Box Score WATERLOO, Ont. - Now that's more like it.
After two frustrating games to start the season in which Laurier's offence was stifled by a strong #5 Brock Badgers team, the Golden Hawks returned to form in a 102-77 win over the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
The first quarter couldn't have been any more different than the first ten minutes of their home opener. The purple and gold did to the Thunderwolves what the Badgers did to them two weeks ago; lock their opponents down on defence while pouring in buckets at the other end.
Ben Stevens (Halifax, N.S.) got the home crowd going right off the opening tip with a put-back dunk, sparking a 13-0 run to start the game.
Laurier's offence was relentless the entire quarter, and plays like the alley-oop from rookie
Ethan Passley (Kitchener, Ont.) to
KJ Massela (Ottawa) kept the fans on their feet for most of the frame.
Trailing 30-9 heading into the second, Lakehead's offence kicked into gear - led by fourth-year wing Micheal Okafor. He had 11 points in the quarter and finished the game with a team-high 26.
Even still, the Thunderwolves barely made a dent in the Golden Hawks' lead, as the first half ended 54-35 in favour of Laurier.
The game was more or less put to rest in the third quarter, during which Ottawa native
Ali Sow's eleven points nearly matched Lakehead's 12.
The game to that point had been a highly physical one, and tensions threatened to boil over when Lakehead's Ryan Brooks came face-to-face with Stevens. Cooler heads prevailed, but the animosity between these two divisional rivals will be something to keep an eye on heading into tomorrow night's rematch.
While the score going into the fourth was not close at 81-47, Laurier still gave the crowd plenty to get excited about, with Passley and Massela connecting for two more highlight reel plays in the final frame.
Massela, who missed not only last year's pandemic-canceled season but also the one before it due to OUA rules regarding transfers, was thrilled to be once again playing in front of a home crowd.
"It's amazing (to be back). It means the world to me," Massela said after the game.
One of the areas where the Golden Hawks saw the most improvement from the games against Brock was rebounding. Laurier out[performed the Thunderwolves on the glass 59-35, led by
Majok Deng (Surrey, B.C.), who recorded career-highs in rebounds (15) and points (8).
Deng's five offensive boards were matched by Stevens, who had fourteen total rebounds.
"When they're getting rebounds … all of the sudden, our energy goes up, our confidence goes up," said head coach
Justin Serresse of the two centres' strong performances.
Coach Serresse explained that "they're a very tough team... tomorrow, they're gonna come out guns slinging, way harder, way tougher, I know that."
And indeed, Laurier looked like a much more confident team tonight, with the offence embodying the fast, free-flowing style Serresse has preached in the past. While Sow once again led the team in points with 26, four other Golden Hawks also reached double-digits.
Overall, the purple and gold showed that despite a rough start to the season, this is a team that will compete with the best in the OUA.
TOP PERFORMERS
Laurier Golden Hawks
F -
Ben Stevens
In addition to his strong rebounding, Stevens came up big on offence, matching his career-high in points with 17 on 8-13 shooting. He was also responsible for a few big dunks.
Lakehead Thunderwolves
G - Micheal Okafor
Lakehead's number one option on offence was also arguably their best defensive player tonight, recording five steals to go along with his 26 points.
UP NEXT:
The Golden Hawks will play the Thunderwolves again at home tomorrow at 8 p.m. in what should be a hard-fought game. Tickets are
