(HALIFAX, NS) The UNB REDS fell to the Cape Breton University Capers 95-89 in overtime of their Atlantic University Sports Men's Basketball quarter-final.
In a thrilling back and forth match, the young REDS squad came up just short thanks to the heroics of veteran Capers guard Osman Omar (Mississauga, ON) who hit the go-ahead jumper in the dying moments of the game to give CBU the definitive lead.
"I told our guys I was proud of their effort today," said UNB head coach Joe Salerno. "It was a good basketball game. It was unfortunate to cough up a lead like we did, I thought turnovers killed us in the second half, but we have a lot of young guys who stepped up today and played in their first big post-season game, so I was proud of their effort."
One of those young players was first-year guard Marcus Barnes (Kitchener, ON) who lit up the Scotiabank Centre with a game high 31 points on Friday afternoon.
"All of us as a team played extremely hard today," said Barnes. "There were a lot of ups and downs throughout the year, especially with a young team coming in this year. From day one we worked really hard, and we put it all out their tonight. We played great but it was a tough loss, we just ran out of gas in the end. At the end of the day though, I'm proud of all my guys."
The REDS started hot from behind the arc, shooting a blazing 55-percent in the opening half to help them jump out to a 50-38 lead.
The REDS also got a lot from their bench. UNB subs outscored the Capers 20-8 in the first half.
Turnovers plagued UNB to start the second half.
UNB turned the ball over seven times in the third quarter, which allowed the Capers to crawl back to tie the game 62-62 after three.
In the fourth, the REDS hot shooting would come alive again thanks to Barnes' outstanding play in his first AUS playoff game.
UNB finished the game 17 of 38 from distance.
The REDS held a narrow 81-79 lead with just seconds left on the clock. That's when Chris Ruta (Calgary, AB) was able to put home the game-tying layup to send it to overtime.
In the extra frame, Omar took over, scoring seven of his team-high 21 points to help send the Capers on to the semi-finals.
The loss marks the end of the season for the young UNB squad, who, despite the loss, will have a lot to build on next year.
"This really came full circle for us today," said Salerno. "We committed this year to playing these young guys and give them time to get some experience this year. We had a lot of freshmen out on the floor the majority of that game, and I think that's going to pay off in the long term."
Along with Barnes, first-years Vegas Evans (Brampton, ON) and Eden Otshudi (Hamilton, ON) led the way for the REDS. Evans had 24 points 16 rebounds and four assists, while Otshudi had 13 points and three assists in the loss.
RECAP BY: Evan Richtsfeld/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Nick Pearce/for Atlantic University Sport