OSHAWA, Ont. - The Golden Hawks have had stretches this season where it seems like everything is going right. If that means they were due some adversity, they got it this weekend, as they followed up Friday's loss to #3 Queen's with a third straight defeat, falling 100-89 against Ontario Tech.
Against the Gaels, it was shooting struggles, against the Ridgebacks, foul trouble and turnovers were Laurier's undoing. Dwarfing any of those on-court issues in importance, however, was the absence of OUA leading scorer Taye Donald for much of the final three quarters on Saturday.
Manager of men's basketball operations and head coach Justin Serresse is hopeful Donald will be quick to return, but the Golden Hawks certainly missed his presence on both ends of the court in this one.
The first quarter was about as close a period of basketball as two teams could possibly play. Neither team ever led by more than three points, while the lead changed hands a dizzying 10 times.
DeAndrae Pierre was an early standout for the Golden Hawks, scoring seven of their first eleven points on two tough and-one plays. The Ridgebacks, meanwhile, relied on the long ball, making four of their five three-point attempts in the opening frame.
Ontario Tech led 26-24 heading into the second, and were finally able to gain some separation thanks to a 19-6 run fueled by improbable shot-making and determined drives to the rim. The Ridgebacks were in the bonus by the 3:20 mark, while the frequent whistles made it difficult for Laurier to establish the quick pace they prefer to play with.
At halftime, the score was 58-43 Ontario Tech, with the Ridgebacks shooting a blistering 50% from the field, including 73% from three-point range, as well as 84% from the free-throw line.
The Golden Hawks were able to flip the script to start the third quarter, drawing fouls on their first three offensive possessions. Heading into the fourth still trailing 78-62, Laurier then mounted a 7-0 run to cut the lead to nine points.
It's as close as they'd get, as Ontario Tech showed excellent poise and patience against the comeback effort, drawing out their offensive possessions to run the clock and converting on their trips to the line at an 81% clip.
While the Ridgebacks certainly deserve credit for their incredible shooting performance, Serresse is far from satisfied with his team's defensive effort, which in turn hurt their output at the other end.
"The more they score, the more we're pressured to get out there and try to score. And sometimes you rush your offence when you don't get to get enough stops," he said. "When you force things, you keep yourself in tough situations."
After going the first fifteen games of the regular season without ever losing consecutive games, the Golden Hawks have now dropped three straight. Their record falls to 13-5, only half a game ahead of Western for the OUA West division lead.
Granted, those losses all came on the road against each of the OUA's top three teams by record. Laurier now returns home and will host each of their final four games before the playoffs. Serresse hopes to see still some improvement before the post-season begins.
"I told them, we do have time, but act like we don't have time," he said, "act with a much better sense of urgency."
BY THE NUMBERS
31
With Donald sidelined, the role of go-to scorer fell on DeAndrae Pierre. Pierre responded with one of his best offensive performances of the season, scoring a game-high 31 points on incredibly efficient 10-15 shooting, including 4-6 from beyond the arc.
4
Everything seemed to go right offensively for Ontario Tech in this one, evidenced by the fact that four Ridgebacks reached the 20-point plateau. Keon Baker led the way with 24, while Levi Ogbonna, Zubair Seyed, and Ayub Nurhussein added 22, 21, and 20, respectively.
UP NEXT
The first game of Laurier's four-game home stretch tips off at 8 p.m. on Friday, February 9 against Windsor. Tickets are on sale now.
