Pryce is right for Wesmen

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This article was published 30/12/2014 (3939 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FOR the second year in a row, the University of Winnipeg Wesmen are headed to their own tournament’s final, after leaping off the back of their most intense rival.

On Monday night, the Wesmen surged 91-77 past the University of Manitoba Bisons to clinch the 48th annual Wesmen Classic’s university semifinal. All it took was a stunning second-half comeback, an engine restart from star forward Jelane Pryce, and a momentum swing that stayed in their favour.

“The guys changed the energy in the game through their defence,” Wesmen head coach Mike Raimbault said, after handshakes at the Duckworth Centre. “They came out, and they had a committed effort, a connected effort on the defensive end. That was able to translate to some offensive profiency for us as well.”

Truth be told, Raimbault said, he was just happy the Wesmen didn’t get outshot too badly, when they trailed 24-16 at the end of the first quarter, and then 47-34 at the half. Some years, his squad has struggled in the tournament semifinal. Still, they clearly needed more to beat the Bisons, who are a robust 8-2 in conference play to start the Canada West season.

In the second half, they found it. After putting up 34 points in the first half, they added 33 more to the scoreboard in the third quarter alone. Thirteen of those tallies in the third came off the hands of Pryce, who in one sequence ran the buckets for seven unanswered points; he would end up potting 29 on the night, including two three-pointers, and snatched up eight total rebounds. For that, Pryce was named the player of the game.

“Jelane was definitely better in the second than he was in the first,” Raimbault said, with a laugh. “He did a great job of doing the things we ask him to do. It started at the defensive end, changing some shots and getting some rebounds. We know that he’s got a tendency to score the ball, and when he’s doing all the things he’s really good at on the defensive end, we’re a lot better ball club.”

As the Wesmen’s shooting percentage rose, the Bisons’ plummeted. The Wesmen drained six of 11 three-point attempts in the second half, and 52.9 per cent of their total shots; the Bisons, who started off making half their shots, managed to make just 32.1 per cent count after the break. Bisons guard Amarjit Basi led scoring for his squad, with 17 points.

Meanwhile, the Wesmen found fresh ways to push the ball deep. “In the first half, we were kind of stagnant, the ball wasn’t moving enough,” said Wesmen guard Jordan Clennon, who helped drive a pile of thrilling passing plays. “We thought we had to swing the ball better… we went to the halftime kind of down, and the coaches said, just keep playing our game and do what we do best. So we came out and played hard, just transition defence.”

As if to put a punctuation mark on the fourth quarter, 6-6 Wesmen forward Mark McNee took a slick pass from guard Christopher Baxter, dashed it down the court and flew up for a slam dunk to put his team up 83-64. The crowd in the stands, mostly Wesmen fans, roared. It may not have been the definitive play, but it certainly announced the Wesmen’s claim on the game.

Now, they have to keep that buzz going. The Wesmen haven’t won the tournament that bears their name since 2006. They’ve made the final twice since then, including last year when the Ottawa Gee-Gees trounced them 81-71. This time, they’ll face the Alberta Golden Bears, who won the second Wesmen Classic university semifinal 70-66 over the Brandon Bobcats Monday night. Game time is 8 p.m. at the Duckworth Centre, and tickets (which give access to all the day’s games) are $12.

“We’ve definitely played some really good teams in the final,” Raimbault said, while the Brandon Bobcats and Alberta warmed up for their match. “To play three games in three days is a challenge in itself. Whoever wins (the second semifinal), will be a tough opponent.”

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca