CALGARY – The University of Alberta Golden Bears have earned the right to host the Canada West Final Four with a win over the University of Winnipeg Wesmen Saturday night at the Jack Simpson Gym. The Golden Bears struck early and never looked back as they won 103-59 against the Wesmen.
"I'm a big fan of the Wesmen program," Golden Bears head coach
Barnaby Craddock said. "I think coach Raimbault is one of the best in the country. [Winnipeg] had such a tough-fought win last night. We were a little fresher and we used that energy to our advantage. Our guys played really well, so I'm happy with the outcome."
Alberta showcased why they are the No. 1 seed in the CW playoffs. The Golden Bears put on a clinic from tip-off Saturday, opening the first 10 minutes of action with a dominating 29-10 lead. The Wesmen struggled from the field early, only making one attempt in the first nine minutes. Spas Nikolov added six points in the final minute of action in the first quarter for the Wesmen.
The Golden Bears continued their stellar play into the second quarter, entering halftime with a 50-15 lead, capped off by a 13-0 run to end the half. Bears guard
Geoffrey James put on a dazzling performance pouring in 16 first-half points, including three three-pointers.
Addullah Shittu stole the show in the first half finishing off two alley-oop lobs with posterizing finishes to steal any momentum from the Wesmen.
The Golden Bears would never look back in the second half as some unfamiliar faces got the chance to shine for the Bears.
Daniel McLaren would shoot 4-for-6 from three and finished with 12 points, all of which came in the second half of action.
Spas Nikolov led the Wesmen with 13 points on the night, while
Geoffrey James led the way with 21 for the Golden Bears.
The Golden Bears will take on the Saskatchewan Huskies in a semi-final matchup at home.
When looking forward to the Bears-Huskies matchup, coach Craddock commented, "We want to play with the energy we had tonight. We hit the ground running and made some shots. The road keeps getting tougher – hopefully we can keep playing as a unit."
