WATERLOO, Ont. - The purple and gold extended their win streak to four games on Friday night, as they took care of the Laurentian Voyageurs at home. Four Golden Hawks reached double digits in scoring, leading Laurier to a 68-56 victory.
Taye Donald set the tone on the game's first possession, leaping up for a defensive rebound and outmuscling a Voyageur and drawing a foul in the process. He'd then drain a step-back three at the other end to open the scoring.
"That's my role this year," said Donald, "being the leader. Even more so this year, losing some of the fifth-years that we had, like [Justin Malnerich] and [Ben Stevens]."
"I lead by example, I've got to be the most vocal person, bring the most energy at all times, and hope that everyone can follow."
And follow they did. Second-year Isaiah Fisher had an eerily similar play late in the frame as he fought through two Voyageurs for a rebound and then ran into a three-pointer as the trailer in transition.
The first quarter ended with the Golden Hawks up 24-13. Laurentian tightened up defensively and Laurier's offence ground to a halt in the second. The Golden Hawks did not score until over halfway through the period, but did well to only allow nine points in that span, retaining their lead.
It was Benhur Gebrekidan who got the offence going, scoring six straight points on some pretty mid-range shots. After Gebrekidan's 21-point performance last Friday, manager of men's basketball operations and head coach Justin Serresse said he hoped to see more consistency from the fourth-year guard.
"His scoring has been good," said Serresse, "he's a guy that can space the floor and do a little bit of everything offensively, which is great... consistency on the glass now is the next step for him." Gebrekidan finished with 11 points on 5-8 shooting from the field.
The lead was 35-26 at halftime. It was Gebrekidan again who halted Laurentian's run to start the third quarter, draining a three-pointer just as the Voyageurs pulled within five points. That's as close as they'd get the rest of the way.
Laurier held their opponents to just 34% shooting from the field in the second half, stopping any chance of a comeback in its tracks.
With the win, the Golden Hawks improve to 4-1 on the season as they remain in second place in the OUA West division. The Voyageurs, meanwhile, fall to 1-4.
BY THE NUMBERS
13
Isaiah Fisher impressed in limited minutes last season and was named the team's rookie of the year. He's played a much bigger role this season, having started all five games.
The Etobicoke, Ont. native's reliability on defence is what's earned him Serresse's trust, but his offensive game is beginning to blossom as well. He finished with a career-high 13 points in this one.
"It feels amazing, all the work's paid off," he said, but stressed that he "can't get complacent. Just got to keep working every day."
23.6
Tied for the OUA lead heading into this game, Taye Donald's 15-point performance drops him to second place on the conference leaderboard as he now averages 23.6 per game. This was still a solid performance from the second-year guard, however.
He was able to make some pretty good reads, just controlling the tempo of the game," said Serresse, "doing all of the stuff that a "veteran" point guard does."
"He's one of the toughest players that I've ever coached, and I think he's one of the toughest players in the country... that's what makes him special. And he finds ways to still impact the game despite not shooting well."
Donald played excellent defence, especially in the second half against a tough matchup in Laurentien's Caillou Lacroix. He also had nine rebounds, four assists, and a block.
25
Ismael Konate's performance for the Voyageurs can't go unmentioned. The first-year forward from Mali lead the game in points (25) and rebounds (11), shooting an efficient 62.5% from the field and adding two steals, as well.
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks are back on the court at 4 p.m. on Saturday to take on the Nipissing Lakers at the Athletic Complex.
