VANCOUVER – A last-second three point attempt from McGill Redmen guard Daniel Pieper clanged off the rim, allowing the UBC Thunderbirds to escape their consolation semifinal with a 69-68 win.
At the tail end of a fourth quarter that saw McGill outscore UBC 22-11, Jordan Jensen Whyte played hero for the 'Birds, as the Second Team All-Canadian guard made two free throws with just 19 seconds remaining, which proved the difference in the nail-biting contest.
"We did a little bit of sloppy things, but it was nice for [Jordan] to step up and hit those two free throws," remarked UBC head coach
Kevin Hanson. "These are tough games to play – mentally you're not on your A-Game, and physiologically you're not on your A-Game, but I thought for the most part we played pretty well."
Even with Jensen-Whyte getting the last-second spotlight, fifth-year senior
David Wagner, named the team's Player of the Game, was the driving force for UBC, scoring a game-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while adding six rebounds in the win. Forward Conor Mogan chipped in with 16, while Jensen-Whyte potted eight.
For Wagner, who notched 22 points against Ryerson in the quarterfinals, his elevated play this weekend has been the result of a simple epiphany.
"It's the realization that it's the tail end of my career," said the forward. "I've got one more game as a University of British Columbia Thunderbird. So, these are my last three games, and I told myself a couple of days ago that I was going to give it my all, and that's what I'm going to do."
The 'Birds came out firing in the opening quarter, with Wagner and Morgan combining for 11 points in the just over three minutes of action, as the hosts jumped out to a 13-0 lead.
Dele Ogundokun and third-year guard Jenning Leung netted 15 points apiece for McGill, with the latter hitting 4-of-8 from distance.
Despite some pushback from the Redmen, the 'Birds proved near-unstoppable in those opening 10 minutes, hitting 11-of-13 shots from the field, including all three of their attempts from distance. Wagner, in particular, was unbelievable on the inside, as the 6-foot-8 forward ended the frame with 10 points as the 'Birds took a 25-15 lead into the break.
Where the UBC offense took center stage in the first frame, their defensive ability came to the forefront in the second, as they held McGill to just 3-of-16 shooting from the field. Ogundokun, the reigning RESQ Defensive Player of the Year, was the only player to get anything going for the Redmen, as the guard hit two deep triples to keep the Redmen within striking distance.
On the attack, the 'Birds cooled off from their scorching first-quarter pace, but still managed 18 points in the frame, good enough to stretch their lead to 43-27 by the end of the first half.
Third-year guard Francois Bourque and Leung put up six and five points, respectively, in the third quarter, as McGill attempted to close the gap. The 'Birds kept out in front partially on their ability to get to the free throw line, as the team made 7-of-12 shots from the charity stripe in the third quarter.
McGill managed to inch their way closer, shrinking UBC's lead to 58-46 as they entered the final stanza.
With the Thunderbirds up 65-52 with 4:42 remaining in the fourth, McGill reeled off an 14-3 run to pull even. Leung had one of the highlights of the contest, at one point hitting a three-pointer, getting the steal on the ensuing in-bounds pass, and stepping back over the line for another triple, all within a 21-second stretch.
"I'm extremely proud of our team – the way we clawed and fought back against a very good UBC team, so I only have good things to say about our team today," said McGill head coach David DeAveiro.
The Thunderbirds will now play the Ottawa Gee-Gees for fifth-place in the national tournament. The two teams are set to tip off at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow.
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