Women's Gold Match Recap: Swan Song

Two things were apparent before Saturday's tipoff.

There would be a winner, and there would be a loser.

What most people wouldn't notice at first is the impending departure of VIU's biggest faces, regardless of outcome.

If the Mariners wanted to send Tony Bryce, Kaia Simpson, Rachel Labrador, and Mackenzie Cox off as national champions, they'd have to face a gutsy Fanshawe team looking for their first national title.

VIU 72, Fanshawe 58

The first quarter started just like the games against St. Thomas and Saint-Jean. It began as a close affair with the Falcons taking a narrow lead after the first ten minutes.

What should've been a red flag for VIU was a sign of relief.

They've been in these close games before.

They've been in two in this tournament alone and won both of them.

They wanted the hat trick.

A three-pointer by Sidney Deleary put the Falcons up by five, but the Mariners got it back within a basket on an and-one layup from Sarah Cook. Though Fanshawe kept their lead for a majority of the quarter through well-timed layups and clutch free throws, they failed to recognize something that had slain other teams before.

The Mariners are inevitable.

An Emily Sprott layup gave the Mariners a 37-35 lead with just under two minutes left in the second quarter. Through a combination of free throws and a late layup from graduating point guard Mackenzie Cox, VIU took a seven-point lead into halftime.

The lead would not slip for the rest of the night.

The Mariners led by as much as 17 in the final quarter through timely shooting and relentless zone defense. Despite a valiant push from the underdog Falcons, their chance at history was denied.

For the second time in four seasons and the third time in program history, the VIU Mariners stand atop the Canadian basketball world.

Sarah Cook saved her best performance of the season for last, scoring a game-high 18 points and adding seven rebounds. Sammy Shields and Kaia Simpson both came off the bench and added 17 and 10 points respectively. Kiayra Hohlweg added eleven rebounds, while Mackenzie Cox swung the rock six times, tying for the game lead.

Ashlyn Anderson had another strong performance for the Falcons, recording a 16-13 double-double. Edith Eseme added 14 points on 50% shooting, while Sidney Deleary and Layla Mackenzie combined for 23 points in the loss.

This marks the final collegiate game for Mackenzie Cox, Rachel Labrador, and Kaia Simpson as players. It also marks the last game for Mariners head coach Tony Bryce, who announced his retirement earlier in the season. Longtime assistant coach Luke Holmes will succeed him, while former VIU forward Mackenzie Hall will join him as his lead assistant.

Men's Gold Match Recap: Supernova

(This post is based on the copy on the CCAA website, which I also wrote. Credit to Matt Carter for the edits.)

To say that this game had stakes would be a massive understatement.

The Dynamiques de Brébeuf were playing for their first national title in program history.

The VIU Mariners wanted to end the Matt Kuzminski era with a title on their home court.

In a clash of the two hottest teams in the country, only one could plant their flag on the slopes of Mount Benson.

VIU 61, Brebeuf 62

The first quarter couldn’t have started any better for the Dynamiques. They hit shot after shot and silenced a hostile home crowd with a 16-2 run to open the game. After an early timeout, the Mariners got back into the contest, ending the quarter on a 12-3 run.

They carried that momentum into the second quarter, nearly doubling up the Dynamiques in points. On the back of a nine-point explosion from Winston Cole, the Mariners took a 39-32 lead into halftime as the home crowd roared.

In the third, the Dynamiques recaptured their shooting form from the first quarter. The comeback began with a Julius Ferguson floater, but it was quickly silenced by a pair of shots from Keyonte Beals to give VIU an 11-point lead, their highest of the night.

A crucial element of VIU’s strategy was a wall of rowdy fans in the northernmost bleachers. Brébeuf’s free throw shooters had to adjust to their chants to find their rhythm, and it showed with them converting all of their free throws in the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter saw the Dynamiques chip away at VIU’s once mighty lead, getting it down to a basket on a corner three from Aven Allana, then to a single point on a layup from Malek Alphonse. The Mariners fought valiantly to maintain their lead, getting the lead back up to six on an and-one layup from Keyonte Beals, but the Dynamiques would not be denied. They continued to rally, coming back within one and taking the lead on a Malek Alphonse corner three and subsequent tip-in.

With mere seconds left in their season, Matt Kuzminski called a timeout. The plan was obvious: VIU was looking for a layup immediately off of an inbound.

