OTTAWA, Ont. - One second.
That was the difference between a spot in the national final and the end for five Western Mustangs men's basketball players.
The tight-knit group of Mustangs could only watch as senior Carleton Ravens guard Stuart Turnbull (Kingston, Ont.) pulled up with the clock expring, nailing a shot from 12 feet out to end the season for the gritty, patient and talented Mustangs in a thrilling national semifinal.
Western had fought through adversity from foul trouble, to questionable refereeing, to unlucky rolls off the rim.
The Carleton Ravens, ranked No. 1 for almost the entire season, were tested and will compete for the national championships after an 66-65 win over No. 4
Western in front of 7,942 fans at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa on March 14.
Carleton will face the No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds in the CIS Championship on Sunday March 15 at 4 p.m.
“That was the shot that was designed, that was exactly the shot,” said Turnbull. “You just do it, it happens and you just do it, you don’t even think.”
“I love playing Western. We always seem to bring the best out of each other,” Turnbull added. “It was a battle throughout and we managed to grind it out. That’s what we do, find a way to win.”
“That is pure character,” said Carleton head coach Dave Smart. “How many kids would folded after missing those two free throws. That just shows you the kind of character player Stuart is.”
After the game, fifth-year guard Matt Curtis embraced his family with his grey hooded sweatshirt draped over his head. The tears were flowing, the emotion was clear - he was devastated.
After all, he poured his heart out on the court and led a Western team further than many expected them to go, two years in a row.
Head coach Bradley Campbell summed it up best.
"We felt like we had our hearts ripped out," said Campbell. "We felt like we were well prepared and we came in absolutely confident we could win. But we knew we had to play our best and I think we played that way."
With his hands on his knees in the hallway outside the dressing room Campbell wore this game emotionally on his sleeve.
The third-year bench boss commended five players who will graduate after this season.
"Our fifth-year guys were outstanding," Campbell said. "They knew they had a chance to win it if we played out best and it came down to the last shot, on the last possession."
"I'm sure that's no consolation for them."
Curtis (Hamilton, Ont.) hit a pair of foul shots with 4.9 seconds left to give Western the 65-65 lead - he even winked at the Carleton fans who were trying their best to distract him.
But after a timeout, Turnbull (Kingston, Ont.) got the ball deep in his own court and despite being covered tight by Curtis, he got off the game-wining shot.
Andrew Wedemire (Sarnia, Ont.) led Western with 14 points, while Brad Smith (Innisfil, Ont.) had 13 points.
Curtis had 12 points and five rebounds along with six assists.
"Matt and Brad (Smith) have been the pillars of this program," Campbell said. "They are the heart and soul of this team. To finish at the bottom of the leage and then to come to nationals two years in a row, it is a credit to them."
Early on, 12 of Western's first 14 points were from downtown. Curtis, Alex Brzozowicz (Chicago, Illinois), Wedemire and Jason Milliquet (Sarnia, Ont.) all hit from three-point land.
Western led 19-11 after the first quarter.
But Carleton, capitalizing on Western's poor 2/9 foul shooting and with solid defence won the second quarter 15-9 and entered the half time break tied at 28.
Carleton led twice by as much as five, but like the cat that came back, the Mustangs were always there.
With both teams in foul trouble - Garrett Olexiuk (Burlington, Ont.) and Wedemire both fouled out along with Aaron Doornekamp (Odessa, Ont.) of Carleton - the game was intense until the final horn.
Western had timely three-point shooting and fought hard in front of a pro-Carleton crowd.
It was a sad way for the season to end, but the Mustangs deserve credit for their effort - throughout the entire season.
Campbell said he knew his team would have to play a perfect game to win.
"We knew would have had to played one heck of a game to win," Campbell said. "I give full credit to Carleton, they found a way to win in the end."
