Alex Unruh isn’t ready to call it a career just yet. The fifth-year guard made the winning basket with 2.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter to lead the University of Saskatchewan Huskies to an 82-80 win over the University of Victoria Vikes in their single-elimination Canada West play-in game.
Unruh, the only graduating member of the Huskies, led all scorers with 24 points on the night and hit two clutch go-ahead shots in the final 30 seconds including the game-winner.
“We knew we had some good matchups if we could find them and spread the floor and coach put his trust in me so I was just trying to make a play the only way I know how,” he said.
The two teams finished the season with identical 10-10 records, but the Huskies earned the right to host the game by virtue of their RPI ranking, which takes into account strength of schedule.
The Vikes beat Saskatchewan twice in Victoria earlier in the season.
Huskies head coach Barry Rawlyk was happy to see Unruh come up big in the last home game of his U SPORTS career.
“That is a special moment and something he’ll always remember, I hope. His family have been such terrific people in supporting the team and for them to be able to witness that is just kind of a little bit of icing on the cake,” he said.
The game started slowly, with both teams struggling to find their shooting touch. The score was tied 14-14 after one quarter.
The Huskies took over in the second, going on a 17-0 run and eventually taking a 42-24 lead into halftime.
But the Vikes came out firing in the third quarter, scoring 33 points and trimming the deficit to six points. Victoria continued to push in the fourth, eventually taking a 78-77 lead on a three-pointer by Jordan Charles, who scored all of his 20 points in the second half.
That set the stage for Unruh’s heroics. The Saskatoon native drove through the lane for a go-ahead layup with 17.1 seconds left and after Hayden Lejeune put the Vikes back in front with a jumper six seconds later, the Huskies took their final timeout. There was no doubt Unruh would get the ball again.
“It’s trust. He’s a fifth-year guy and you put the ball in his hands and let him make something happen,” Rawlyk said.
Out of the inbounds, Unruh got the ball at the top of the arc. He drove straight into a crowd of three Vikes defenders but still managed to make his shot and draw a foul. After completing the three-point play the Huskies still faced a nervous finish as the Vikes had a good look at the buzzer but the shot fell harmlessly to the floor and the celebration was on.
“It was a lot of fun. It’s tough to be unhappy with my last game on this court. I’m just happy we got the win,” Unruh said.
Emmanuel Akintunde also had a strong game for the Huskies with 18 points and eight rebounds while second-semester recruit Maxwell Amoafo recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
The Vikes were led by Charles, who had a game-high 14 boards to go with his 20 points, and Mason Loewen, who also scored 20 on the night.
The Huskies now move on to the Canada West quarterfinals where they will face the University of Calgary Dinos in a best-of-three series starting February 16 in Calgary.
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