Fourth quarter explosion helps Huskies men clinch playoff spot

The Huskies men’s basketball team held on to top spot in the Canada West’s Prairie division and became the first team in the conference to clinch a playoff spot last weekend after a two-game sweep over the Brandon Bobcats Jan. 27 and 28.

A 23-point Saskatchewan lead after the first quarter of action put the weekend’s first game out of reach for the Bobcats almost immediately. Though Brandon actually outscored Saskatchewan by one point in the remainder of the game, the Dogs easily won 92-70.

The Huskies did a nice job of spreading the ball around with four players achieving double-digit points. They also outshot Brandon by 12 per cent and battled around the basket to gain possession on 20 rebounds more than their opponents.

Brandon, however, came more prepared for the match-up the following night. Bobcats forwards Ali Mounir and Kyle Vince led the charge to help the team gain a 22-15 lead after the first quarter.

Along with the offensive upgrade, Brandon mounted a stronger zone defensive plan — meaning their defenders covered specific areas of the court as opposed to specific Huskie players — which forced Saskatchewan to adjust and shoot from farther away.

“They came out with that zone, and it felt like we got into a rut where we were stuck on the perimeter,” said Huskies head coach Barry Rawlyk. “They really out-hustled us in the first quarter and we didn’t respond well to that.”

The Dogs slowly began to chip away at the lead, and tied the game in the second quarter with a long three-point basket from Jamelle Barrett. Barrett brought the ball back down the court on the next offensive rush and lobbed the ball perfectly into the hands of Michael Lieffers, who was in mid-flight at the side of the net and slammed the ball down for the two-point alley-oop.

Lieffers put up 23 points and 13 rebounds in the match. The effort was enough for him to eclipse the 1,000 career rebounds mark, which he had done in points a week earlier. Lieffers joins an elite group of Huskies, becoming only the fifth player in team history to accomplish both 1,000 points and rebounds.

The Bobcats found themselves in foul trouble in the second half, including a technical team foul charged to Brandon’s head coach. It seemed enough to swing momentum in favor of the Huskies, who then managed to score more consistently.

By the final quarter the Huskies hit full stride. Peter Lomuro sank a three-point shot two minutes into the frame to make the score 73-60. They followed up that score with five more unanswered baskets set up by crafty passing from Barrett.

The Dogs didn’t relinquish the lead and won the game 89-70, outscoring Brandon by 16 points in the fourth quarter.

“The game became fun in the fourth quarter, and when we’re having fun that is when we are at our best,” said fifth-year Duncan Jones, who finished with 21 points and three steals on the evening.

“If we can play that way for 40 minutes I think we will be tough to stop.”

Huskies women silence Bobcat scorers

The Huskies women’s basketball team nearly doubled the points of their opponents Friday, Jan. 27 at the PAC, as they dominated the league’s worst team, the Brandon University Bobcats.

Saskatchewan downed the visitors 81-42.

The Huskies came out firing, putting up 16 points on the board before Brandon realized they needed to score baskets of their own. The strong effort from younger Dogs like Dalyce Emmerson and Kelsey Trulsrud was exactly what the team needed with the absence of the team’s leading scorer Katie Miyazaki, who was resting a sprained finger.

Brandon showed signs of life in the second quarter, scoring more than twice their first quarter points in the first six minutes of the second frame. The momentum was short-lived, however, as the Huskies took control soon after and maintained it for the rest of the game.

The teams met again the following night, and Huskies head coach Lisa Thomaidis felt her squad didn’t start the match as strong as it should have.

“I was disappointed with the intensity we brought into this game,” she said. “Yesterday we came out on fire and dictated the tempo, but the beginning of this game we didn’t show up with the kind of intensity that is required at this level.”

At the end of the first quarter Brandon was within five points, and even managed to tie the game momentarily in the second quarter. However, the Huskies responded with a 17-4 point run, controlling the game the rest of the way and eventually winning 77-47.

Huskies point guard Kelsey Trulsrud nabbed player of the game status and finished the weekend with 21 points, four steals and nine rebounds. She attributes her first-year success largely to the guidance of the veterans on the team.

“The three fifth-year players help out by teaching us [rookies] where to go in practices, warm-ups and games. They are leading us on the right path,” said Trulsrud.

Following the weekend rout of the Bobcats, the Huskies move to 11-4 on the season and keep up in the tight battle for a home playoff spot. The club has five games remaining in the regular season, including a provincial rivalry match against the undefeated Regina Cougars before playoffs.

Brandon, on the other hand, doesn’t have a single win to boast about this season and their record falls to 0-16.

[box type=”info”]The Huskies men’s and women’s basketball teams will be on the road Feb. 3 and 4 to face the University of Winnipeg Wesmen.[/box]

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Photo: Raisa Pezderic/The Sheaf