The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees went head-to-head with the Concordia University Stingers in a high-stakes quarterfinal matchup at the 2025 U Sports Final 8 men’s basketball tournament at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, with the first-seeded Gee-Gees taking down the eighth-seeded Stingers 79–69.
The Gee-Gees kicked off the first quarter winning the tip-off. Both teams got off to a rough start, failing to convert on field goals for the first few minutes of the first quarter.
Ottawa started to find their rhythm thanks to their defensive prowess both on the perimeter and inside the paint. They also flexed their defensive abilities throughout the first quarter, forcing seven turnovers in just seven minutes of play.
Even with the Gee-Gees seemingly dominating on both ends of the court, it was a low-scoring quarter, with the Gee-Gees leading 15–8 after 10 minutes.
The Stingers started off the second quarter with some good defence of their own, suffocating the Gee-Gees’ three-ball and forcing them to operate inside the paint. The Gee-Gees capitalized on this though, driving hard to the rim and drawing fouls, allowing them to extend their lead to 11 just 2 minutes into the second quarter.
The Stingers continued to try to close the gap, but the Gee-Gees rallied offensively, slicing the Stingers’ defence wide open in the paint and raining in shots from beyond the arc. At the half, the Gee-Gees led 38–22.
The start of the third quarter saw the Gee-Gees running a full-court press, but Concordia's Alec Phaneuf found a way around it, draining two quick buckets to give the Stinger’s some momentum.
Concordia really started to apply the pressure, with Phaneuf and Jaheem Joseph draining back-to-back buckets to start a 16–4 run midway through the third.
Phenauf kept his foot on the gas, single-handedly clawing the Stingers back into the game with a nuclear 15-point third quarter. Junior Mercy cashed in two crucial three-pointers to give the Stingers a slim 51–50 lead heading into the fourth.
The fourth quarter started with a show of defensive prowess from both teams. However, the Gee-Gees seemed to find their rhythm again on offence and regained the lead, thanks to some clutch defensive plays and a three-pointer from Brock Newton.
But the Stingers were not going down without a fight. Pheneuf and Mercy made some key baskets to get the Stingers back in their rhythm.
The rest of the quarter was back-and-forth, but the Gee-Gees managed to pull off a 79–69 victory, thanks to a clutch fourth quarter from Newton, who got 9 points and 2 steals in 10 minutes.
“I was wanting to do anything I could to win that game. It could be any guy's moment on any given night, so I’m just happy that I could do what I could for the team and help us win,” said Newton following his performance.
The Gee-Gees will now advance to a semifinal matchup against the University of Victoria Vikes tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. The Stingers will appear in a consolation matchup tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. in War Memorial Gym.
This article is part of our 2025 Final 8 coverage. Follow us at @UbysseySports on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, as well as @theubyssey on TikTok, to follow our U Sports basketball coverage starting March 12.
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