KEVIN MENZ & KEITH FLYSAK

Duncan Jones’s final game in a Huskies basketball uniform was bittersweet.

The fifth-year guard led Saskatchewan to a Canada West bronze medal after putting up 40 points — including an astounding nine three-pointers on 10 attempts — in front of his hometown crowd at the Physical Activity Complex in a 90-85 win over the University of Victoria Vikes March 3.

The two teams had been exchanging baskets throughout the entire game until midway through the third quarter when Jones helped the Huskies pull away. He sank three consecutive three-point attempts to close out the last five minutes and give the Huskies a 67-58 lead going into the fourth.

While the Vikes charged back to within two points of Saskatchewan nearing the game’s end, a steal by Jones with only 33 seconds on the clock combined with a jumper from the fifth-year sealed the victory for the Huskies.

The No. 9 jersey’s nine triples placed him alongside teammate Jamelle Barrett and former Huskie Kyle Grant for the most three-pointers by any Huskie in a single game. Barrett hit nine threes against Fraser Valley in November of 2010 while Grant drained nine against Manitoba in January of 2008.

Jones, of course, was humble after the career-best performance and passed a lot of the credit off to his teammates.

“The guys did a really good job of finding me in nice spots so I could hit my shots,” said Jones.

Head coach Barry Rawlyk said that the performance simply reasserts how strong his veteran players are.

“The bar has been set by some of these graduating players who have enjoyed sensational careers here,” he said. “They’ve set the blueprint for the future.”

Saturday was the last time Jones and fellow seniors Michael Lieffers, Peter Lomuro and Chris Unsworth would dress for the Green and White as they have all extinguished their Canadian Interuniversity Sport eligibility.

The bronze medal meant the Huskies wouldn’t be continuing on to their third straight CIS Final 8 tournament, which is held in Halifax this year.

On the previous night, the University of Alberta Pandas upset Saskatchewan 89-73 in a Canada West Final Four first-round matchup. The Huskies, who finished the season atop the conference’s standings, were pushed into the bronze medal game.

Since the Canada West conference only sends its gold and silver medalists to the Final 8, it meant the Huskies’ only chance of landing a spot in the national championship was with the CIS’s wild-card selection — which often goes to the highest ranked team in the country that was not a finalist in its conference’s championship.

The Huskies had a very strong chance of landing the wild-card berth, however, considering they finished the season ranked third in the nation.

Unfortunately for Saskatchewan, the No. 2 Lakehead University Thunderwolves also fell in their conference semifinal after losing 86-70 to the Ryerson University Rams in Ontario’s conference semifinal.

Lakehead landed the CIS’s wildcard berth, ending the Huskies’ season.

Following the loss to Alberta, Saskatchewan reflected on what could have been a much better game.

“It was defence for sure,” said Barrett. “I think we got the game to within two and one a few times — we even had it tied up — and we just couldn’t get the stops when we needed them. They execute their offence really well. They were well prepared. They came out and they played a hell of a game.”

The Huskies enjoyed their only lead of the game early in the first quarter after Barrett buried a three to put the Dogs up 12-11. After that, the Bears’ phenomenal shooting allowed Alberta to run away with the game.

“We didn’t shoot the ball very well tonight,” said Rawlyk afterwards. “I thought we settled for too many jumpers or mid-range shots early in the game.”

Saskatchewan only shot 35 per cent from the floor while Alberta shot 47 per cent.

Both Barrett and Lieffers were recognized after the tournament for their outstanding seasons in the Canada West.

Barrett was named a first-team all-star and conference MVP for the second year in a row while Lieffers was named second-team all-star and defensive player of the year.

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Photos: Pete Yee