WATERLOO, Ont. - It wouldn't be a Golden Hawks men's basketball game if you weren't sweating a little bit late in the fourth quarter, would it?
Laurier kicked off their pre-season slate on Thursday, and as fans have come to expect, the game came down to the wire. In the end, it was the Golden Hawks soaring above the Humber Hawks for the 73-66 victory.
The game was anything but close in the first quarter. Laurier's defense looked dominant, holding Humber to a meager 2-15 shooting from the field. They forced seven turnovers, leading to 12 points the other way and helping to build a massive 24-6 lead before the end of the period.
While Humber found their footing in the second, Laurier began to wobble. The rebounding battle turned in Humber's favour, and the Golden Hawks got into foul trouble, slowing the game down and giving their opponent easy points at the line.
The lead was cut to 43-29 at the half, and it was the visiting Hawks who were flying high to start the third. Humber mounted a 14-4 run to bring the game within four midway through the quarter.
The game stayed close from then on, with the purple and gold just able to keep from forfeiting the lead. Down 56-49 heading into the final frame, Humber got as close as two points, but their comeback hopes were quickly dashed by one Maxwell Voorpool.
The first-year point guard was sensational in his first game as a Golden Hawk. At around the five-minute mark with Humber looking dangerous, Voorpool scored two quick consecutive three-pointers to turn the momentum back in Laurier's favour and push the lead to 10. They'd hold on the rest of the way to secure the win.
Head coach Justin Serresse was disappointed to see his team let their foot off the gas after the first quarter, and hopes to see more passion from his veteran players going forward.
"Twenty-three turnovers is unacceptable, and the rebounding battle is something that we need to address," he said, while adding that the opening frame showed the kind of excellence he knows his team is capable of.
"The rebounding, ball control, and the fouling – we clean that up, I think everything else will clean itself up because the flow and the chemistry will be a little bit better, just like the first quarter when we addressed those things," he said.
"But if we don't address those things, it's tough for us to play a certain style of basketball, and we rely on those aspects to be better for us to play our brand of basketball."
"My expectation with this team is going to be a little bit higher," said Serresse on his outlook this season. "We did fairly well last year, but not well enough to get to where we say we want to go. So, of course my expectations are going to be a little bit higher, or probably much higher, and they should be excited about it."
TOP PERFORMERS
Laurier Golden Hawks
#1 – Maxwell Voorpool
Voorpool finished with a game-high 14 points, shooting 4-9 from three-point range. He also played well on the defensive end, drawing three charges and recording a steal. His play earned him the second-highest playing time on the team with 29 minutes logged.
"He's played against top competition for all his life. He always played up, he was always one of the smallest guys. That's nothing new to him," said Serresse. Even still, both coach and player were surprised at just how comfortable the 5-10 point guard looked on the court.
"I didn't expect to come out have a game like that," admitted Voorpool. "I think defensively, that's what helped me get my motor up on offense. I took three charges in the first half, taking those helped me keep my motor going on both sides."
Humber Hawks
#3 – Kyle Brown-Fazekas
Coming off the bench, Brown-Fazekas led his team in points (13) and rebounds (8). He also recorded a block and two steals.
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks will be back for another intraspecies matchup, this time hosting the Memorial Sea Hawks on Friday, September 29 at 6 p.m. at the Athletic Complex.
