WATERLOO, Ont. - The Golden Hawks extended their winning streak to four games Saturday afternoon, taking a decisive 92-69 win in the second of their back-to-back weekend games with Algoma.
Before tip-off, fifth-year guard Justin Malnerich, student trainer Sadia Kurani, and Laurier Athletics & Recreation photographer Hailey Tripodi were honored for Senior Day.
It was another senior, fifth-year centre Ben Stevens, who got the offence rolling for the Golden Hawks, scoring six of his 15 points in the first quarter.
Laurier has been plagued by slow starts since coming back from the holiday break, but looked much better in the opening frame of this one. Most encouraging were their seven team assists in the quarter, a mark of their offence returning to the fast-paced, free-flowing style manager of men's basketball operations and head coach Justin Serresse prefers to play.
"You could tell right away," he said. "The ball was moving around, and everybody felt like, 'Ok, I'm touching the ball, I'm engaged.' It was much better visually, even though the score didn't reflect it."
While Algoma did jump out to an early lead, the score was 23-19 for Laurier by the time the first buzzer sounded.
Stevens continued to impress on both ends in the second quarter. In each game against Algoma this weekend, he came off the bench, with Majok Deng taking over starting centre duties, and recording a double-double.
"Majok does a good job wearing the other guys down," said Serresse. "And if [Stevens] gives us that type of consistency when he's playing off the bench, I'm pretty happy."
"I think for me, it's all just about patience, being comfortable under the basket, and taking my time with it," said Stevens.
The game remained close through the second quarter, with the Golden Hawks taking a 39-34 lead into halftime.
The second half is best described as the Justin Malnerich show. The fifth-year OUA veteran and first-year Golden Hawk was nearly automatic from three-point range, and the Thunderbirds had no answer for him. He made seven shots on 12 attempts from deep, the second most in a game ever recorded by a Laurier player.
"We've been talking about trying to find a way to get him going, incorporating him into our offense," said Serresse. "I'm glad we were able to get him in rhythm, especially today on Senior Day."
Serresse also praised the team's playmakers for feeding the hot hand – whether it was Stevens in the first half or Malnerich in the second – throughout the game. Rookie point guard Taye Donald led the team with a season-high seven assists, while second-year Ethan Passley added five. Malnerich himself was also distributing the ball well, finishing with six helpers.
"I think we're starting to click as a team," said Malnerich. "We've got some more stuff to work on. Obviously, we've got a quick turnaround coming back for Wednesday's game versus Windsor, probably our biggest game of the season yet. So I like the way we're headed, but we've just got to take it day by day and lock in this week."
That game against Windsor, as well as Saturday's against Western, will be crucial as the Golden Hawks look to secure home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. They currently sit tied with TMU for seventh in the conference with a record of 13-7.
Algoma, meanwhile, drops to 3-17 on the season following the loss.
TOP PERFORMERS
Laurier Golden Hawks
Malnerich finished the game with 23 points, one shy of his career-high with the Golden Hawks. He did it in only 26 minutes of playing time, shooting 50% from the field.
Algoma Thunderbirds
Second-year guard Johan Germain was a force on either end for the Thunderbirds. He scored 13 points while pulling down nine defensive rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks will be back in action Wednesday, February 15 at 8 p.m. when they face the OUA West division-leading Windsor Lancers. One undefeated streak will come to an end, as the Lancers have not yet lost at home, while the Golden Hawks are a perfect 8-0 against teams in their division.
Follow @WLUAthletics for live updates and catch all the action on OUA.tv.
