CIS men's basketball Saturday roundup: Fidler powers Dinos to upset of No. 4 Thunderbirds

The Varsity Reds fought hard against the Capers, but they were unable to capitalize with the ball, and ended losing 82-54.

"You can't let your frustration effect what's happening for the group," said head coach Brent Baker.

The first quarter started off shakily, as the Capers had a 21-5 lead against the V-Reds, but the Reds were able to pick it up before halftime, as they tightened the game, down 35-26.

"We had a worse start my first year here, it's just disappointing. We had a chance today," said Baker.

In the second half the V-Reds continued to struggle.

"That's why it's called team. Goes in the record books as the score it is, right. Whether we have a player on the floor or not."

Granted the loss was hard for the team, there are still a few positive notes to take from the game, one of them being the youth of the team.

With players suck as Seth Amoah, Aaron O'Brien, Matt Daley and Michael Fosu, the team will be able to build off their developing talents as V-Reds for next season.

"Matt Daley's still in the learning process, but you noticed transition slowed down when we had him in the game. Things got a little better with Aaron O'Brien, played a little bit tougher inside," said Baker.

"But those guys are all freshmen, they're all first year guys. So that's good for the future but that doesn't really help us right now."

The Reds next home game will be in the New Year, as they take on the UPEI Panthers and the Acadia Axemen, the weekend of Jan. 13.

Source: UNB Sports Info

The UPEI Panthers made it five in a row Saturday night winning 98-89 over Acadia at the Chi Wan Young Sport Centre. Donathan Moss lead the Panthers with 27 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Jonathan Cooper chipping in 25. Acadia's big scorer was Sean Stoqua with 25 and Bradley States with 17.

The Panthers lead 11-0 in the frist three minutes of the game and would open leads as high as 20 points before seeing the Axemen work their way back into the game. At half the score was 50-38 in favour of the Panthers but with less than 5 minutes left Acadia pulled within five.

The two teams face off again on Sunday at 3 pm.

Source: UPEI Sports Info

THUNDER BAY, Ont. - The Lakehead men came within a shot of pushing the game into overtime, but instead it was the Ravens who knocked down a plethora of clutch jumpers in the 4th quarter to seal their 88-85 victory over the Thunderwolves.

In what was the most hotly anticipated game of the first half of the season for the T-Wolves, they did not disappoint the 1,100+ fans that packed the Thunderdome on Saturday evening. The lead never swung more than 5 points for the majority of the game, as Lakehead got big-time contributions from Ben Johnson (23 points and 3 steals, 8-14 shooting), Joe Jones (18 points, 5 rebounds) and Venzal Russell (15 points, 4 rebounds).

The Pack went into halftime with a 36-32 lead. As the game progressed and legs started to tire, both teams would continue to slug away at one another, with the final quarter being the highest-scoring of the game (30-26 Carleton).

Remarked Carleton coach Dave Smart following the game, "This is a great playing atmosphere, it doesn't any better than this, in terms of road-game venues." About the Thunderwolf team he adds, "They just keep on coming back at you hard all game, that sets them apart from other teams."

The fourth quarter could not have been closer, as Carleton stretched their lead to 7 with under 5 minutes to play, thanks to three pointers from Willy Manigat and Tyson Hinz. Lakehead stormed back, as Joseph Jones and Venzal Russell aggressively attacked the hoop at every opportunity, and Jones made his free throws count (8-of-9 FT). In the final 24 seconds and LU down by 3, Lakehead fouled Phillip Scrubb, who clanked both free throws amidst the deafening chaos of the Thunderdome. Lakehead closed the gap to one on a Russell lay up with 10 seconds remaining. Carleton 5th year guard Willy Manigat was fouled and knocked down both. shots to restore the three point lead that they would cling to, despite Lakehead having two desperate last-second attempts to tie the game falter off target.

Carleton had 5 players reach double digits, with Phillip Scrubb scoring 17, Hinz 15, Kyle Smendziuk 15, Manigat 14 and Kevin Churchill 11. Carleton shot 53% (32-61) from the floor compared to Lakehead's 39% (28-71). Lakehead made up for their shooting by controlling the glass, out-rebounding the Ravens 28-19.

Coach Scott Morrison acknowledged after the game, "I believe that while we did not reach our ultimate goal tonight of defeating Carleton, we can walk away from this weekend with our head's high and with an increased motivation to continue pushing to improve our level of play in time for the OUA West schedule." 

