Thursday vs. Mount Royal U
BU 18 23 30 18 - 89
MRU 12 17 19 21 - 69
As I watched our guys warm-up in pre-game I lamented the
fact that I had tried to make this trip more budget friendly by traveling on
the same day we played. We had a direct flight and we are used to traveling on
days we play. I figured we would be
fine. However, I was seeing a sluggish team that did not have the usual hop in
their step.
My worries were quelled fairly quickly. We competed from the
start, but were a bit sloppy defensively. We did clean things up and dominated the
glass. We have not received stats yet, but I would guess we had to be +10 in the
rebounding department for the game.
We pushed the lead up to about 30 points with around 4
minutes left in the game, but gave some of that back to finish the game with a
20 point win. I would estimate that we had at least 4 guys in double figures
with Jona, Nick, Abdul & Dave leading the way. Freshmen point guard Alex
Boisse was very good in this game as well and may have reached double digits.
Friday @ Lethbridge - Game 1
BU 20 9
18 22 - 69
UL 15 20
21 15 - 71
Lethbridge is a notoriously difficult place to win and we
did experience this first hand! After a
good first 8 minutes or so we got into a bit of a funk which lasted through the
2nd quarter. We struggled with some foul trouble and did not do a
great job adjusting to how the game was being officiated. It was much less
physical than what we are used to in our league. Frustrating at the time, but
it allowed for teachable moments.
Despite not playing our best basketball we managed to
hang around and stay within striking
distance. That would not have happened last year, but this team is light years
ahead of where were last year at this time. Same guys…but, as the they say, the
best thing about Freshmen is they turn into Sophomores!
Lethbridge opened up an
11 point lead in the 3rd quarter and led by as much as 7 with about
3 or 4 minutes to go. We managed to put together a bunch of good possessions on both sides of the ball in the final minutes and tied the game up at
69 with under a minute to go on a 3 by 2nd
year wing Owen Martel. We got a defensive stop the next possession and followed
that with an offensive possession where we had a decent look that did not hit
it’s mark. That left Lethbridge with the last possession with 16 seconds to go.
Our guys defended flawlessly, but unfortunately for us the Basketball Gods were
shining on Lethbridge as they hit a tough contested off balance shot from the
top of the key as the buzzer sounded! I am not sure we deserved to win this
game as we did struggle through a long stretch in the middle. Regardless, I was
pleased with the poise we played with down the stretch.
If Dave Belanger has not been our best player this year, he
certainly has been our most consistent. Dave spearheaded our 2nd
half comeback and anchored our defense grabbing 14 rebounds while scoring a
hard earned 18 points in the paint. He did hurt his knee late in the game and
was not able to play Saturday and is doubtful for next week at Ottawa U. Owen
and Abdul added 12 & 11 respectively while Jona had 9 points & 7
assists.
Saturday @ Lethbridge - Game 2
BU 17 25
12 17
- 71
UL 6 18
27 26 - 77
The loss from the night before did not sit well with our
guys and they showed up focused on both ends of the court in the first half. We
communicated very well on defense and everybody did their jobs. Offensively we
moved the ball and we had some great looks. We were up 18 at the break despite
shooting the ball poorly. Had we knocked down some shots I feel we would have
put the game out of reach by half time.
However, we did not make those shots and the game is 40
minutes long! Lethbridge came out aggressively in the 2nd half and quickly
narrowed the gap cutting the lead to 3
at the end of the 3rd quarter. We managed to hang tough in the 4th
and pushed our lead back up to 11 with just under 5 minutes to go before the wheels just fell off. We
stopped talking defensively, missed assignments in transition and could not
score at the other end. That is where we really missed not having Dave or Big
Jonah in the line-up. Having a big you can go to for a paint score is not only
a luxury, but a necessity when you are playing on tired legs.
We simply ran out
of gas in the 2nd half of this game. Our greatest asset is our depth
and we just did not have that due to injuries. Regardless, it was great
experience to face the adversity of a short bench, travel and playing on the
road in a gym where it is tough to get a win. It does not take the sting out of
losing, but I feel pretty confident that this group will be a tough out as the
season progresses.
Jona led us with 18 points despite struggling from the 3
point line. Abdul had a quiet 12 points while Owen continues his positive
ascent scoring 10. Nick & Duncan Lambert eached grabbed 9 rebounds.
Special thanks to Lethbridge’s native son, Dave Wells, or
Wellsie as he is affectionately known nation wide in the basketball community
for taking the time to show me around Lethbridge Saturday afternoon.
Next up for us is the U of Ottawa – Jack Donahue Tournament
which starts Friday. We open up against the host Gee Gees Friday night at 8 pm.
It is our first meeting since facing them in that heartbreaking overtime loss
at the CIS Final 8 two years ago. We are both very different teams now and this
will be a very tough game for us. Aside from Carleton, Ottawa has been the top
program in the CIS over the past 5 years. Saturday @ 6pm we face and young, but
talented Waterloo team and finish Sunday @ Noon vs. a very good U of Toronto team that
already has some quality wins including a marquee win vs. UNLV in the Bahamas
in August.
For our BU Alumni and Friends of Gaiter Basketball, there will be reception at the Royal Oak Pub next to the U of Ottawa on Friday evening before our 8 pm game. Hopefully a few of you can make it out!
I will keep you posted,
Rod
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