SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. - It's good to be back.
With the OUA's return to action after the holiday break paused due to the spread of the Omicron variant, it had been over two months since the Golden Hawks' last game. And while there were some signs of rust on the offensive side of the ball, Laurier's defense was in prime form tonight, leading them to hard-fought a 71-63 win on the road.
"Overall, I thought the mindset, the communication, and the effort, defensively, was definitely there," said Manger of Men's Basketball Operations & Head Coach
Justin Serresse.
It was a back-and-forth first quarter, with the lead changing hand three times. Both teams seemed to be still finding their legs after such a long time away from the hardwood.
Ali Sow (Ottawa), who was named the U-Sports athlete of the week before the break, was an early stand-out, with seven first-quarter points.
Heading into the second frame up 16-13, the Golden Hawks began to look a little more comfortable on offense, showing off some of the excellent ball movement we've come to expect from them.
On defense, the purple and gold held Algoma to 31% shooting from the field in the first half, and led 35-27 at halftime.
Laurier continued to grow their lead in the third, as the Thunderbirds' shooting struggles persisted. Algoma leaned heavily on fourth-year guard Maxime Bellony, whose game-high 31 points put him 24 points ahead of their second-leading scorer, rookie Robin Kniss.
With the score 54-41 in favour of the Golden Hawks after three quarters, Algoma tightened up defensively. Laurier's buckets were few and far between early in the frame, although
Josh Stephens (Chatham, Ont.) provided a boost about three minutes in.
Stephens set season-highs in nearly every category tonight, including points (13), minutes (24), and rebounds (8). The Thunderbirds, however, were finally able to break through Laurier's tireless defending, bringing the game to within seven points with a minute left to play.
With the Golden Hawks unable to get a rebound,
Romello Taylor came up with a huge block in the clutch, then was able to keep the ball in bounds, leading to a Golden Hawks bucket at the other end.
With the win, Laurier moves to 3-4 on the season, and will have a chance to get back to .500 tomorrow night as they face these same Thunderbirds in the second half of a back-to-back.
Top Performers
Golden Hawks
G –
Romello Taylor Taylor has been an anchor for the Golden Hawks defensively all season, and tonight was one of his most impressive games. He led the team in rebounds (nine, a season-high), and assists (four), while adding 12 points.
Thunderbirds
G – Maxime Bellony Bellony was all over the court offensively for the Thunderbirds, logging 31 points and six assists on 48% shooting.
Up Next
You can catch Saturday's rematch on at 6 p.m. on OUA.tv.
