TORONTO, Ont. - For the first time since 2019, the Golden Hawks are among the top 10 teams in U SPORTS men's basketball.
After just missing out in the last week of play before the holiday break following wins over Brock and #10 TMU, the purple and gold have leapfrogged both the Bold and #8 Mustangs, rising from #11 to #7 in the rankings.
It was a win over those same Mustangs on Friday that finally secured their spot among the nation's best. Bolstered by DeAndrae Pierre's season-high 25 points and Majok Deng's return from injury, Laurier defeated Western 91-83 to improve to 9-2 on the season.
They remain in first place in the OUA West division and second in the conference. The #3 Queen's Gaels (8-3) took down the previously undefeated #2 Ottawa Gee-Gees (11-1) over the weekend, and thus remain ahead of the Golden Hawks in the U SPORTS rankings.
This is Laurier's first appearance in the U SPORTS men's basketball top 10 since November 12, 2019, and their highest ranking since November 5 of that year. Only Deng, Vladimir Lukomski, and Benhur Gebrekidan remain from the 2019-2020 roster.
#7 Laurier now turns their attention to the Battle of Waterloo. They'll face their cross-town rivals twice this week, beginning with Wednesday's meeting on the road.
They host the Warriors on Saturday, January 13 at 3 pm at Laurier's Athletic Complex Gym. Tickets are on sale now.
