WATERLOO, Ont. - The Golden Hawks clashed with their neighbours, the Waterloo Warriors, for round two of the Battle of Waterloo, and brought their brooms with them as they swept the season series, winning 63-51.
The Warriors got on the board first, but Ethan Passley showed off his moves, putting his defender in the spin-cycle, then knocked down the mid-range jumper. Two minutes later with the Warriors up five, Taye Donald nailed the triple from way beyond the arc. Then again on the in-bound, Donald found Aidan Whalen alone in the corner for back-to-back three's, pulling the Golden Hawks ahead 8-7.
The Golden Hawks were active on the defensive end as Isaiah Fisher came up with the second of Laurier's three steals in the opening quarter, sending Donald on a two-on-one with Nathan Vergin who finished with the easy lay-in.
The Warriors would end Laurier's 8-0 run with less than three minutes on the clock where both teams traded shots, but the Warriors took a 17-14 lead into the second quarter.
It took nine seconds for the Golden Hawks to get back on even terms as Terell Lloyd, despite a hand in his face, connected from deep. Fast forward to 2:29, Passley drove the paint then kicked out to Lloyd who was locked and now loaded, and cashed in three more points.
Passley was a force on the defensive end, leading to a Warriors turnover that sent the Golden Hawks back to work. Fisher got his man to bite on the pump-fake and handed off to Lloyd for the floater.
Lloyd was a major factor in the second quarter, scoring eight of the team's 14 points which marked his third highest point total in a single quarter this season.
Even though the Warriors shot a few percentage points higher than Laurier, the Golden Hawks were up 28-27 at halftime.
"I was hopeful that we would come out with high energy to start the game. It's very hard to bounce back and play at the level that we played at last night, on a back-to-back," manager of men's basketball operations and head coach Cavell Johnson said.
"They fought through the first half and then regrouped and caught their second wind to come out and have a strong third quarter, particularly on the defensive end."
It was a tale of two halves for the Golden Hawks, blowing the doors open in the third quarter with that second wind, putting up 20 points to Waterloo's eight, becoming the ninth quarter the Warriors have scored single digits.
The Warriors could not solve Donald on the offensive end or Passley on the defensive side. Passley intercepted an errant pass and did his best quarterback impression, sending Donald down the floor for the uncontested two.
Passley, who sits fifth in the OUA in steals per game, had three in the third quarter and by game's end had five of the team's 14 take-aways, tying both his season and career highs.
"Being able to get those steals and turnovers, and disrupting plays, he's the best," Johnson praised Passley.
With 45 seconds left, Donald separated from his defender on the little step-fake to drain the open triple giving the Golden Hawks a 13 point lead going into the final frame. Donald ended the night with a team-high 18 points along with three assists, three rebounds, and two blocks.
"He tries to do everything he can to put his body on the line, lead by example, and be a selfless player. He's battle-tested, and the way he shows up continuously to lead this group is very special," Johnson said about Donald's performance.
The Golden Hawks kept playing with pace and wore out the Warriors. Fisher ultimately put the game to rest, flashing his handles on the eurostep with one minute remaining.
Although Fisher had a relatively quiet shooting night, Johnson was pleased with his play, recording a career high 13 rebounds with seven points. "He always chooses to impact the game in a different way, and fortunately for us, it's always on the defensive end. Tonight, it was on the boards. He was great."
The Golden Hawks improve to 8-10 and still occupy the third spot in the OUA West as they prepare to reignite the Highway 7 rivalry in a home-and-home against the Guelph Gryphons, who are slumping of late while on a three game losing skid.
"We need to play our brand of basketball, playing with pace, valuing our offensive possessions. On the defensive end, we need to do a really good job at limiting them to one shot, clean up the glass, and get out to attack."
Tip-off is set for 8pm on Wednesday night in Guelph and will be live on OUA.tv
