Capers, Cougars score opening day wins at CBU’s Debbie Ruiz Memorial

By Corey LeBlanc                             

Sydney, NS – It was the MacKenzee Ryan (Glace Bay, NS) show on the opening night of the Debbie Ruiz Memorial basketball tournament on Thursday at Sullivan Field House on the CBU campus. 

The fifth-year senior guard put on a spectacular performance from beyond the arc – hitting seven out of 11 three-point attempts – in leading the host Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers to an 81-74 victory over the UPEI Panthers in the four-team round-robin event.

"I was feeling it," Ryan said, noting that she probably didn't have a shooting effort at that level since her days in high school.

Ryan finished the pre-season victory with a game-high 32 points.

"I am so happy and proud with how we played – it was an incredible team effort," she said while noting the Capers were shorthanded with Kiyara Letlow (Toronto, ON) – who averaged a double-double last season – out of the line-up.

In her absence, Ryan praised the other CBU interior players for "stepping up."

"They were great," she said.

In a high-scoring first quarter, Chermensa van la Parra (Rotterdam, Netherlands) of CBU came out on fire, slicing through the UPEI defense and getting to the basket for lay-ups. After Hannah Smith (Bedford, NS) drained her second three-pointer of the early minutes, the home side led 11-9.

With an acrobatic lay-up from veteran Lauren Rainford (Toronto, ON), the Panthers knotted the score.

In the back half of the opening stanza, Ryan started to take over – both from beyond the arc and from the free-throw line. After she meshed a pair from the charity stripe, CBU led 23-17.

By the end of the first quarter, the Capers held a 26-21 edge.

Early in the second quarter, after Rainford smoothly drove coast to coast for a finger roll, the visitors trailed 34-31.

Moments later, after a three-pointer from UPEI's Sydney Lawlor (Millcove, PE), the sides were deadlocked at 38-38.

Keyed by another electrifying lay-in by Rainford, the Panthers rattled off a 7-0 spurt to take their largest lead of the first half.

Ryan ended the UPEI run with a late shot from beyond the arc.

Heading to the locker room, the Panthers led 45-41.

Unlike the first quarter, the teams started slowly offensively in the third stanza, with UPEI taking a 51-48 advantage before Ryan exploded for four consecutive three-point shots that brought the home crowd to its feet. Amidst the flurry by the Caper all-star, the Panthers replied with a couple of stellar Rainford lay-ups. 

When the dust settled, they were tied 63-63 heading to the fourth quarter.

In the final 10 minutes, Ryan picked up where she left off – nailing another shot from downtown to open the scoring. 

A couple of minutes later, she showed her play-making ability, dishing a pass to Erin Vreim Holm (Oslo, Norway) for a baseline jumper to give the Capers a 70-63 edge.

It was three-and-a-half minutes into the fourth quarter before the Panthers scored on a Grace Lancaster (Fall River, NS) contested lay-up to make it 70-65.

After a spinning drive to the hoop by Hailey MacLeod (Marion Bridge, NS), three-pointer from van la Parra, and Claudia Pellerin's (Sudbury, ON) basket, CBU's lead ballooned to 77-67 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation time.

The Panthers replied in the final minutes, cutting the deficit to 79-74 on an Alicia Bowering (Orangeville, NS) three-pointer, but the visitors could get no closer. 

Along with her game-high in points, Ryan chipped in seven assists, five rebounds, and one steal.

van la Parra finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal, while MacLeod fashioned a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Rainford led the Panthers with 23 points while adding nine rebounds, four assists, three steals and one blocked shot. 

Off the bench, Sydney Cummings (Wolfville, NS) contributed 10 points, while Karla Yepez (Quito, Ecuador) collected 12 rebounds for UPEI.

Cougars win OT thriller

In the tournament opener, the Mount Royal University Cougars of Calgary earned a hard-fought 72-66 overtime victory over the University of Windsor Lancers.

