WATERLOO, Ont. - For the second straight game, a wild late-fourth quarter comeback attempt came up just short for the Golden Hawks, as they fell to the visiting Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night.
The game began with some good news for Laurier, as leading scorer Taye Donald made his return after a two-game absence due to injury. Donald made his presence felt early with a step-back three on the game's first possession.
Donald had 11 points before the end of the first quarter, and finished the game with a team-high 21. Despite the recent injury, he seemed unphased by the very physical playstyle throughout the game.
"That's my game. Just come in, provide on offence, provide on defence," he said. "They're one of the best teams in Ontario, super physical, so we knew that was going to be a challenge for us, but I enjoy it."
Despite good early offensive production from Donald and Benhur Gebrekidan, Toronto was able to pull away with a 13-2 run to close out the first quarter. They led 30-18 heading into the second.
The Golden Hawks were able to make it close late in the second with a 13-4 run that got them within two points, but a late Varsity Blues three by Anthony Daudu pushed the lead to 46-41 heading into halftime.
Daudu caused problems for Laurier all game. The fourth-year 6'6" forward finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and two steals. He shot 3-6 from three-point range, and his ability to stretch the floor opened up a lot of space offensively for Toronto.
The Varsity Blues were able to exploit the Golden Hawks' lack of size more effectively than any team so far this season, and Daudu's offence and rebounding were a big part of that.
"That's been his bread and butter for all of his career," said Manager of men's basketball operations and head coach Justin Serresse about Daudu's rebounding, and he highlighted Somachi Agpabu (seven rebounds) as another player Laurier struggled against on the glass.
"Toronto is super tough. At the end of the day, those guys needed to be contained, and it is hard, but it's not as hard as they make it seem."
The Blues came out of the break strong with an 11-4 run, but that was halted by an incredible sequence from Jalen Levene. The second-year forward hit a three-pointer, then hustled for a steal off the inbound and found Maxwell Voorpool wide open for another long-ball.
The Golden Hawks were unable to convert that into any lasting momentum, however, and the lead stayed in double digits heading into the final frame, with Toronto leading 64-53.
Laurier was effective at getting to the line early in the fourth quarter. Majok Deng drew two quick fouls to start the period, and the Golden Hawks were in the bonus by the 3:35 mark.
Gebrekidan nailed a turn-around jumper to cut the lead to six points with just under two minutes left. With Laurier needing a stop on the next possession, Daudu came flying in from the perimeter for an offensive rebound and made the second-chance layup to push the lead back to eight.
The Golden Hawks, who are incapable of letting a game finish without some excitement, still managed to make it close. Ethan Passley and Taye Donald hit back-to-back threes to cut the lead to two, and then Laurier's defence forced a turnover on a Toronto inbound with two seconds remaining.
With only half a second on the clock, Donald just managed to get a shot off, but missed.
Despite the close finish, Serresse expressed his disappointment with the way his team performed in the second last game of the regular season.
"They need to play with way more passion, way more intensity, way more sense of urgency, and then way more IQ... the mistakes on their top guys, it's unbearable to watch at times."
In addition to Daudu's impact, the Golden Hawks also allowed a game-high 23 points from the OUA's leading scorer Callum Baker.
"They've been working so hard to get here. I just don't want them to finish like that," he continued.
Since snapping their seven-game winning streak at the end of January, Laurier has lost five of their last six games.
"When people leave this gym at the end of the game, I want them to feel like "we watched Laurier basketball today. It was fun to watch. We had fun watching them be unselfish on offence. We had fun watching them bring that intensity and play hard."
"There's been too many games where people leave, and they're not having fun watching us play that way. It's not what they're used to. This is not what they came for. And on top of that, we're losing. So, my point is, let's get back to doing what we do and make people leave here feeling good. The families are coming tomorrow [for Senior Night]. They want to see Laurier basketball."
BY THE NUMBERS
41-26
Toronto is one of the best rebounding teams in the OUA, ranking fourth with 40 boards per game. Laurier, however, is right behind them at seventh with 38. That makes the 15-rebound difference in this game all the more frustrating for Serresse and his team.
19
For the second straight game, Benhur Gebrekidan scored 19 points, this time coming off the bench. With DeAndrae Pierre still sidelined with an injury, consistent scoring from Gebrekidan will be important for the Golden Hawks moving forward.
UP NEXT
Saturday is Senior Night for the Golden Hawks, and the game itself has massive implications for the playoffs. At 14-7, they sit one game back of their opponent, the Western Mustangs, for first place in the OUA West division.
If they beat Western, they win the division, earn a bye through the first round, and secure home court advantage for the OUA quarterfinals. If they lose, they drop from the third seed to the sixth and will have to win at home in the first round before heading on the road for the quarterfinals.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at the Athletic Complex. Tickets are on sale now.
