NCAA Transfer Keltos Leads Badgers Into U SPORTS Championships
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4 March 2020 Brock Sports *NOTE - Attached to this release is a photo that is free for media use. Caption: Samantha Keltos and the Brock women’s basketball team practice at TD Place during the 2020 U SPORTS Women’s Final 8 Basketball Championships in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 3. NCAA transfer Keltos leads Badgers into U SPORTS Championships The No. 2 Brock Badgers women’s basketball team received another bit of good news on the eve of competing in the 2020 U SPORTS Women’s Final 8 Basketball Championships in Ottawa. Samantha Keltos was named the U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Week on Wednesday, March 4, a day after being named OUA Athlete of the Week. Neither was a particular surprise after the third-year centre posted a game-changing 42 points to lift the Badgers over the Ryerson Rams in the Critelli Cup Final in Toronto on Saturday night. It was a night to remember for Keltos and the Badgers as the St. Catharines native put forth one of the all-time great championship performances to lead her team to victory. She added 12 rebounds for her seventh career double-double, including three steals and a pair of assists. The OUA Second Team All-Star was nearly perfect from three-point range by hitting eight-of-nine from beyond the arc. Last week, Keltos poured in 17 points and added seven boards to help Brock edge Western 69-65 in the OUA semi-finals. “This honestly has been the best experience ever,” said Keltos. “The recognition I’ve received has been amazing and I’m so honored to be representing Brock, a school I’ve lived down the street from growing up all my life. Bringing back a banner with this group of girls for the school has been crazy.” It's has been quite the season for Keltos, who joined the Badgers last summer after transferring from an NCAA Division 1 school. After graduating from Sir Winston Churchill secondary school in St. Catharines, where she helped lead the senior girls team coached by her father to a Southern Ontario championship and the program’s first berth at the provincial championships, Keltos was offered a full-ride basketball scholarship to St. Francis College in 2015. She was named to the Northeast Conference Winter Academic Honour Roll for two consecutive seasons there. But last summer Keltos decided to join the Brock Badgers, where her mother Sharon is an alumna and played for the team under former coach Chris Critelli. “I’ve gone to camps at Brock since I can remember and now being the one coaching at camps has really being a great experience,” said Keltos. The 6-foot-3 centre made an immediate impact with the team and led the Badgers with eight rebounds per game this season. She was also the highest scoring player at her position as she finished 10th in OUA scoring with 15.4 ppg. Now, Keltos and her teammates have their sights set on a national championship. “On and off the court, we are a family,” she said. “Everyone hangs out and this coaching staff is made up of the most hard working people I know.” The U SPORTS tournament is hosted jointly with the men’s championship for the first time in history thanks to the Carleton Ravens, Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group. The following are team-by-team capsules for the women’s tournament: No. 1 Saskatchewan Huskies (18-2) The Huskies tied a program record for the fewest losses in a single season. Rallied from a six-point deficit to beat UBC in the semi-finals; Defeated Alberta for Canada West title. No. 2 Brock Badgers (17-5) The Badgers upset the Ryerson Rams in the Critelli Cup Final to capture their first OUA title since 1983. The Badgers are paced by dangerous point guard Melissa Tatti (18.5 ppg) and towering centre Samantha Keltos (eight rebounds per game). No. 3 Ryerson Rams (18-4) The Rams finished first in the OUA Central just one win ahead of Brock, but finished as OUA finalists with an 84-71 loss to Brock. Ryerson hosted the tournament last year. No. 4 Laval Rouge et Or (12-4) Laval won their second-consecutive RSEQ title this year. Defensive stalwart Khaleann Caron-Goudreau leads the team with 11.2 ppg. She played three seasons for the Texas Longhorns before joining Laval last season. No. 5 Alberta Pandas (16-4) Alberta upset the Calgary Dinos in the Canada West semi-final. They lost one of their top players to injury during exhibition. Vanessa Wild leads team with 18 ppg. No. 6 UPEI Panthers (17-3) The Atlantic champs roster features a dynamic duo in Jenna Mae Elssworth (20.5 ppg) and Reese Baxendale (19 ppg) who powered them to their first title in 22 years with a win over Acadia. No. 7 Calgary Dinos (18-2) Calgary lost only two games this season — to No. 1 Saskatchewan and No. 5 Alberta — and beat the UNBC Timberwolves in the Canada West quarter-finals before falling to the Alberta Pandas in the semis, but their strong campaign earned the team at-large berth. No. 8 Carleton Ravens (15-7) The host Ravens lost only two games during the first half. Carleton finished the season seeded No. 7 heading into the playoffs, however a loss to the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA quarter-finals was their undoing. SCHEDULE Thursday, March 5 No. 3 Ryerson vs. No. 6 UPEI, 1 p.m. No. 2 Brock vs. No. 7 Calgary, 3 p.m. No. 4 Laval vs No. 5 Alberta, 6 p.m. No. 1 Saskatchewan vs. No. 8 Carleton, 8 p.m. (All games at TD Place) Friday, March 6 Consolation Semi-Finals 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Ravens’ Nest, Carleton University Saturday, March 7 Semi-Finals 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., TD Place Women’s Consolation Final 3 p.m., Ravens’ Nest, Carleton University Sunday, March 8 Bronze-medal Game 12 p.m., TD Place Championship Final 5 p.m., TD Place For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: * Stephen Leithwood, Communications Officer, Brock Sports/Ancillary Services [email protected], 905-688-5550 ext. 4752 - 30 - .