WATERLOO, Ont. - For the second straight season, the Golden Hawks have swept the men's basketball Battle of Waterloo season series, as they took the second leg of this week's home-and-home 82-69 on Saturday afternoon.
This game began in an eerily similar fashion to Wednesday's matchup at Waterloo, with Laurier unable to give the packed home crowd much to get excited about early in the first quarter.
The Warriors shot an impressive 62% from the field in the opening frame, jumping to an early 19-6 lead. First quarter struggles have been a recurring issue for the purple and gold since the holiday break, and one manager of men's basketball operations and head coach Justin Serresse hopes they can remedy this as the playoffs draw nearer.
"I'm pushing for us to be not so consistently inconsistent," Serresse said after the game.
He's not exaggerating with that assessment, as the Golden Hawks seemed to be following the same turbulent script they performed on Wednesday, once again managing to close out the first with a solid run to bring the game within reach before taking over in the middle quarters.
This time it was KJ Massela leading the way at both ends for Laurier, as they outscored Waterloo 12-4 in the final three minutes to cut the lead to five.
Serresse praised Massela's recent performance, as he's shown flashes of the commanding two-way presence he provided all of last season despite a somewhat slow start to this campaign.
"We're slowly trying to get him back to a role that fits his potential," said Serresse.
The second quarter quickly became the Taye Donald show, as the rookie guard followed up his career-high 25-point performance from Wednesday with another dominant showing offensively.
"[Coach Serresse] and I talk a lot about confidence, and I think, in that first semester, I was lacking it at times. There were times where you could see it and times where you couldn't," said Donald, when asked what's been the key to the torrid scoring pace he's kept since the break.
"But this semester, there's no reason to hold back, right? We want to go to nationals, and if that's going to happen, we need everyone to be confident."
The Golden Hawks weren't quite able to tie the game before halftime and trailed 40-37 at the end of the second.
They finally took their first lead roughly three and a half minutes into the third on a three-pointer from Justin Malnerich.
This week marked the former Warrior's first time playing against his old team. Malnerich spent four years with Waterloo, becoming their all-time leader in three-pointers made, before joining Laurier this season as a grad student.
"It was fun," he said, "It was nerve-wracking, a little bit, playing back at Waterloo, but it was fun. I'm glad we got the two wins."
Donald continued to impress in the second half and got some help offensively from his backcourt partner Ethan Passley, who would finish the game with 21 points.
Donald and Passley have been the offensive drivers for the Golden Hawks this season, and now it appears the duo may soon become a trio with the emergence of Jahmyah Brown Jeffers as a reliable ball-handler.
The rookie guard missed nine games due to injury, but has scored 10, 11, and now a career-high 17 points in each of his first three games back on the court.
"I've been watching my brothers compete," said Brown Jeffers. "I took all the necessary steps to come back at my best and help them improve [going into] the playoffs."
"Hopefully that 20 is coming soon," he added cheekily.
"We were waiting for him to come back because we know that he's a very shifty player," said Serresse. "Now we have three guys that can pass the ball well."
With Laurier leading 57-51 heading into the fourth, Waterloo increased the pressure offensively. The Golden Hawks had an answer, shooting five for seven from three-point range in the final frame to put the game well out of reach.
The loss brought the Warriors' record to 2-16.
Laurier, meanwhile, improved to 11-7 on the season. They weren't able to gain any ground on the OUA West division-leading Windsor Lancers though, who eked out a 92-91 victory over McMaster Saturday afternoon to bring their record to 12-5.
With just four games remaining in the regular season and a first-round bye still within reach, Serresse hopes to see more consistency – or rather less consistent inconsistency – from his squad.
"What we're trying to do is establish [sustained] flow and chemistry offensively," he said. "Then, defensively, it's just being more disciplined."
TOP PERFORMERS
Laurier Golden Hawks
Taye Donald matched Wednesday's career-high with yet another 25-point game. This time his shooting was even more efficient. He shot 69% from the field, including five of eight from three-point range. He also pulled down six rebounds.
Waterloo Warriors
The Warriors leaned on Kuel Thomas offensively in this one. He led his team with 21 points in 32 minutes played, while also collecting five rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks will be back in action for their final two home games of the regular season next weekend, the first of which tips off at 8 p.m. on Friday, February 10. Tickets are on sale now.
