Quebec City, QC – It wasn’t the one they wanted, but the Ottawa Gee-Gees are leaving Quebec City with a medal.
A 91-83 win over the Dalhousie Tigers means that the Gee-Gees will leave the U SPORTS Men’s Final 8 as bronze medalists for the second consecutive season.
For a program that had championship visions at both levels this season, after crashing out of the OUA playoffs in the quarterfinal, they came to Quebec City with an eye on their first-ever national title. An 84-77 loss to the Queen’s Gaels in the semifinal dashed those hopes but left the Gee-Gees a chance to play for a medal for the second consecutive season and try to finish their season on a high.
“There’s always lots of feeling both ways about the bronze; I’m always a supporter of winning your last game of the season,” Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin said.
“We talk a lot about character with the program, and obviously, they’re devastated from last night, but as young men, they have to learn things are gonna happen in their lives, and they gotta be able to move forward,”
As the bronze medal game tipped off, the snowstorm that battered Quebec City in the morning was still a factor, making it a loud but smaller crowd than expected.
For the first ten minutes, though, it was Malcolm Christie vs the Gee-Gees.
The junior put up 15 of his team’s 22 points in the quarter as the Tigers and the Gee-Gees split the opening quarter 22 a piece.
“He [Christie] does something different than probably anyone else in the league in terms of his shot-making and coming off staggers and rising and shooting over the top of the defence,” Derouin said.
“We talked about it pregame; there isn’t anybody like him; there used to be a few more guys like him in the league, but right now, you just don’t see that kind of size, athleticism and shooting.”
The 2024 AUS MVP finished with a game-high 31 points, including five triples.
The Tigers and Gee-Gees went shot for shot in the second quarter, as the lead flipped ten times between the teams. However, a late three from Lyd Husbands-Browne gave Dalhousie enough stretch to enter halftime up 44-41.
In the second half, some of the same problems that plagued the Tigers a night ago appeared again. Dalhousie struggled to hit from deep, going 2/7, while Ottawa converted four of their eight longball attempts in the quarter. A Cole Newton three with 26 seconds to go stretched the Ottawa lead up to seven at 66-59
With 10 minutes between them and a medal, the Ottawa Gee-Gees found their closer in the fourth quarter in a mildly surprising source.
Sophomore big Justin Ndjock-Tadjore, already on 13 points for the game, dropped 13 points in the quarter, including a massive putback dunk with six minutes to play that put Ottawa up 74-65.
“Second half he [Ndjock-Tadjore] was dominant,” Derouin said. “We were able to exploit some mismatches when they put their big on him, he’s able to get to the rim, he’s able to get to the free throw line, knock down a three, and he’s our finisher at the end of the fast break as well.”
Ndjock-Tadjore finished just shy of a double-double with 26 points and nine boards.
“The sky is the limit for that kid,” Derouin said. “He’s oozing with potential; everyone can see it.”
The solid second half from Ndjock-Tadjore and a Tigers team losing its composure as the clock wound down meant the Gee-Gees cruised most of the way down the stretch, up by more than 10 points for most of the final five minutes.
Things got tense at the end of the game as Jayden Parker, racing up the court with under 30 seconds to play, absolutely steamrolled through Dragan Stajic, who crumpled to the court.
Stajic had to be helped off the court, and Derouin’s subsequent tirade to the officials resulted in a double tech and being tossed from the game. Stajic, for his part, seemed to be okay post-game as he left the locker room to join his teammates for a group photo as the Gee-Gees locked up their medals. (Although they’d need to wait until the conclusion of the Laval vs Queen’s game to collect them.)
The bronze medal is not a perfect ending to the season the Ottawa Gee-Gees envisioned, but they didn’t have a perfect season. Still, despite the way they went out in the OUA, they will now finish as medalists in 2024, something only two other teams will be able to say.
“It’s championship or bust, and certainly, we had that attitude all season,” Derouin said.
“But you know what? It’s another medal for this program, a top-three finish, and with the group we have and the finish we had, it’s special.”