HAMILTON, Ont. - The Golden Hawks wrapped up their five-game road trip in the Hammer on Wednesday night, visiting the McMaster Marauders. After suffering a 20-point loss to Windsor, the Golden Hawks got right back in the win column, beating the Marauders 103-82.
A big focus for the team has been balancing their three-point shooting with their points in the paint, which have been hard to come by as of late. In the second half of the season, the Golden Hawks averaged 20.3 paint points per game, and were coming off a season worst six. They turned the tides against McMaster, scoring a season high 46 paint points.
The Golden Hawks came out of the gates red hot, gaining a nine-point lead five minutes into the game. However, McMaster responded and cut the lead to two.
But Laurier righted the ship, and it was all smooth sailing for the remainder of the quarter as the Golden Hawks were playing bully ball and got to the rim with ease. The ball was also moving with seven players contributing points to McMaster's four.
They took a 23-14 lead going into the second quarter with Isaiah Fisher leading the team with five points on perfect shooting.
The second quarter was a shooting gallery from both sides, yet McMaster had the upper hand starting the frame on a 13-7 run that cut Laurier's lead down to 30-27.
After only making two three-pointers in the first, the Golden Hawks started to heat up from distance with 3:21 remaining. Of the six buckets made in that span, four were from beyond the arc.
Liban Abdalla was at the centre of it all, going 3-4 from distance and 4-5 overall for 11 points. With 38 seconds left, Noah Ramsbottom sent a long cross-court pass to Abdalla who had a one-on-one matchup and drained the three-pointer.
Ramsbottom would beat the buzzer not long after to send the Golden Hawks into the break up 55-38.
It was a tighter contest in the third as Laurier won the quarter 27-25, but the Golden Hawks were already in firm control, going up by as much as 25.
The three-headed monster of Abdalla, Aidan Whalen, and Ethan Passley gave the Marauders nightmares.
On Laurier's second possession of the half, Passley drove the paint and sent a slick, no-look backwards pass to Whalen for the no-doubt triple. On their next possession of the turnover, Abdalla sank another three points for a 21-point lead.
The three combined for 19 of the team's 27 points, going 8-8 from the field and 1-2 from the free throw line.
They put up huge numbers on the final stat line. Whalen ended the nigh with a game-high 24 points and five rebounds, Abdalla had 18 points on 4-6 three-point shooting and five rebounds, and Passley had 15 points along with six rebounds and three assists.
The Marauders pushed as hard as they could, but the Golden Hawks' lead was impossible to overcome as they fell to 2-18 on the season. The Golden Hawks are inching their way closer to a .500 record, moving to 9-10 and are still in control of the final playoff spot.
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks return home to close out the final three regular season games. On Saturday, February 7, the Toronto Varsity Blues come to town for Embrace Your Culture Night.
Tipoff is set for 8pm, and tickets are available here.
