March 15, 2014
CIS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL 8: Windsor advances to 5th straight Bronze Baby final
WINDSOR, Ont. (CIS) – All-Canadian guard Miah-Marie Langlois totalled a game-high 20 points and the top-seeded Windsor Lancers defeated the No. 5 Fraser Valley Cascades 65-45 in the second semi-final of the ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS women's basketball championship on Saturday
night at the St. Denis Centre.
CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE: http://english.cis-sic.ca/
The tournament host Lancers are looking to become the first team to win four consecutive Bronze Baby Trophies since the Laurentian Voyageurs won a record five straight titles from 1975 to 1979. Playing in its fifth CIS final in a row, Windsor will meet the No. 2 Saint Mary's Huskies Sunday at 8:00 p.m., live on Sportsnet 360.
The defending champs had to grind it out against Fraser Valley as they trailed 25-24 at halftime after shooting only 19.4 per cent from the floor in the first 20 minutes (7 for 36).
“We played them twice earlier this season so we knew they were a good team. We weren’t surprised at all they gave us a good battle,” said Windsor guard Jocelyn LaRocque, referring to 27 and 20-point non-conference wins at the St. Denis Centre in late December. “We weren’t too worried about shots not dropping. We were just saying as a group keep shooting, and if they don’t go in, we’ll just rebound like crazy. We knew if we kept shooting at some point they were going to drop.”
“Maybe it was a little nerve, I don’t know,” said Lancers coach Chantal Vallée. “If we didn’t score, we wanted to make sure they weren’t scoring either. Fortunately, I have a team that’s mature enough that no one was going to panic.
“It’s out fifth straight national final and it’s still as exciting. It’s going to be quite a basketball game against Saint Mary’s.”
Jessica Clemencon scored 15 of her 20 points in the second-half and picked up nine rebounds while Korissa Williams brought down a team-high 11 boards in the win for Windsor.
Nicole Wierks tallied a team-high 17 points for Fraser Valley while her sister Sarah led UFV with 11 rebounds on the night. The Cascades, who have already improved upon their seventh-place finish in 2013, will face the No. 3 Saskatchewan Huskies in the bronze-medal match on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. The game will be available live at cis-sic.tv.
While the first semi-final got off to a high-paced start, the second began with more timid play as the teams combined to go 4-of-18 in the opening five minutes. A steal by CIS all-rookie Cheyanne Roger led to a jumper from Langlois, creating some excitement for the home crowd and giving the tournament hosts a brief one-point advantage.
Following another Cascades turnover, Korissa Williams picked up two points while being fouled and Jocelyn LaRocque dropped a three after Windsor got an offensive rebound off of Williams' missed free throw, doubling their advantage.
Nicole Wierks did some tough work in the post to earn a pair of trips to the foul-line where she sunk all four of her respective free-throws, and led the Cascades with six points after one quarter of play.
UFV opened the second with a fast-break by Kaylie Sartori, starting a strong 14-2 run for the Canada West finalists. Nataliia Gavryliuk hit a top-corner three to keep the Cascades momentum going, while the three-time champions had a couple of offensive miscues and went cold through the opening five minutes of the second. Another lay-up by Sartori put the Cascades ahead by four with under five to play in the half.
After a five-minute drought, Langlois finally scored Windsor's third and fourth point of the second at the 2:08 mark. The Lancers then brought full-court pressure and forced five UFV turnovers in the last two minutes of the half, and cut the deficit to 25-24 at the break.
Windsor shot 19.4% in the first two quarters while Fraser Valley was 34.8% from the floor.
LaRocque took her third charge of the game early in the third quarter, and brought the St. Denis Centre crowd to its feet with a corner three to put Windsor ahead 29-28. The Windsor native sunk another three from the opposite corner on the Lancers next possession, giving them a five-point advantage.
Langlois and Clemencon exchanged baskets, spreading the lead to five. Meanwhile, it seemed as though Windsor handed its first-half offensive woes to UFV who managed just five points in the third quarter. The contest took a chippy turn late in the third as a number of physical battles dialed up the intensity heading into the final quarter of play with the defending champions leading 38-30.
The three-time defending banner-winners put their mark on the contest in the fourth quarter. Their up-tempo defence and new-found potency with the ball in the last 10 minutes would end up being too much for Fraser Valley to overcome.
Sartori hit a couple of free-throws to begin the final period in an effort to awaken the Cascade offence. However, Clemencon came to life in the final quarter, earning back-to-back baskets. Sophomore guard Caitlyn Longmuir also found her perimeter shot in the fourth. Coming out of a Cascades timeout, she hit a three to spread the lead up to 15.
