(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.
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