LAURIER BASKETBALL 1-1 VS THUNDERWOLVES

The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks’ men’s basketball team hosted the Lakehead Thunderwolves in a double-header this weekend, looking to improve upon their 4-6 record. In the first contest, the Golden Hawks upset the number six nationally-ranked Thunderwolves 69-59 but fell short the following day 79-65.

“I think we played well both games,” said head coach Peter Campbell. “We had the chance to win both but ran out of gas late in the second game.”

In the first game, the Hawks took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Thunderwolves 21-9 to put them up 34-24 at the midway point. The squad continued to put pressure on the opposition; despite getting into trouble with fouls late in the fourth quarter, they managed to pull off the win.

“We came out strong,” said third-year post Matthew Buckley. “We had a big game with big production coming from the bench.”

First-year Maxwell Allin continued his impressive rookie season, with 20 points and eight rebounds, both of which led the team. Allin’s 103 rebounds on the season puts him first on the Hawks and sixth in the province.

Second-year guard Travis Berry also had a strong offensive game, chipping in 13 points and five rebounds on his way to Laurier Athlete of the Week honours.
Game two was a hard-fought battle, with the teams evenly matched until the fourth quarter when Lakehead pulled away, netting 26 points to earn the win.

“It’s disappointing,” said Campbell. “The back-to-back games took a toll on us; I don’t think we’re back into the swing of things yet after the break.”

The pair of games puts the Golden Hawks at 5-7 for their season, tied with Brock for sixth place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) west division. They will look to get back to winning ways tonight when the McMaster Marauders -who rank just two points ahead of Laurier in the OUA west standings- visit the Laurier Athletic Complex.