Speaking to the technical side of things he adds, "I thought some sloppy weak side help as well as 2 or 3 defensive gambles in the 4th quarter may have cost us the game. Like the champions they are, Carleton made us pay by connecting on clutch shots and making us pay for every mistake down the stretch.  That being said I was proud of how we controlled the glass and kept fighting until the final buzzer. We have a long way to go to contend in March but anyone who saw tonight's game must believe that we have the potential to do just that.  

Moving forward Morrison concludes, "Time now to get focused on York and Laurentian and to try and finish off a solid first semester with two road Ws"

The men play York and Laurentian on the road next weekend.

Source: Lakehead Sports Info

GUELPH, Ont - On Saturday night the Guelph Gryphon men's basketball team dropped a 83-77 final tonight in a offensive battle with the Ottawa Gee Gees.
 
In the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s basketball game, Guelph’s Kareem Malcolm and Ottawa’s Warren Ward put on a scoring display for the ages.
 
While Malcolm may have won the scoring competition, exploding for 30 points with 15 coming in the fourth quarter alone, Ward carried the GeeGee’s to a victory with 10 fourth quarter points, giving him 28 in the game to go with eight rebounds.
 
With the win, Ottawa improves to 3-3 on the season, while Guelph falls to 3-3, dropping both games this weekend. Along with Ward, Ottawa was led by Johnny Berhanmeskel and Mike L’Africain, who both scored 16 points. Berhanmeskel led all players with four assists, with L’Africain shot an impressive 7-10 from the field.
 
Dan McCarthy and Adam Bering each scored 14 points to go with Malcolm’s game high 30. The Gryphon’s shot a respectable 45.5% from the field, but were unable to connect from three, hitting just 21% from deep. Ottawa’s ability to get in the lane allowed them to take 32 free-throws, compared to just 19 attempts by Guelph.
 
Ottawa jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead before Guelph bench cut into the lead. Osman Mohamed hit a big three, and added a nice post move to net five points in the quarter, but Ottata took an 18-12 lead after one by forcing a number of Guelph turnovers. L’Africain came off the bench to lead the GeeGee’s with five early on.
 
The GeeGee’s defence continued to hound the Gryphon’s, allowing Ottawa to use an 11-2 run to jump ahead 29-14 early on. Ward had seven points during the stretch. A Malcolm three cut the Guelph deficit to 37-26, with McCarthy adding another with just 30 seconds left in the half. Bering tipped in a last second rebound to cut the Ottawa advantage to 39-31 at the half, with ward leading all scorers with 11 points.
 
Both teams began the second half playing tight defence, as neither team was able to go on a run. The GeeGee’s used good ball movement to get a number of players involved, stretching the lead to 54-39 late in the quarter.
 Guelph had a couple opportunities at three-point plays off fouls, but were unable to capitalize at the charity stripe. Malcolm scored eight points in the third, while Ward and L’Africain added seven and six respectively, giving the GeeGees a 58-46 lead heading into the fourth.
 
The fourth quarter saw Guelph play some of their best defence of the game, forcing Ottawa into nine fourth quarter turnovers after only giving up six in the first three. Malcolm led the way with 15, cutting into the lane time-and-time again. His ability to create for himself was imperative as the Gryphon’s could get little going against the tough Ottawa defence.
 
A Zach Angus jumper cut the GeeGee’s lead to single digits with just over a minute to play, with Guelph forcing two turnovers late to get as close as 74-70. In the end, Ward was just too much, attacking the rim and dishing to open teammates to seal the victory.
 
Guelph will look to get back above .500 when they hit the road to take on the Laurentian Voyaguers Friday, December 2 in Sudbury, Ontario. Tipoff is scheduled for 8pm. 

Source: Guelph Sports Info

WATERLOO, Ont. - Kyle Enright hit a career high 21 points as the No. 9 nationally ranked Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (6-0) downed the York Lions (0-6), 102-62.

Enright, a native of Oakville, Ont. nailed six of nine from outside the arc, including a quick run of three in a row in the third quarter.

"Kyle has been hot," commented head coach Peter Campbell post game. "He's playing with confidence and hitting those shots and his teammates are feeding off that energy and putting up points of their own."

Veteran Kale Harrison of Stratford, Ont. had another strong performance as he put up 21 points while Maxwell Allin of Chatham, Ont. added 14 of his own. The Golden Hawks hold the highest points for total in the conference, now sitting at 587. The team is averaging almost 98 points per game so far this season.

"The number of guys contributing to the offence is great," commented Campbell on the fact that all 12 players in the game contributed point in the win. "It's being done unselfishly and the guys are moving the ball around well, getting open looks and knocking them down."

