Gee-Gees dump McMaster 101-68, advance to final
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Ottawa commanded the scoreboard from the outset, piling up 31 points and five three-pointers in the first quarter alone and taking a 55-33 lead into half time. The Gee-Gees amassed a dominating 16 three-pointers, shooting 66.7% (16 of 24) from beyond the arc.
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Porter Airlines Player of the Game Johnny Berhanemeskel dominated the Gee-Gee offence with 26 points, sinking 11 of 14 from the floor, including three of four three-point attempts.Â
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“I’m happy with tonight’s performance. It was a fun game to be a part of,” Berhanemeskel said. “Looking to tomorrow, we need to get our defensive boards so that we can get the ball out and get our offence going. We don’t want to overcomplicate things.”
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Michael L’Africain followed in offensive output, sinking five from outside the arc en route to a 19-point performance.
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Also in double-digit scoring for the Gee-Gees were Terry Thomas (17 points), Caleb Agada (11 points) and Mehdi Tihani (10 points). Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue was the leading Ottawa rebounder with nine, eight coming off the defensive glass.
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In the losing effort, McMaster’s Nathan McCarthy posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Trevon McNeil (14 points), Adam Presutti (13 points) and Leon Alexander (11 points) all finished in double-digit scoring.
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In earlier Final Four action, the Carleton Ravens downed the Windsor Lancers 84-71, making for a rematch of last season’s title game. Carleton won the 2013 Wilson Cup title in a 72-69 thriller against the Gee-Gees.Â
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Ottawa claimed its sole Wilson Cup banner in the 1992-93 campaign, defeating the Western Mustangs 88-48 in the conference final on March 13, 1993. Ottawa has a 1-3 club record in the Wilson Cup championship game; Carleton stands 8-4, and has won two consecutive conference titles.
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Ottawa and Carleton face off in the Wilson Cup final at 6 p.m. tomorrow, after McMaster faces Windsor for the OUA bronze medal at 4 p.m. Both games will be played at the Mattamy Athletic Centre and telecast live on Sportsnet ONE.