OSHAWA, Ont. - The Golden Hawks continued their stretch of six straight games against the OUA East, and their schedule did not get any easier against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks.
In only the fifth all-time match up, the purple and gold were looking to snap their two-game losing streak, but the dry spell continued, falling to the Ridgebacks 65-52, and their record shifted to 4-4 while Ontario Tech improved to 3-5.
Fourth-year guard Isaiah Fisher had his fingerprints all over the first quarter with a team high seven points. Fisher got the Golden Hawks on the board with a hard drive to the rim for two points.
Nearly three minutes later after the team's went back and forth, Fisher scooped up the defensive rebound and took the Golden Hawks into transition where he went coast-to-coast, finishing with an easy lay in on the solo effort.
Fisher was in his rhythm at the midway mark of the quarter. At the top of the key, Malik Langenegger took the overhead feed from Liban Abdalla, and swung out to Fisher who nailed the triple. He ended the game with 12 points and a season high nine boards.
The Ridgebacks went on a 6-0 run in the final three minutes of the quarter to go up by four points, but Ethan Passley handled the expiring clock, weaving through a group of Ridgebacks and met the rim with two points. The Golden Hawks were down 15-13 at the end of ten minutes.
Fisher and Abdalla led the purple and gold in scoring in the second quarter with five points apiece and a combined five rebounds.
After Langenegger hit the three-pointer to bring the Golden Hawks back within one at 17-16, the Ridgebacks went on a 15-2 run, and suddenly the visitors were down by double digits. However, at the 3:46 mark, Abdalla cut into the lead, taking a bounce pass that was threaded through two Ridgebacks from Passley, and went uncontested to the rim.
Abdalla and Fisher hit back-to-back threes, set up by Passley, to bring the score to 32-26, but the Ridgebacks were able to capitalize on the Golden Hawks' foul troubles, going 7-9 from the line, and regained the double-digit lead at 36-26 to end the half.
The third quarter was the turning point for the Golden Hawks as the offense could not find their scoring touch, being limited to only nine points. It was, at the same time, the first single digit score and the lowest point total in a quarter for the Golden Hawks this season.
Only Joshua Loblaw and Aidan Whalen were able to register points in the quarter with six and three, respectively.
Going into the final frame, the Ridgebacks had a commanding 53-35 lead.
However, Whalen's fourth quarter effors prevented the scoreline from getting out of hand with 12 points on 5-7 field goal shooting, including 2-2 from distance. He went on a solo 7-0 run, bringing the score to 65-52, but the 13-point deficit was too much to overcome in the final minute of the game, and that's how it would finish.
Whalen's 17 points were a team high and it was his sixth game in double digits this season. Abdalla impacted the game on the glass, matching a career high with 11 rebounds, and Passley continued to be the team's leading facilitator with seven assists. Passley also moved to eighth all-time in program history in career assists with 224.
The Golden Hawks will finish their road trip on Saturday night when they visit the Queen's Gaels.
