the Lions lead to a narrow 91-90. The free throw shooting continued to be effective, as the Warriors took a one-point lead. Player of the game Goodhoofd then sealed the victory with a two-point jumper and free throw with under a second on the score clock. The difference-maker was York's struggles from the foul line, as they maintained a low 58% conversion rate, compared to 93% from Waterloo. The teams were deadlocked in rebounds, both picking up 33 while only turning over the ball on a combined 16 occasions. Ostap Choliy had another strong performance for the red and white, picking up 22 points while teammate Stefan Haynes earned 21 points and a team-high eight boards.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info