In the five-minute extra session, the Cougars held a 10-4 scoring advantage, including the final seven points of the game, to seal the deal.

Maddison Hooper (Perth, Australia) – the Subway player of the game – drained a key three-pointer for the Cougars, as part of 19-point performance. 

It was a low-scoring opening five minutes of the first quarter, with the Lancers holding a 7-6 edge; fouls and turnovers more plentiful than baskets for both sides.

Sparked by a pair of three-point plays – one shot from beyond the arc and an old-fashioned hoop-and-harm – by Harriet Carey (Townsville, AUS), the Lancers made a 10-0 spurt to take a 17-8 advantage.

With two minutes remaining in the opening stanza, Carey – with another shot from downtown – gave Windsor a double-digit edge at 20-10.

Jordan Blaskin (Calgary, AB), with five consecutive points – including a deep three-pointer – sliced the Windsor lead in half.

The Lancers led 21-15 after the first quarter.

The Cougars – keyed by offensive rebounding and a floating baseline jumper from Kiara Ker (Cranbrook, BC) – scored the first eight points of the second quarter to take a 23-21 advantage.

Windsor did not score in the second quarter until Carey tied the contest – at 23 – with just more than two minutes remaining until halftime.

On a transition three-pointer from Julia Chiarot (Hamilton, ON), the Lancers led 26-23.

Isabella Anes (Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela) doubled the advantage with a shot from downtown.

In the final seconds before intermission, Hooper came up with a steal and drove in for an uncontested lay-up at the buzzer.

The Lancers led 29-25 at halftime.

In the third quarter, both sides came out with a sharper shooting eye – with Windsor holding an 8-7 scoring edge in the opening two minutes. 

After Vanessa Budimunda (Montreal, QC) made her second drive to the hoop for a basket, the Lancers led 39-32.

The Cougars answered with a 8-0 burst – keyed by Brittany Janzen (Cochrane, AB) getting the rebound off her missed shot and making the put back – to take a 40-39 lead.

The teams traded points down the stretch and were tied 46-46 after three quarters.

After the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, the sides were deadlocked at 52-52.

A feverish final 23 seconds of regulation started with a Jordan Baskin (Calgary, AB) three-pointer that knotted the contest at 59-59.

Carey answered to give the Lancers a 62-59 edge before Baskin sank another basket from downtown with 0.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to tie it and force overtime.

Along with her game-high 19 points, Hooper collected four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one blocked shot for the Cougars.

Tanis Metcalfe (North Vancouver, BC) also hit double figures – with 15 points – while adding five rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocked shots. 

Baskin finished with 11 points, three rebounds, and one steal.

For the Lancers, Carey scored a team-high 18 points, while chipping in five rebounds, two steals, and an assist.

Budimunda – who finished with eight points – also contributed three assists and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Honouring a champion

The Debbie Ruiz Memorial honours the late CBU alumnae who played for the Caper women's basketball program from 2004-2007, before serving as an assistant coach in 2008. The two-time Atlantic University Sport (AUS) all-star was a driving force for the Capers when they won the conference title in 2006, along with the program's first U SPORTS (then CIS) medal (silver). 

Ruiz, a native of Montreal, graduated from CBU in 2008 with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree. Before her tragic passing from cancer in 2016, she had established a stellar reputation as an inspirational leader and community champion – specifically helping girls get involved in sports.

Proceeds from the annual three-day tournament go to the Debbie Ruiz Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Back in action 

The second day of the Debbie Ruiz Memorial will feature a Friday doubleheader at Sullivan Field House.

The Panthers and Cougars will tip off at 5 p.m. ADT, with the nightcap – at 7 p.m. ADT – featuring the host Capers and Lancers.

The final day of the tournament – on Saturday, Oct. 15 – will start with the Lancers and Panthers (1 p.m. ADT), followed by the Cougars and Capers (3 p.m. ADT).

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