Naismith Tourney Report

Naismith Tournament at U of Waterloo

Thursday vs. Ottawa

BU       25       21       10       21   -   77

UO       24       22       19       16   -   81

Ottawa, as usual, has another strong team. They proved that beating a very talented UBC team the day after our game. Regardless, we have had a number of exciting games vs. Ottawa over the years and this was no exception. Both teams have very good guard play and generally shoot the ball pretty well.

Sr Guard Kevin Davis

The game was tight throughout with very few big runs by either team. The exception was a 3 minute stint in the 3^rd Q where we got loose with the ball and made some turnovers that Ottawa quickly capitalized on. We managed to hang on though and regained our poise staying within striking distance.

In the 4^th we defended well which gave us a chance to get back into it. Despite Ottawa making a couple of tough 3 point shots at key times we did have the lead down to 4 with less than a minute to go and with us shooting 2 free throws. We unfortunately missed the free throws and from there we just could not get any closer.

Nervens led us with 17 points, 7 rebounds & 4 assists. Kevin continued his excellent play with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists & 3 steals. Abdul who has been struggling with injuries showed flashes of his old self with 11 points & 10 rebounds while 4^th year forward Andrew Howarth had 10 points & 7 rebounds. Drew has been solid all season as his consistent play has really anchored our 5 spot.

Friday vs. Waterloo

BU       17       18       16       18       15(OT)   -   84

UW     26       8         19       16       10(OT)   -   79

As the score would suggest this was an exciting game. After a less than stellar  defensive 1^st quarter we locked in a bit and got back in control with an 18-2 run to start the 2^nd Q. Waterloo hung tough anytime it looked like we could put some distance between us and them. Any time we pushed they pushed back until the very last second of the 4^th Q and the end of OT.

Late in the 4^th we had 1 point lead. We got a defensive stop which we turned into a quick transition    layup at the buzzer to send it to OT. Tough last minute, would have been over if we made our free throws, but you have to give Waterloo credit for making plays when they had to.

Freshmen Zion Vervroegen

layup with 18 seconds to go. We ended going 1-2 from the line twice in the final 18 seconds and Waterloo found ways to stay in it as they made a

With Zion & Abdul fouled out we headed to OT with Waterloo carrying the momentum. Fortunately our guys did not hang their heads and we played  a very good 5 minutes to secure the win.

Joany had a good night after really struggling with his shot vs. Ottawa. He had 23 points & 7 rebounds. Nervens added 16, Abdul had 12 and Zion had 11. Kevin & DJ each had 8 rebounds from the guard spots. Kevin also scored 12 points.

Saturday vs. Laurier

BU       22       20       22       17   -   81

WLU   16       15       20       16   -   67

I was not sure what we had left after the OT game the night before. Fortunately our guys were tough and continued from right where they left off the night before with our defense leading the way.

2nd Yr Guard - Nervens Demosthene

Our guards did a nice job of forcing Laurier to run their offense further out than normal which took a bit of the rhythm out of their game. It was not perfect, but defensively we are getting better each game. Assistant coach Matt McLean has done an excellent job teaching our defense and preparing our guys for each opponent.

After leading by 11 at the half we came out and pushed the lead to 19 in the 3^rd. Laurier pushed back, but never got closer than 12 the rest of the game. Kevin led us with 20 points. Jordan, Zion & Nervens all had 12. Abdul had 9 with 14 rebounds.

All in all it was good weekend for us. We are seeing progress and have shown we can learn from previous games. We are finding some balance on offense and definitely building some confidence on defense. This team is fun to watch play and more importantly for me, fun to coach!

Photos courtesy of Gaiter Alum Blair Shier!

We have had some tough losses, but some good wins so far. Looking forward the next few weeks of practice in order to prep for our league schedule. We have a scrimmage Friday vs. Thetford, 1 exhibition game vs Memorial the following week before heading to New England to face a couple of NCAA D2 powerhouses before league play.