Laurier Athletics - Waterloo Campus

WATERLOO, Ont. – The Laurier Golden Hawks came within one possession of upsetting the #3-ranked Carleton Ravens on Saturday night, falling 81-78 in a tightly contested matchup at the Laurier Athletic Complex. 

Laurier led at halftime and regained the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but Carleton pulled away late. Late three-pointers from Joshua Loblaw and Liban Abdalla kept the Golden Hawks alive before their final attempts to force overtime fell short. 

The Golden Hawks entered the game looking to respond to Friday's 83-77 loss to McMaster, while the Ravens arrived unbeaten following a 62-56 victory over Waterloo. Saturday's result moved Laurier to 1-5 and Carleton to 6-0. 

Loblaw led Laurier with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including three three-pointers, while adding four assists. Romell Russell contributed 18 points off the bench, Abdalla finished with 17 and five three-pointers, and Maxwell Voorpool added 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. Isaiah Fisher also collected a team-high eight rebounds alongside eight points. 

Laurier established its outside shooting early. Abdalla opened the scoring with a corner three, Voorpool followed with another from beyond the arc, and Fisher connected from deep as the teams exchanged baskets. 

The Golden Hawks continued to move the ball and found opportunities on the perimeter. Abdalla knocked down three off a Voorpool pass, while Emanuel Liyaw also connected from distance to help Laurier move ahead. 

Loblaw added two free throws after drawing contact on a drive before Russell extended the lead with a deep three-pointer. Loblaw then beat the shot clock with a three of his own, and Russell followed with a fast-break layup to make it 28-19. 

Carleton scored before the break, but Laurier carried a 28-21 advantage into the second quarter after making seven three-pointers in the opening quarter. 

The Ravens narrowed the gap in the second, forcing Laurier to work to protect its lead. Loblaw found Abdalla for another corner three and later created space for a jumper as the shot clock wound down. 

Russell continued to provide offence off the bench, breaking Carleton's full-court pressure and finishing in the lane. Voorpool added a late three-pointer before a Ravens basket sent the teams into halftime with Laurier ahead 42-40. 

The Golden Hawks committed just four first-half turnovers while forcing seven from Carleton. The Ravens held an advantage on the offensive glass, however, collecting nine offensive rebounds compared to Laurier's one. 

Laurier opened the third quarter with another strong stretch. Loblaw connected on a three-pointer, and Fisher finished a Voorpool pass inside, extending the lead to 47-40. 

Carleton responded through Anthony Nnajiofor and Aubrey Dorey-Havens before Nelson Cilien knocked down a three to bring the visitors within one. Loblaw and Russell supplied baskets inside to keep Laurier ahead, but another Cilien three tied the game at 51-51. 

Tyler Brown then connected from beyond the arc to give Carleton the lead. The Ravens continued to build their lead through second-chance opportunities and finishes inside, eventually moving ahead 60-53. 

Russell helped Laurier stay close with seven third-quarter points, while Abdalla's three-pointer off a Russell pass cut the deficit to 62-59 entering the fourth. 

Loblaw opened Laurier's fourth-quarter scoring with a layup and a jumper to tie the game at 63-63. Carleton answered with free throws and an Augusta Brazdeikis three-pointer, but the Golden Hawks responded again. 

Voorpool intercepted a pass and knocked down a three to bring Laurier within two. Fisher then connected from beyond the arc off a Voorpool assist, putting the Golden Hawks ahead 69-68 with just over five minutes remaining. 

Two Voorpool free throws extended the lead to three. After a Carleton basket, Loblaw split a pair at the line to make it 72-70. 

The Ravens regained control through four consecutive Dorey-Havens free throws, followed by a Brazdeikis layup. Laurier struggled to find a response offensively, and another Brazdeikis finish gave Carleton a 78-72 lead with 37 seconds remaining. 

The Golden Hawks kept pushing. Loblaw knocked down a three with 20 seconds left, and after Dylan Kayijuka converted two free throws, Abdalla connected from deep off an inbound play to cut the deficit to 80-78. 

Brown split two free throws to leave Laurier trailing by three with one final opportunity. Abdalla's tying attempt missed, but the Golden Hawks retained possession after a scramble under the basket forced a jump ball, pointing to Laurier's possession. Their final inbound play ended with Abdalla stepping out of bounds in the corner, allowing Carleton to escape with the win. 

Dorey-Havens led the Ravens with 15 points, while Cilien and Kayijuka each added 14. Brazdeikis contributed 12 points, including three important fourth-quarter baskets, and Brown finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. 

Laurier made 15 three-pointers and held Carleton to 37.5 percent shooting from the field. The Ravens' work on the glass proved costly, as they outrebounded the Golden Hawks 45-28, including 17 offensive rebounds, and held a 15-2 advantage in second-chance points.  

Laurier's efficient leading scorer, Joshua Loblaw, talked about his personal success in the game while also not being satisfied with the result.

"It felt good just to get back into rhythm. I think I've been struggling a bit to start the year," said Loblaw, who matched a career-high in points. "I'm glad I played well, but at the end of the day a loss is a loss, and I wish we could have pulled it out for the guys." 

Laurier's manager of men's basketball operations and head coach Cavell Johnson had positive feedback on the team after the game.

"We got back closer to our brand of basketball, playing with pace and getting into dynamic actions, shooting the three, getting paint touches, finding our kickouts, so we could have good uncontested shots," said Johnson. 

"Early on, we started really well with attacking with pace in transition. We got away from it for a stretch and then found it again, which we've struggled to do in the more recent games." 

Johnson said that the team's rebounding struggles were a key component of the loss. "You can't give up 17 offensive rebounds and expect to win the game."

Up Next 

Laurier has six days of rest before they host the 1-5 Algoma Thunderbirds on Friday.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. and tickets are on sale at tickets.laurierathletics.com

Subscribers can stream the game live on OUA.tv while fans can also tune in at radiolaurier.com Read Full Article