The Cinderella story continues for the Brock Badgers men's basketball team as they beat the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) No. 3 seed Western Mustangs 75-72 in the OUA semifinal on Wednesday, Feb. 28 in London.

With this win, the Badgers advance to the Wilson Cup and also book their spot at the U SPORTS Final 8 which takes place from Friday, Mar. 8 to Sunday, Mar. 10 in Quebec City.

"I'm just proud that they're finally believing and understanding what I've seen all year, and what they have agreed all year that we could be." said head coach Willy Manigat. "They put their egos aside and were unselfish and played team basketball. We win as a team, and they had each other's back."

Senior forward Jordan Tchuente was massive for the Badgers in this one. The Kanata, Ont. native totalled 26 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal for his second straight double-double in the playoffs. Jevon Brown also had a great all-around game posting 14 points, four steals, three assists and two rebounds. 

"Jordan played his tail off tonight, and this is what you want your seniors to develop into in these moments," said Manigat. "He was ready for the moment and we've been hard on him, but he showed up today and did what he was supposed to do. That is how you carry a team."

The Badgers looked strong on offence early. Kevaughn Ellis got things started with a three-pointer and Tchuente hit two threes of his own in quick succession. Brown had a huge breakaway dunk right after Tchuente's second three which put the Badgers up by seven just over three minutes into the game. The Badgers maintained a multiple possession lead for the rest of the quarter being led by Brown who was making plays at both ends of the court through steals and scoring. Brock led 24-19 at the end of the first quarter.

Western came out strong in the second, quickly getting to within a point of Brock but Brown and Georges Mfwamba Ngandu scored six straight points for the Badgers to re-establish their lead. Brock did an outstanding job forcing turnovers in the second, coming away with four steals to help them maintain a multiple possession lead for the rest of the quarter. Tchuente, Isaiah Bujdoso, and Davanté Hackett all scored within the final two minutes to extend Brock's lead right before the half. Tchuente was leading all scorers with 15 at the break, and the Badgers led 41-32.

Brown kept his hot shooting from the first half going into the third as he hit one from beyond the arc to open the quarter. The Badgers didn't stop there as they extended their lead to 16 less than four minutes into the frame. The Brock run was capped of by Bujdoso making a fantastic steal at halfcourt and setting up Ngandu for the layup, forcing a Western timeout. The Mustangs came out of the timeout determined to get back into the game, and they got the Badgers' lead down to eight with just over three minutes left to go in the quarter. Brock did their best to weather the storm the final few minutes and were leading 57-52 heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was very back and forth, with the teams staying within a possession of each other for much of the frame. Ellis scored twice and Tchuente was doing a great job of getting to the free throw line to help keep the Badgers in front. With three minutes left to go in the game, Bujdoso hit a huge three to put the Badgers up by four, but Western answered with a three of their own to bring their deficit back to one. Tchuente then took over for the Badgers in the final two minutes, scoring Brock's final five points including the game-winning three-pointer in the final minute.

"Anyone who has been watching us all year would've thought we would fold and throw it away and lose by 20, which is what happened on our home floor against them earlier in the season," Manigat added. "This time we just stayed together and we fought. When you fight, you're going to give yourself a chance to win." 

Next up, the Badgers (11-11) will travel to Kingston for a matchup against the OUA No. 1 seed Queen's Gaels (19-3) in the OUA Final (Wilson Cup) on Saturday, Mar. 2 with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m. You can catch the game live on OUA.tv.