The Dynamiques were ready for it and held strong, but time was called with 0.3 seconds left.

One last chance for the Mariners.

Off of the inbound pass, the ball came up inches short.

The Dynamiques de Brebeuf, for the first time in program history, stand atop the country.

Aven Allana had an incredible game and scored a game-high 24 points on 8-14 shooting. He was named Brebeuf’s Player of the Game and the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Julius Ferguson and Malek Alphonse were named First Team All-Stars, scoring 13 and 11 points respectively.

VIU’s leading scorer and Player of the Game was Keyonte Beals with 18 points. He also added eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and was named a First Team All-Star alongside Winston Cole and Markus Modrovic, who scored 15 and 13 points respectively. Kai Leighton pulled down 13 rebounds in his final collegiate game while adding seven points.

This marks the final game as Mariners head coach for Matt Kuzminski. In 14 years, he led the Mariners to eight PACWEST championships and four berths in the national title game, winning in 2013 and 2019. He leaves VIU as the winningest coach in program history with a 232-30 record.

Women's Semifinals Recap: Time Machine

These two teams met for national gold in Hamilton three years ago. The Mariners emerged victorious over Saint-Jean, winning their second national title in program history, and their first since 1998. Will history repeat itself today?

VIU 62, Saint-Jean 56

The past few seasons haven't been kind to VIU. In 2024, they had to settle for PACWEST bronze after a semifinal loss to Douglas. In 2025, they fell in the bronze semifinals.

This year, things are different.

Tony Bryce has said multiple times this season that he didn't want to rebuild: He wanted to reload. The Mariners kept that promise with a semifinal victory over the RSEQ champion Geants de Saint-Jean.

The first half couldn't be further from the game against St. Thomas if it tried. Both teams found their shooting form early as VIU led by as much as seven, but Saint-Jean caught fire late to get it back within a basket after the first quarter. The second quarter was more of the same, as the Mariners took a four-point lead into halftime despite a late three from Deborah Damoah.

VIU's stout defense faltered early in the third quarter, and the Geants took their first lead at the quarter's halfway mark. After a brief period of trading the lead, Saint-Jean started to pull away and got the lead up to five in the fourth, but an and-one layup from Sarah Cook followed almost immediately by another layup from Trista Thorn tied the game for VIU. Sammy Shields hit a three on VIU's ensuing possession to give the Mariners the lead for good. Though the Geants tied it later in the quarter, VIU took the lead right back and held on. 

For the fourth time in program history, and the third time in the past five seasons, the VIU Mariners will play for a national championship.

Sammy Shields led all scorers with 16 points off the bench. Trista Thorn and Kiayra Hohlweg were close behind with 14 and 12 respectively, with Thorn adding 10 rebounds for a double-double.

Deborah Damoah led the Saint-Jean effort with 14 points, while Madina-Aissata Cisse and Juliette Gargya had 13 and 12 respectively. Cricually, Saint-Jean's only bench points came from a three by Serine Addouche.

The Mariners will have one day of rest before the final game of the season. They will face the OCAA champion Fanshawe Falcons. Tip-off is at 4:30 PM PT.

Men's Semifinals Recap: Hometown Heroes

(This post is based on the copy on the CCAA website, which I also wrote. Credit to Matt Carter for the edits.)

Not far removed from a riveting quarterfinal victory over Lethbridge, the Mariners returned to the friendly confines of the VIU Gymnasium for a heavyweight bout against the defending CCAA national champion Humber Hawks.

VIU 81, Humber 60

Humber took an early lead off a pair of jumpers from Nathan Savage and Dwayne Burke and led by as much as six after an Isaiah Brady-Clarke jumper, but the home team wasn’t about to go out quietly.

The Mariners pieced together basket after basket, leading by as much as seven after a fadeaway jumper from Kye Kotapski-Tinga, but a response from Adrian Aluyi brought it back within five.

Two free throws from Victoire Ndongo to begin the second quarter got the lead down to three, but that’s as close as it would get for the rest of the game. The Hawks only scored nine first quarter points to VIU’s 21, including a three from Kye Kotapski-Tinga at the buzzer.

