RECAP: Last gasp effort puts #3 men’s basketball on the brink of Nationals berth

It came down to the wire, but the third-ranked Gee-Gees men's basketball team found a way and defeated the Toronto Metropolitan Bold 73-72 at Montpetit Hall Saturday afternoon. 

The win moves Ottawa into the OUA semifinals. They'll face the Windsor Lancers at Montpetit Hall on Wednesday night, with a berth at the U SPORTS National Championship on the line.

Tickets are available at Eventbrite and a sellout crowd is anticipated.

"This is a special group," said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin. "Games like this come down to one play. We got a big stop there at the end. Both teams deserved to win the game and we got a break there at the end." 

A last-minute steal and dish from Cole Newton to Kevin Otoo gave the Gee-Gees a one-point lead they would not relinquish. The team needed a stand on defence to close the game out, which they got when they forced the Bold's Simon Chamberlain into a missed floater as the buzzer sounded.

Ottawa found themselves down by as many as 12 points midway through the second quarter, but stormed back. A furious stretch, punctuated by three pointers from Otoo and Newton, led to a tie game at 44 at the half.

The Gee-Gees shot the lights out from beyond the arc, knocking down a dozen treys. Newton paced the team with five, while Jacques-Mélaine Guemeta came off the bench to drain three of his own. 

David Walker of the Bold was the high scorer of the game with 35 points, while star forward Aaron Rhooms had 19 points before fouling out in the dying moments. Rhooms presumably would have been the player to take his team's last shot in the fourth, but committed his fifth foul moments prior. 

Newton led the Gee-Gees with 22 points, while Guillaume Pépin (12), Guymeta (11 off the bench) and Josh Inkumsah (10) joined him in double figures. 

Looking ahead to the OUA semis, the Gee-Gees faced the Lancers in late November, emerging 74-66 winners at Montpetit Hall. The score was tied heading into the final quarter, but Ottawa outscored the visitors 19-13 down the stretch to secure the win. 

Pépin was the key player for Ottawa, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Inkumsah also recorded a double-double off the bench. 

Ottawa will need to keep an eye on one of the country's best players, Thomas Kennedy. Kennedy is averaged a double-double during the regular season, with 20.8 points-per-game and 13.5 rebounds-per-game, the latter of which is the best in the nation. 

Windsor upset the Lakehead Thunderwolves in the first round and then beat the Guelph Gryphons to punch their ticket to the semis.

Tickets for the critical game will be on sale at Eventbrite. The game will also be streamed on OUA.tv.