Laurier Athletics - Waterloo Campus

WATERLOO, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks used timely fourth-quarter baskets from MaxVoorpool, Isaiah Fisher, and Liban Abdalla to hold off the #6-ranked TMU Bold for a 79-73 victory in Friday night's men's basketball home opener at the Laurier Athletic Complex. 

The win opened Laurier's regular season against the reigning OUA champions and U SPORTS national bronze medalists. The Golden Hawks entered the match-up following a 5-1 preseason, including three victories at the Heat Fall Classic. 

Voorpool led Laurier with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, six rebounds and four assists. Abdalla contributed 21 points, nine rebounds and two assists, while Fischer made clutch free throws down the stretch.  

With the Laurier drumming band echoing through the Athletic Complex, the Golden Hawks established an early advantage. Voorpool opened their scoring with a deep three-pointer, and then minutes later he found Abdalla for a three-pointer of his own. 

Malik Langenegger contributed a contested floater in the paint, helping Laurier build a 20-15 lead heading into a TMU timeout. In the closing seconds of the first quarter, Joshua Loblaw secured an offensive rebound and finished through traffic just before the buzzer to give the Golden Hawks a 26-17 lead. 

Laurier's hustle continued into the second quarter, with Abdalla hitting the floor to keep a possession alive. He also delivered offensively, connecting from three-point range and finishing a drive along the left side. 

Voorpool added a layup after a nifty shot fake opened a path into the paint, while Loblaw drew a charge at the other end, celebrating the stop with an enthusiastic yell. 

TMU gradually shifted the momentum with its defensive full-court pressure. A 7-1 run cut Laurier's advantage to 38-36 before Isaiah Fisher responded with a three-pointer. 

The Bold continued to force mistakes, including an eight-second backcourt violation, creating a deep three-pointer on the other end just before half, making the first-half score 45-41 TMU. 

Abdalla had 13 first-half points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Voorpool added 11. However, Laurier's nine turnovers compared with TMU's three helped the visitors erase the early deficit. 

Loblaw opened Laurier's second-half scoring with a three-pointer as the shot clock expired. Voorpool followed with another late-clock three and drew two charges during the quarter, helping the Golden Hawks regain momentum. 

A Voorpool floater put Laurier ahead 52-49 before Fisher extended the lead with a corner three. Langenegger added a corner jumper as the shot clock wound down, prompting a TMU timeout. 

Laurier limited the Bold to just eight third-quarter points and went into the fourth quarter up 59-53. 

Langenegger continued to contribute, driving right and pulling up for a jumper after center Ryan Rudnick cleared space in the paint by slipping out to the perimeter. Voorpool later connected on a step-back three to stretch the lead to 69-60 with five minutes to go in the game. 

TMU answered with a run that cut the deficit to two, setting up a tense finish. Loblaw responded with a corner three to restore a five-point cushion, then drew his second charge of the game at the defensive end. 

The Bold fought back to tie the game at 72, but Voorpool put Laurier ahead again with a driving layup with two minutes remaining. 

Fisher drove down the baseline under the net and drew a foul, creating two successful free throws, making the score 76-72 before Abdalla buried a clutch three-pointer with about a minute left, extending the advantage to seven. The Golden Hawks held off TMU's final attempts to close the gap and secured the 79-73 victory. 

Star player of the game, Maxwell Voorpool, was very confident when talking about his team's performance and potential.

"We knew we had to come into this game being on our stuff," Voorpool said. "We knew we had to fight … we put it all out there, and I think it shows that we can be a team that can win a championship as well." 

Laurier's manager of men's basketball operations and head coach Cavell Johnson spoke about what it meant to win the home opener against a really good TMU team.

"We want to establish an identity of being a gritty team. If we can continue to fight and claw in games that get possession by possession, then we're setting ourselves up for some good basketball late in the season," Johnson said. "To have these early challenges to open the season, it's going to be a huge testament to how dangerous we can be."  

Asked about his message to the team going into their game tomorrow night against the Toronto Varsity Blues, Johnson replied, "Don't be satisfied. Don't be complacent. Remain hungry." 

Up Next:

The Golden Hawks (1-0) travel to Toronto on Saturday, October 24, to face the Toronto Varsity Blues (1-0) in their home opener.  

Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m., streaming live for subscribers on OUA.tv. Read Full Article