The third quarter got off to a slow start for both teams as Humber committed a shot clock violation and VIU struggled to finish at the rim, but a pair of Winston Cole free throws and a straightaway three from Markus Modrovic got the crowd back into it. Benny Kazadi did most of Humber’s damage in the quarter with six points, helping the Hawks climb back into the game.

The fourth quarter turned into a runaway. As VIU hit shot after shot and the hometown crowd got rowdier by the minute, Humber was always one step behind despite consistently making their field goals.

Winston Cole’s three with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter proved to be the dagger. As Humber slinked off the court to a funeral dirge of cowbells and bam bams, the Mariners rode the wave all the way to the date with Brebeuf in the national title game. It marks the fifth time the Mariners have played for national gold, and the first since 2019.

Winston Cole led all scorers with 19 points while taking a game-high 19 shots. Ryan Bastian added 10 points in the victory, while Kye Kotapski-Tinga added 17 off the bench. Also off the bench came VIU’s Player of the Game, Markus Modrovic, who recorded a 14-10 double-double.

Nathan Savage was named Humber’s Player of the Game, scoring 14 points. Isaiah Brady-Clarke followed close behind with 10 points, while Adrian Aluyi grabbed 12 rebounds.

The Mariners will face the Dynamiques de Brebeuf in the gold match on Saturday night.

Women's Quarterfinals Recap: Tommie Genesis

While their male compatriots battle the country's best on their home court, the ladies march into battle against the team that hosted the big dance last year, the ACAA champion St. Thomas Tommies.

VIU 56, St. Thomas 41

The Mariners had a lot fun holding teams to single digits in the first quarter this season.

Apparently it's not as fun when they're the ones stuck in the mud.

The lack of offense wasn't from lack of trying: Both VIU and St. Thomas shot a combined 5-35 in the first quarter and 2-14 from three.

Both teams heated up in the second quarter as St. Thomas maintained their lead, but it never got higher than four. A Sarah Cook jump shot at the buzzer got it within one going into the half.

Paige Leblanc made a pair of free throws to get the lead back up to three, but a pair of jump shots from Sarah Cook and Kaia Simpson gave VIU a lead they would never relinquish. The Mariners turned a one-point deficit into a thirteen point lead over the course of the quarter, getting contributions from all around their lineup.

VIU and St. Thomas were evenly matched in the fourth quarter, but the lead was too large for the Tommies to overcome. The Mariners ride into the national semifinals for the first time since 2023.

Kaia Simpson was named VIU's player of the game and did what she's done so often this season. She dropped a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench, leading the Mariners in both categories. VIU's only other double digit scorer, Sammy Shields, also came off the bench, scoring 11 points.

St. Thomas' player of the game, Paige LeBlanc, was the only Tommie to eclipse double digits in scoring with 13 points. The CCAA player of the year, Charlee Connors, was held to only 7 points, but pulled down 11 rebounds, the most by any player.

With TKU's loss to Dawson later in the day, the Mariners are the highest ranked team remaining. They face the second-highest ranked team, the Geants de Saint-Jean, in the semifinals on Thursday. The winner of that game will face either the OCAA champion Fanshawe Falcons or the host Dawson Blues. St. Thomas moves to the bronze bracket, where they will face the NAIT Ooks in the bronze quarterfinals.

Men's Quarterfinals Recap: Kod(i)ak Moment

(This post can also be found on the CCAA website)

The VIU Mariners, two weeks removed from a buzzer-beater to win the PACWEST title, get their first crack at hosting nationals.

VIU 75, Lethbridge 63

Fans celebrated by coming out in droves, brandishing masks of their favorite players. Even before the opening tip, the VIU gymnasium was loud enough to register on the Richter scale.

Lethbridge quickly showed that they weren’t a team to be taken lightly, as Marley Kenion scored the game’s first points on a floater. Two quick baskets from Keyonte Beals gave the Mariners a three-point lead, and an Ekman Sohal bank shot got it as high as five, but the Kodiaks took the lead right back on a pair of threes from Rhett Lewis and Nathaniel Hosannah.

The teams continued to trade blows amidst a cavalcade of turnovers and fouls, only remaining tied thanks to a Levi Van Egdom corner three in the waning seconds of the first period.

The battle continued deep into the second quarter, but after another basket from Marley Kenion, the Mariners wouldn’t see the lead for the rest of the half. Randall Mongard and Levi Balderson scored 10 points each in the half, and a late layup from Nathaniel Hosannah put the Kodiaks up by four going into halftime.

