WINDSOR, Ont. - After looking impressive in the preseason, winning five of six games, the Golden Hawks stumbled out of the gates in Wednesday's home opener loss to McMaster.
Manager of men's basketball operations and head coach Justin Serresse was hoping for a better effort from his team on Saturday, and it's safe to say he got it, as Laurier dominated their division rivals from Windsor on the road, taking a 76-65 victory.
"I'm pretty happy, at least with the fact that we were able to get a good lead and then hang on to it, despite their run in the third," said Serresse.
"A good lead" is an understatement. The purple and gold were all over the Lancers from the opening tip, building a 13-2 before the first media timeout.
They'd have another big run later in the quarter, as Taye Donald sunk four three-pointers within a minute and 45 seconds to officially welcome the Windsor fans to the Taye Donald show, which was only just getting started.
Donald would finish with a career-high 31 points in a statement game for the second-year guard after he struggled shooting the ball on Wednesday.
"He bounced back," said Serresse. "That's why we recorded him. He's a special kid."
Leading 33-14 heading into the second, the offence cooled somewhat for the Golden Hawks, though they did well to contain the Lancers on defence and were able to take a healthy 50-26 advantage into halftime.
The third quarter saw Windsor start to find their rhythm offensively. Matching Laurier's guard-heavy rotation with a small-ball lineup of their own, they outscored the Golden Hawks 27-14 and cut the lead to 64-53 going into the final frame.
With the momentum now tilting in the Lancers' direction, the purple and gold locked in defensively and did not allow any significant runs in the fourth, securing their first win of the 2023-2024 regular season.
"The guys played some great defence down the stretch, and that was that was the thing I wanted to see compared to last game," said Serresse.
"We made some key shots... we were a little bit more composed, and we were way more disciplined on defence."
Serresse had tons of praise for Donald's performance, but also for his backcourt partner DeAndrae Pierre, who finished with 20 points.
"They got it done on both sides of the floor today, they were locking down and they were scoring."
That was all the more important with the team's other star guard, Ethan Passley, sitting out due to injury.
"I hope they don't have to do that every game, but if they do, then I hope they can do it on a regular basis."
BY THE NUMBERS
31
Donald's career-high is the story of the night, but as Serresse stated, his impact in this game went beyond his scoring. As well as locking up his defensive assignments, he pulled down nine rebounds and recorded three assists, a block, and a steal.
11
Laurier outrebounded Windsor 42-30, and leading the way for the Golden Hawks was third-year forward Nana Boateng with 11 boards. "He's capable of impacting the game right away with his rebounding," said Serresse. "He's got a nose for it."
Firsts
Both Jerome Romans Muirhead and Terell Lloyd recorded their first career OUA points in this game. Lloyd, a transfer from Conestoga College, is a two-time OCAA scoring champion. If he can translate that production to the university game, it would add another dynamic option to Laurier's offence.
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks will be in Sault Ste. Marie for a back-to-back with the Algoma Thunderbirds next weekend. The first game is set for 8 p.m. on Friday, November 10. Follow @WLUAthletics for live updates and catch all the action live on OUA.tv.