Courtney Bartel and Nicole Wierks tried to stem the Windsor wave, each sinking a three-pointer in the final minutes of play. However, Longmuir's shooting continued to sharpen as she answered with her second and third three-pointers of the quarter, pushing the game out of UFV's reach.
Windsor shot 27.3% from the field compared to 29.4% from the Cascades, but outrebounded Fraser Valley 51-43.
“We were playing an outstanding team more than anything,” said UFV coach Al Tuchscherer. “They can beat you in a number of different ways and I thought we made a few pretty good adjustments throughout the game that neutralized some of their weapons, but those weapons came alive as the game went on. They’re good, they’re an outstanding team.
“I thought our defence was really solid for three quarters. We played a lot of zone tonight which we don’t particularly play a lot, and I thought we shifted well into that defensive mindset for much of the game.”
Boxscore: STATS
WSR 18-6-14-27: 65
UFV 10-15-5-15: 45
Rebounds: Korissa Williams (11), Jessica Clemençon (9)
Assists: Miah-Marie Langlois (5)
Player of the game: Miah-Marie Langlois
Fraser Valley
Points: Nicole Wierks (17), Nataliia Gavryliuk (8)
Rebounds: Sarah Wierks (11), 3 players with 4
Assists: Aieisha Luyken (3)
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS (all times EASTERN TIME)
15:00 Quarter-final 2: Saskatchewan 61, Queen’s 52
18:00 Quarter-final 3: Windsor 81, Wilfrid Laurier 53
20:00 Quarter-final 4: Fraser Valley 74, McGill 60
12:00 Consolation 2: McGill 58, Wilfrid Laurier 51
15:00 Semifinal 1: Saint Mary’s 67, Saskatchewan 54
17:00 Semifinal 2: Windsor 65, Fraser Valley 45
17:00 Bronze: No. 3 Saskatchewan vs. No. 5 Fraser Valley (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
20:00 Final: No. 2 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 1 Windsor (Sportsnet 360 / www.CIS-SIC.tv *)
* The webcast of all 3 televised games (semifinals & final) will be on pay-per-view basis.
night at the St. Denis Centre.
CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE: http://english.cis-sic.ca/
The tournament host Lancers are looking to become the first team to win four consecutive Bronze Baby Trophies since the Laurentian Voyageurs won a record five straight titles from 1975 to 1979. Playing in its fifth CIS final in a row, Windsor will meet the No. 2 Saint Mary's Huskies Sunday at 8:00 p.m., live on Sportsnet 360.
The defending champs had to grind it out against Fraser Valley as they trailed 25-24 at halftime after shooting only 19.4 per cent from the floor in the first 20 minutes (7 for 36).
“We played them twice earlier this season so we knew they were a good team. We weren’t surprised at all they gave us a good battle,” said Windsor guard Jocelyn LaRocque, referring to 27 and 20-point non-conference wins at the St. Denis Centre in late December. “We weren’t too worried about shots not dropping. We were just saying as a group keep shooting, and if they don’t go in, we’ll just rebound like crazy. We knew if we kept shooting at some point they were going to drop.”
“Maybe it was a little nerve, I don’t know,” said Lancers coach Chantal Vallée. “If we didn’t score, we wanted to make sure they weren’t scoring either. Fortunately, I have a team that’s mature enough that no one was going to panic.
“It’s out fifth straight national final and it’s still as exciting. It’s going to be quite a basketball game against Saint Mary’s.”
Jessica Clemencon scored 15 of her 20 points in the second-half and picked up nine rebounds while Korissa Williams brought down a team-high 11 boards in the win for Windsor.
Nicole Wierks tallied a team-high 17 points for Fraser Valley while her sister Sarah led UFV with 11 rebounds on the night. The Cascades, who have already improved upon their seventh-place finish in 2013, will face the No. 3 Saskatchewan Huskies in the bronze-medal match on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. The game will be available live at cis-sic.tv.
While the first semi-final got off to a high-paced start, the second began with more timid play as the teams combined to go 4-of-18 in the opening five minutes. A steal by CIS all-rookie Cheyanne Roger led to a jumper from Langlois, creating some excitement for the home crowd and giving the tournament hosts a brief one-point advantage.
Following another Cascades turnover, Korissa Williams picked up two points while being fouled and Jocelyn LaRocque dropped a three after Windsor got an offensive rebound off of Williams' missed free throw, doubling their advantage.