Lethbridge continued to flex their muscle in the third quarter, but after a jump shot from Winston Cole, the Kodiaks would never lead again. VIU ended the quarter on a 22-13 run.

The fourth quarter saw the Mariners continue to assert themselves as a team to be feared. The Kodiaks got the lead down to five with a putback from Jackson Wright, but a Winston Cole and-one layup sent the VIU Gymnasium into hysteria. Even though he missed the free throw, Markus Modrovic compensated by getting fouled twice within the minute, converting three of a possible four free throws. From there, the Mariner lead continued to grow. Despite the best efforts of Ryan Heggie’s team, the Mariners cruised to a 75-63 victory.

Keyonte Beals led all scorers with 24 points and was named VIU’s player of the game. He also added seven steals and five assists.

Nathaniel Hosannah received the honor for the Kodiaks, posting an 11-11 double-double. Levi Balderson led the team with 16 points, while Randall Mogard and Marley Kenion combined for 25 points.

The Mariners advance to the national semifinals, where they will face either the Humber Hawks or the St. Thomas Tommies. The Kodiaks will look for redemption in the bronze bracket tomorrow afternoon.

Men's Gold Match Recap: The Shot Heard Round The World

Remember when we thought VIU vs. Langara was the game of the year? Those were good times.

VIU 78, Camosun 75

This is the kind of game that people talk about decades later.

The first quarter went as expected: It was a low-scoring affair between two strong defenses.

A 14-7 lead was VIU's to cherish after the first, but Camosun did what they've done so many times this season and rallied back to take a one-point lead at the half.

VIU took the lead back going into the fourth, but it wouldn't last long. A Cormick Brown three galvanized the crowd at PISE, tying the game at 54. Though the Chargers took the lead many times, they could never lead by more than one.

Winston Cole hit a jumper to increase VIU's lead to five with 77 seconds to go, but Thomas Beames retaliated to get it back within three. All Winston had to do was convert a layup, and VIU would surely win the title.

He missed.

Rebound, Tyler Synesael.

Camosun wastes no time on their ensuing possession. PACWEST MVP David Finch converts an and-one layup to tie the game with 38 seconds left.

If the Chargers win tonight, he's a legend in Victoria.

VIU had possession coming out of their last timeout, but Keyonte Beals missed a crucial layup.

Here we go again.

David Finch again.

Missed layup with 14 seconds left.

Destiny no longer in Camosun's hands.

Winston Cole holds onto the ball for what feels like an eternity. With two seconds left, he dishes the ball to a wide-open Kai Leighton.

Catch.

Shoot.

Swish.

The VIU Mariners are PACWEST champions on a last-second shot and rip out the hearts of the Camosun faithful.

Kai Leighton etches his name into VIU lore with a shot that felt like Roger Daltrey's primal yell at the end of "Won't Get Fooled Again." He finished the game with 21 points and was named Player of the Game and Tournament MVP. Keyonte Beals scored 20 points in the victory and Winston Cole added 13 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter alone. Both of them were named Tournament All-Stars. Ryan Bastian also added eight points, 12 rebounds, and four assists.

David Finch and Tyler Synesael each recorded a double-double in the loss: Finch had 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Synesael had 14 and 10. Finch and Thomas Beames were both named to the All-Star team.

Both teams will represent the PACWEST in two weeks at the CCAA national championship in Nanaimo. VIU enters as the conference champion, while Camosun takes the conference's wild card spot.

Women's Gold Match Recap: Determination

Who said anything about rebuilding?

VIU 61, Douglas 43

VIU led 41-6 after the second quarter, but let their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter. The Royals mounted a furious comeback in the fourth, but the lead was too large to overcome. The Mariners win their second straight PACWEST championship, and their sixth in the past seven seasons.

VIU's offense, as has been the case all season long, came by committee. Sarah Cook and Sammy Shields had 11 and 10 points respectively, while Trista Thorn grabbed six rebounds.

Denise Mendoza led all scorers with 13 points. Mackenzie Dalphond added eight points for Douglas while pulling down 10 rebounds.

Both teams will represent the PACWEST at this year's CCAA national championship. VIU will enter as the conference champion, while Douglas settles for a wild card berth.