FANSHAWE 76, GEORGIAN 73

OSHAWA, Ont. - The first semifinal of the belairdirect OCAA Men's Basketball Championship is set, and it's one for the birds.

The Fanshawe Falcons used a strong third quarter to take charge of the game, but then had to withstand a furious fourth quarter rally from the Georgian Grizzlies to hang on for a 76-73 win in the second quarter-final of the belairdirect OCAA Men's Basketball Championship at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre.

Adam Jespersen was dominant for Fanshawe, posting 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Chris Stanhope added 15 points and five rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons advance to Saturday's semifinal at 6 p.m., where they will meet the Humber Hawks. Fanshawe is the only school to defeat Humber this season, a 79-72 decision on Nov. 28 in London, Ont.

Tequilan Zwarych paced Georgian with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Justin Mitchell also scored 19, while Mark Brown added 13 and five rebounds for the Grizzlies, who will face the Lambton Lions at 1 p.m. Saturday in the consolation bracket.

This was a tight contest from the opening tip-off; neither team could get too far ahead without the other coming back right away, as there was no lead greater than five points throughout the first half.

After trading baskets early in the first quarter, Georgian stretched a lead to 17-12. However, the Falcons came back with a 5-0 run to level the score before the Grizzlies edged out a 23-20 advantage through 10 minutes.

The second quarter provided more tight play from both teams, as neither side was willing to give the other an inch on the defensive side of the ball. The Falcons took their first lead at 29-27 with 5:16 left in the first half. The teams traded leads three more times in the quarter, with the Grizzlies making a basket with 1.5 seconds left to take a 36-35 lead into halftime.

The tight play disappeared in the second half, as both teams went on significant runs.

Fanshawe got hot in the third quarter, shooting 81.3 per cent overall and making all four three-point shots they attempted, including a half-court shot from Ernest Tolete to beat the buzzer, giving the Falcons a 68-54 lead with one quarter remaining.

Georgian also went cold from the floor, shooting just 25 per cent in the second half and 32.9 per cent overall. In addition, 11 of Georgian's 18 points in the quarter came on free throws.

The Grizzlies woke up in the fourth quarter, rattling off an 11-0 run to cut Fanshawe's lead to 70-68 with 4:41 to go as the Falcons offence went cold. However, Fanshawe was able to hang on late and secure its place in the OCAA's final four.

Source: Durham College