WATERLOO, Ont. - After narrowly losing a game in which they led for over 38 minutes Friday night against Queen's, it was Laurier's turn to steal a victory Saturday night, as they defeated the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks 79-72 in their last home game of 2022.
It was not the start the Golden Hawks would have wanted to begin the first quarter, as the Ridgebacks held them to just 33% shooting from the field before making two big threes in the final minute to take a 22-16 lead.
Ontario Tech's inside attack continued to cause problems for Laurier in the second quarter, and the Ridgebacks were already in the bonus less than halfway into the frame. At the other end, the Golden Hawks were unable to get past a strong zone defence which limited their ability to drive to the rim.
The purple and gold were able to gain some momentum before halftime as they put together a 10-3 run in the final two minutes. It was capped off by a buzzer-beater from Justin Malnerich.
Laurier then came out strong to start the third. Ben Stevens had six straight points to cut the lead to four en route to his fourth-straight double-double.
"I was happy with the sense of urgency in the third quarter, you could see our bench was more alive," said Manager of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Justin Serresse. "The execution against the zone was much better in the second half than it was in the first."
The leader offensively was Benhur Gebrekidan, who scored eight of his season-high 16 points in the quarter, including the shot to take Laurier's first lead of the second half.
It's the second straight night Gebrekidan has hit double digits in scoring.
"I feel like I'm playing with more confidence," he said after the game.
"Benhur's role is kind of the glue guy, and sometimes the glue guy doesn't always get highlighted, but he's very important in terms of our spacing and team composure," said Serresse on the fourth-year guard.
Still trailing 60-59 heading into the final frame, the purple and gold continued their strong offensive play while locking it down in their own end. They held Ontario Tech to just 21% shooting from the field in fourth.
"It's good for us," said Gebrekidan on the win. "We needed to bounce back [after Friday's loss]. We're trying to finish this semester off strong now."
The win moves the Golden Hawks back to .500 at 4-4, while the Ridgebacks fall to 1-5 on the season.
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Serresse was impressed with his team's passing in second half, and praised Ethan Passley as the facilitator for some nice plays resulting in points; "I think tonight was Ethan's best performance as a pure point guard."
Passley matched Gebrekidan and Dylan Brooks with a team-high four assists. He also had a team-high 17 points on 60% shooting, as well as a career-high seven rebounds.
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Fourth-year guard Levi Ogbonna led his team in both points (22) and assists (four) while adding seven rebounds.
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Laurier will close out 2022 with a Northern road trip next weekend, as they face the Nipissing Lakers on Friday, followed by the Laurentien Voyageurs – coached by Serresse's younger cousin Georges Serresse – on Saturday.
"It's going to be interesting to have my whole family cheering against me," he joked.
"Back-to-back, two cities an hour and a half apart, it's tough for a new group," he continued. "If we can go there and come away with two wins like Toronto did this weekend, that's going to be a big statement for us and a big step forward."
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. for both games. Follow @WLUAthletics for live updates and catch all the action on OUA.tv.
