KINGSTON, Ont. - The Golden Hawks wrapped up their six-game stretch against the OUA East on Saturday, facing the Queen's Gaels. Laurier entered the game on a three-game skid with a point differential of -75.
It has been a tough November for the purple and gold, winning one of their last six games, falling to the Gaels 100-97.
Despite the loss, manager of men's basketball operations and head coach Cavell Johnson acknowledged it was the best performance his team has had over the four-game road trip.
"It was a good bounce back to the style and brand that we want to play. It has been a bit of a wake-up call that we needed, but it's fortunate to get it this early in the season."
Liban Abdalla and Aidan Whalen came out of the gates hot, combining for 19 of the team's 25 points in the first quarter. Abdalla was in rhythm early, scoring Laurier's first eight points. With 2:20 left in the opening frame, Abdalla took the inbound pass and shook off his defender, sinking the jumper from the elbow.
Whalen took matters into his own hands later in the quarter, scoring the Golden Hawks' final seven points, going a perfect 2-2 from the floor and drew a foul on a three-point attempt, finishing the play from the line and hit every shot.
The Golden Hawks found themselves behind 30-25 at the end of one period. Their 25 points almost matched the total they scored in the first half of Friday night's game against Ontario Tech.
In the second quarter, the Golden Hawks were locked in on defense, keeping Ollie Engen, the Gaels' top point producer, off the scoresheet, and the Gaels only had three players impacting the points category.
Joshua Loblaw continued to be a steady presence for the Golden Hawks and led the team with six points in the second quarter, going 3-3 from the field. Two minutes in, Malik Langenegger sent a stretch pass to the streaking Loblaw who hit the eurostep and tied the game at 30.
Loblaw ended the game with a career-high 14 points on a personal best seven made field goals, and also tallied a season-high six rebounds.
The Golden Hawks went on an 8-1 run midway through the quarter with rookie guard Charlie Kuepfer scoring five of the eight. Ethan Passley drew two defenders, allowing him and Kuepfer to set up the pick-and-pop, leading to Kuepfer nailing the triple for Laurier's largest lead of the game at 40-33.
Queen's, however, quickly responded, closing the half on a 14-4 run to retake the lead and went into the break up 47-44.
The Golden Hawks went 43.9% from the field, 4-19 from three, and 4-5 from the free throw line in the first half. Their 44 points were the second-most the team has scored in a first half this season, and 53 in the second was also the second-most points scored in a second half.
The previous night, the Golden Hawks scored a season-low nine points in the third quarter, but came out energized against the Gaels, scoring 32 points which was the second-best point total in a quarter, trailing only 35-points in the fourth against Nipissing.
After getting into foul trouble in the first quarter and sitting for the second, Whalen came out firing with a team-high 13 points. He ended the game with his second double-double of the year with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
"Just the edge that he played with tonight was very eye-opening," Johnson said.
"He came up to me at some point before the pregame meal and he said 'I'm ready tonight. Gonna have a good one.' He was in foul trouble for a bit, which made him late to the party, but he came and partied. I love seeing him find his confidence and his rhythm."
Whalen hit back-to-back threes on feeds from Passley to bring Laurier ahead 54-53, but it was a back-and-forth affair in the third quarter with both teams only able to separate themselves by a maximum of four points.
A few minutes into the frame, Isaiah Fisher and Engen exchanged five straight buckets, and later on, Fisher converted the and-one to retake the lead at 73-72. Fisher had nine points and six boards in the quarter on the way to his first double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points, 13 rebounds – which tied his career high – and five assists.
"He accepts the challenge of guarding the biggest offensive threat from a guard or wing position on other teams, and he's never afraid to get in there and mix it up and get his hands dirty, fighting for loose balls and rebounds," Johnson said about Fisher.
"He chooses to show up for himself and his teammates; it's the epitome of leadership."
Seconds later, Fisher drove to the paint, leaving Whalen wide open in the corner where his high-arching three-pointer found nothing but net.
Queen's would respond, and the teams went into the fourth quarter tied at 76.
The Gaels opened the period on an 8-0 run, but Laurier countered out of the timeout with a 5-0 run of their own, bringing the deficit to 84-81.
Abdalla and Whalen hit consecutive triples, followed by two made free throws from Whalen, and suddenly it was a two-point game at 96-94 with Laurier still trailing.
The Golden Hawks had fouls to give and took the gamble by putting Queen's in the bonus. The Gaels were just shy of 70% on the year from the line, and the gamble paid off as the Gaels went 2-4 in the quarter and 10-20 for the whole game.
The Gaels had a chance to make it a two-possession game, but Emre Fisk made one of two free throws, and his team's lead was just 99-94.
With six seconds remaining and Laurier inbounding in the Gaels' half, Abdalla was not fazed by the tight coverage, rising above his defender and nailing the three.
Engen went to the line on the other side, and he too could only make one free throw, leaving the Golden Hawks with one last chance to send the game into overtime, but Abdalla's shot from well inside his own half was no good.
Abdalla was a difference maker in the game in his third straight start, finishing with a double-double and a career high in both points and rebounds with 28 and 12, respectively.
"He has the 'give a care' factor. He's a tough competitor and wants to be out there working as hard as he can to contribute to the team. And the thing I like the most is that he's as invested coming off the bench as he is starting," said Johnson.
"This guy works on his craft every single day, and he cares so much about being great at the things that he does, both on and off the court."
Quietly, Passley also had himself a night, tying his career high in assists with 10. He moved to eighth in career assists in program history with 234.
"I think he did an amazing job as a facilitator and empowered others to score. He takes pride in those buckets as much as he takes pride in scoring himself," Johnson said about his veteran guard.
The Gaels improved to 4-5 while Laurier slipped to below .500 for the first time this season and sit fourth in the OUA West.
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks return home for a divisional matchup against the Guelph Gryphons on Wednesday, November 26, for Sneakerhead Night, presented by Adidas.
Tipoff is set for 8 pm, and tickets are available here.
