OTTAWA, Ont. - After earning their first win in almost three decades against Carleton on Friday, the #4 Golden Hawks were unable to complete the Ottawa sweep, falling 75-67 to the #1-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees on Saturday.
The purple and gold were able to defeat the Ravens in large part due to their excellent transition defence and the 20 points they were able to rack up off of Carleton turnovers. They got a taste of their own medicine against the garnet and grey, with the Gee-Gees completely shutting down Laurier's usually dangerous fast-break attack and forcing 17 giveaways, making it difficult for the Golden Hawks to make any significant runs.
"Their defense is very aggressive. They don't have a lot of liability, they have a lot of length, they bring that flow very well, they're well-coached, well organized," said Manager of men's basketball operations and head coach Justin Serresse.
"You've got to take smart shots and not turn it over, and we turned it over too much. It created a lot of situations where they got out in transition, something we've got to clean up too."
Ottawa was smothering on defence from the opening tip, frustrating a Laurier offence that had been firing on all cylinders over their now-broken seven game winning streak.
The Gee-Gees led 21-11 heading into the second quarter, and made a 10-0 run midway through the frame, putting the Golden Hawks on their heels in a way no team has been able to do this season. Second-year guard Jacques-Mélanie Guemeta was unstoppable for Ottawa, going 4-5 from three-point range in the first half.
Laurier guard DeAndrae Pierre gave his team some life when he scored seven of Laurier's ten points in a late run to cut the lead to 38-31 at halftime.
That seven-point margin stayed consistent for most of the second half. The Gee-Gees only twice pushed their advantage past double-digits, but the Golden Hawks managed to make it a one-score game just once, early in the third quarter.
Both teams got into different kinds of foul trouble. Laurier struggled to defend Ottawa's drives to the paint without sending them to the free-throw line, while the Gee-Gees were assessed four technical fouls throughout the game.
You could maybe credit some of Ottawa's over-enthusiasm to the impressive atmosphere at Montpetit Hall, likely one of the few OUA gyms that can rival a full Laurier Athletic Complex in decibel-level.
"I told the guys, you're going to experience two atmospheres – and then Queen's next week – it's three very, very tough gyms to play in because the atmosphere is pretty loud when the crowd gets into it, and you know they get a lot of support from the community. I'm glad we experienced that, what we saw today was a playoff atmosphere."
Speaking of playoffs, Serresse knows the path to an OUA title likely runs through the nation's capital, and he's happy to leave Ottawa having stacked up very well against two of the conference's best teams and most successful programs.
"At the end of the day, the season starts in the playoffs, so here's the prep. You learn, you see, you try."
"I think we don't have enough sample size to really see everything we wanted to see, but that's what we want to do. We want to learn from this game, and you know every game... so that we can be extra ready for the playoffs."
A win would have helped Laurier's bid for top seed in the OUA, but they remain in good position with six games remaining in the regular season. At 13-3, they sit 2.5 games above Western for first in the OUA West division and a first-round playoff bye, and 0.5 games behind Queen's – their next opponent – for second place overall and home court advantage through the semifinals.
Ottawa, meanwhile, improves to 16-1.
BY THE NUMBERS
22.7
Taye Donald's game-high 23 points brings his points per game average to 22.7, moving him back into first place in the OUA. He also sits fifth in the conference with 4.9 assists per game (seven tonight), and tied for second with 2.3 steals (two tonight).
In addition to the playoff picture, Donald's OUA MVP bid is a storyline to watch over the next three weeks.
9.9
Also rising up the points-per-game leaderboard is fifth-year forward Benhur Gebrekidan, whose 9.9 per game place him fifty-eighth. Consistent contribution on offence from Gebrekidan was near the top of Serresse's wish list at the beginning of the season, and the sharpshooter from nearby Gatineau, Que. has hit double-digits in scoring ten times so far.
"He has to be the focal point. He's one of our guys that can post up and give us some points in the paint and if he doesn't do that and stretch the floor then we've got trouble. So, I'm glad he's more consistent defensively [and offensively]. He's blossoming in his last year."
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks have another tough road trip ahead of them next weekend. They face #3 Queen's (14-3) on Friday before heading to Oshawa to face the 13-4 Ontario Tech Ridgebacks.
Tip-off against the Gaels is set for 8 p.m. in Kingston. Follow @WLUAthletics for live updates and catch all the action on OUA.tv.
