Laurier Athletics - Waterloo Campus

SUDBURY, Ont. – The Laurier Golden Hawks stayed within reach throughout Saturday night's matchup but could not complete a late comeback, falling 70-63 to the Laurentian Voyageurs at Ben Avery Gym. 

Both teams entered Saturday's Halloween night matchup with 1-2 records, with Laurier looking to bounce back from Friday's loss to the Nipissing Lakers. The Golden Hawks had dropped their previous two meetings with Laurentian.

Playing their second and final game of this two-game road trip up north, the Golden Hawks recovered from a slow offensive start to take the lead in the second quarter and entered the fourth trailing by just two.

Laurentian created separation in the final quarter before Laurier made a late push to come back, but the Voyageurs held them off to secure the win. 

Joshua Loblaw led the Golden Hawks with 18 points on efficient 6-for-8 shooting, including three three-pointers, while adding five assists. Liban Abdalla and Maxwell Voorpool each contributed 13 points and four rebounds, while Isaiah Fisher finished with nine points and four boards. 

Both teams struggled to establish their offence in the opening quarter. Loblaw supplied Laurier's first five points, while Toby Ezenwa did the same with a layup and a three-pointer to tie the game at 5-5 through the first 3 minutes. 

Voorpool later converted all three free throws after drawing a foul from beyond the arc, pulling Laurier even again at 8-8. Those would be the Golden Hawks' final points of the quarter, as Laurentian closed with five unanswered to take a 13-8 lead. 

Laurier shot just 2-for-13 from the field in the opening quarter, including 1-for-11 from beyond the arc, but limited the Voyageurs to four field goals to keep the deficit manageable. 

The Golden Hawks found their rhythm in the second quarter. Jeremy Rudnick connected from three-point range before Loblaw finished inside to give Laurier its first lead at 14-13. 

After the teams exchanged baskets, Emanuel Liyaw added a layup and Fisher knocked down a three off a pass from Ryan Rudnick, extending Laurier's lead to 21-16 with just over five minutes remaining in the half. 

Laurentian responded with a 12-0 run, fuelled by Suber Bakal's scoring inside, to move ahead 28-21. Abdalla interrupted the stretch with a three-pointer, while Voorpool added a jumper and three late free throws to bring Laurier closely trailing 32-29 at halftime. 

The Golden Hawks shot 7-for-11 in the second quarter, including 3-for-4 from three-point range, outscoring the Voyageurs 21-19. 

Laurier continued to battle after the break as Laurentian repeatedly threatened to extend its lead. Loblaw connected on a pair of third-quarter three-pointers, while Fisher added another from beyond the arc to keep the Golden Hawks close. 

Bakal remained a difficult matchup inside, helping the Voyageurs build a 46-37 advantage midway through the quarter. Laurier answered with a strong finish, beginning with Loblaw's second three of the quarter. 

Abdalla followed with a layup and a three-pointer, cutting the deficit to 47-45. Rudnick then converted a layup off a Loblaw assist, and a late Abdalla free throw left Laurier trailing 50-48 entering the fourth. 

Laurentian opened the final quarter with an Ezenwa layup and a Jack Noonan three-pointer. Loblaw answered with two free throws, but another three from Ismael Konate and a Brice Fandio layup pushed the Voyageurs' lead to 60-50. 

The Golden Hawks continued to fight. With Laurentian ahead 62-52, Rudnick knocked down a three off Loblaw's fifth assist, and Voorpool followed with a layup to cut the margin to five. 

Voorpool then connected from three-point range with 1:42 remaining, bringing Laurier within striking distance at 64-60. After a Laurentian basket, Fisher collected an offensive rebound and finished the putback to make it 66-62 with 51 seconds left. 

Konate answered with another basket inside, and the Voyageurs added late free throws to put the game out of reach. 

Bakal led Laurentian with 19 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, shooting 8-for-10 from the field. Ezenwa added 13 points, while Fandio and Konate each finished with 10. 

Rudnick collected a team-high eight rebounds for Laurier, while Matei Vucenovic added five. Jeremy Rudnick contributed five points, three rebounds, a block and a steal. 

The teams finished even with 33 rebounds apiece, but Laurentian held a 34-18 paint advantage. Laurier shot 38.5 percent from the field and made 10 three-pointers, but a 4-for-14 fourth quarter kept the Golden Hawks from completing the comeback.  

The Golden Hawks have lost their last three games, putting their current record at 1-3, but with two home games coming up next week against McMaster (1-2) and #3 Carleton (4-0), they look to bounce back in the win column.  

Up Next: 

The Golden Hawks head back south, returning home to face the McMaster Marauders (1-2) next Friday, November 6th. 

Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Laurier Athletic Complex. Tickets are on sale at tickets.laurierathletics.com

Subscribers can also watch the game live on OUA.tv, and fans can tune in at radiolaurier.com Read Full Article