Amateur

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Lakehead, Dickinson State advance to semis at Wesmen Classic

By: Ashley Prest

Posted: 12/28/2012 5:04 PM | Comments: 0

The Lakehead Thunderwolves and North Dakota's Dickinson State Bluehawks earned berths in the semifinal round with opening round wins in the 46th annual Wesmen Classic university men's basketball tournament on Friday at the University of Winnipeg Duckworth Centre.

The Brandon Bobcats landed three points shy of earning a berth in the semifinal, suffering a 75-72 loss to Dickinson State in their first game.

Lakehead, which includes Winnipeg natives Joseph Nitychoruk and Michael Thorne-Finch, defeated the University of Northern B.C. (Prince George) 90-50 in the tournament's opening game.

Lakehead and Dickinson State will meet in Saturday's 8:30 p.m. semifinal.

For Lakehead, Nitychoruk came off the bench to lead all players with 10 rebounds while fifth-year forward Yoosrie Salhia led all players with 22 points.

In the Brandon-Dickinson State game, the Bobcats trailed through most of the first two quarters but battled back to tie the score 30-30 at halftime. The Brandon squad led throughout the third and fourth quarters, even opening up a 10-point lead late in the third frame.

But Dickinson State won the game with a 10-0 run in the last two minutes by dominating the boards on a pair of Brandon turnovers. Leading the Bobcats was Winnipeg native Jordan Reaves with a game-high 22 points and 12 rebounds. Morden's James Elias, Brandon's 6-foot-11 starting post, scored four points and had five rebounds.

"Even though we lost today, our first game coming back together after a two-week break, I liked the way we're meshing again and we've got a couple new elements that we've brought in," said Reaves, who is the son of former Blue Bombers running back Willard Reaves and younger brother of NHL player Ryan Reaves, currently playing with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL.

In tonight's games, the host Winnipeg Wesmen will meet the Keyano College Huskies from Fort McMurray, Alta. at 6:30 p.m. Calgary's Mount Royal Cougars, including Winnipeg's Nick Loewen, will take on the Mayville State Comets from North Dakota at 8:30 p.m.

Winners of those two games will meet in Saturday's 6:30 p.m. semifinal. The university men's championship game is on Sunday at 8 p.m.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Amateur

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

Have Your Say

Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?

Have Your Say

Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.