Nicole Wierks did some tough work in the post to earn a pair of trips to the foul-line where she sunk all four of her respective free-throws, and led the Cascades with six points after one quarter of play.
UFV opened the second with a fast-break by Kaylie Sartori, starting a strong 14-2 run for the Canada West finalists. Nataliia Gavryliuk hit a top-corner three to keep the Cascades momentum going, while the three-time champions had a couple of offensive miscues and went cold through the opening five minutes of the second. Another lay-up by Sartori put the Cascades ahead by four with under five to play in the half.
After a five-minute drought, Langlois finally scored Windsor's third and fourth point of the second at the 2:08 mark. The Lancers then brought full-court pressure and forced five UFV turnovers in the last two minutes of the half, and cut the deficit to 25-24 at the break.
Windsor shot 19.4% in the first two quarters while Fraser Valley was 34.8% from the floor.
LaRocque took her third charge of the game early in the third quarter, and brought the St. Denis Centre crowd to its feet with a corner three to put Windsor ahead 29-28. The Windsor native sunk another three from the opposite corner on the Lancers next possession, giving them a five-point advantage.
Langlois and Clemencon exchanged baskets, spreading the lead to five. Meanwhile, it seemed as though Windsor handed its first-half offensive woes to UFV who managed just five points in the third quarter. The contest took a chippy turn late in the third as a number of physical battles dialed up the intensity heading into the final quarter of play with the defending champions leading 38-30.
The three-time defending banner-winners put their mark on the contest in the fourth quarter. Their up-tempo defence and new-found potency with the ball in the last 10 minutes would end up being too much for Fraser Valley to overcome.
Sartori hit a couple of free-throws to begin the final period in an effort to awaken the Cascade offence. However, Clemencon came to life in the final quarter, earning back-to-back baskets. Sophomore guard Caitlyn Longmuir also found her perimeter shot in the fourth. Coming out of a Cascades timeout, she hit a three to spread the lead up to 15.
Courtney Bartel and Nicole Wierks tried to stem the Windsor wave, each sinking a three-pointer in the final minutes of play. However, Longmuir's shooting continued to sharpen as she answered with her second and third three-pointers of the quarter, pushing the game out of UFV's reach.
Windsor shot 27.3% from the field compared to 29.4% from the Cascades, but outrebounded Fraser Valley 51-43.
“We were playing an outstanding team more than anything,” said UFV coach Al Tuchscherer. “They can beat you in a number of different ways and I thought we made a few pretty good adjustments throughout the game that neutralized some of their weapons, but those weapons came alive as the game went on. They’re good, they’re an outstanding team.
“I thought our defence was really solid for three quarters. We played a lot of zone tonight which we don’t particularly play a lot, and I thought we shifted well into that defensive mindset for much of the game.”
STAT LEADERS
Boxscore: STATS
WSR 18-6-14-27: 65
UFV 10-15-5-15: 45
Windsor
Points: Miah-Marie Langlois (20), Jessica Clemençon (18)Rebounds: Korissa Williams (11), Jessica Clemençon (9)
Assists: Miah-Marie Langlois (5)
Player of the game: Miah-Marie Langlois
Fraser Valley
Points: Nicole Wierks (17), Nataliia Gavryliuk (8)
Rebounds: Sarah Wierks (11), 3 players with 4
Assists: Aieisha Luyken (3)
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS (all times EASTERN TIME)
Friday, March 14
13:00 Quarter-final 1: Saint Mary’s 71, Alberta 5115:00 Quarter-final 2: Saskatchewan 61, Queen’s 52
18:00 Quarter-final 3: Windsor 81, Wilfrid Laurier 53
20:00 Quarter-final 4: Fraser Valley 74, McGill 60
Saturday, March 15
10:00 Consolation 1: Alberta 67, Queen’s 5512:00 Consolation 2: McGill 58, Wilfrid Laurier 51
15:00 Semifinal 1: Saint Mary’s 67, Saskatchewan 54
17:00 Semifinal 2: Windsor 65, Fraser Valley 45
Sunday, March 16
15:00 5th Place: No. 7 Alberta vs. No. 4 McGill (www.CIS-SIC.tv)17:00 Bronze: No. 3 Saskatchewan vs. No. 5 Fraser Valley (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
20:00 Final: No. 2 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 1 Windsor (Sportsnet 360 / www.CIS-SIC.tv *)
* The webcast of all 3 televised games (semifinals & final) will be on pay-per-view basis.