Laurier broke away midway in the second as the team outscored their opponents 32-20. York's shooting in the second half dropped to 28% from 47% as they only put up 25 points on 41 shots from the field while Laurier countered with 51 points.

The Golden Hawks had their best there-point performance of the season sinking 15 of 26 for 57%.

"Our goal was to go into this weekend with a record of 6-0," said Campbell talking to the upcoming weekend against No. 1 ranked Carleton and University of Ottawa. "Taking on the best two teams in the east and seeing how we do in their gym will be a great test."
 
The Golden Hawks return in January to the Athletic Complex for a contest against the Waterloo Warriors on the 5th at 8:00 p.m.

Source: Laurier Sports Info

TORONTO - The Varsity Blues men’s basketball team came away with an 86-81 victory over the No. 10 Windsor Lancers on Saturday night (Nov. 26) at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
 
With the win, the Blues improve to 3-3 and sit tied with Ottawa for second place in the East, while the Lancers drop to 3-3 and are tied for sixth in the West.
 
Drazen Glisic of Sarajevo, BIH, tallied a team-high 16 points and six boards and earned Varsity Blues player of the game honours. Alex Hill (Toronto) ended the night with 14 points, while Holland Landing, Ont., native Ben Garvin had 13 points. Both Andrew Wasik and Arun Kumar notched 11 points in the win.
 
Toronto withheld a fourth-quarter rally by the Lancers, which saw the visiting squad almost overcome a 20-point third-quarter deficit.  Windsor outscored U of T 29-14 in the final frame, but the Blues held on for the five-point victory.
 
The Blues dominated from the get-go as Hill opened the game with back-to-back threes.  Toronto consistently maintained at least a 15-point lead throughout the first three quarters.
 
With just under four minutes remaining, Windsor’s Enrico Diloreto took the game into his control with eight consecutive points to bring the Lancers within three.  With a pair of free throws from Wasik, Toronto held on to record their second-straight win.
 
Diloreto led all players with an amazing 31 points, while Josh Collins had 17.  Both Jahmal McQueen (12 points, 10 boards) and Lien Phillip (11 points, 12 boards) recorded double-doubles in the loss.
 
The Varsity Blues return to the court next Friday, December 2 as they travel to Hamilton, Ont., to take on the McMaster Marauders. Game time is set for 8 p.m.

Source: Toronto Sports Info

TORONTO- Jelane Pryce tallied 20 points and eight rebounds while Jordon Gauthier recorded a double-double, and the Ryerson Rams men's basketball team earned a victory in its final conference home game of 2011, defeating the Western Mustangs 87-76 at Kerr Hall Gym.
Gauthier finished with 18 points and 11 boards, while Ola Adegboruwa and Jahmal Jones also put up 18 and 16 respectively as the Rams ended with a 48% field-goal percentage and out-rebounded their Mustangs counterparts 37-17. Ryerson improves their record to 2-4, while Western falls to 1-5 following the loss.

"I think they're feeling good," said Head Coach Roy Rana of his players. "I thought we came off the floor at Lakehead and last night (against Windsor) not feeling good about ourselves because we didn't give the effort. We weren't tough enough. (I told them) this is the kind of game that's going to define who we are. I thought they gave everything they had tonight."

Innisfil, Ont. native Pryce led the Rams with eight points in the first five minutes to give Ryerson a 15-11 lead in the opening quarter. Jones (Mississauga) and Gauthier (Windsor, Ont.) tallied the next six points, extending the lead to ten. Jones then was fouled on a penetration inside, but managed to make the bucket and sink the foul shot as Ryerson continued to pad the score. They took a 28-15 lead into the second quarter.

Pryce continued to heat up, dropping back-to-back three-pointers when the Mustangs chose not to contest him from beyond the arc. The 6'7'' forward moved from the perimeter to the low post and picked up a bucket plus the harm. He finished with a first-half high of 16 points.

However, the Mustangs were able to cut slightly into the lead, but more importantly forced Jones to pick up his third personal foul with 2:12 to go in the half. Ryan Barbeau's jumper soon after was the sixth straight point for Western, and they were also down by the six with over a minute to play in the period. Gauthier picked up a rebound and put it back for two, and Ryerson headed to the locker room up 46-38 at halftime.

The teams traded points through the first five minutes of the third quarter as Ryerson held onto a small cushion. After Jones threaded the needle on a pass to Adegboruwa on the baseline for a lay-in, Gauthier sliced through the Mustangs defense on the following possession and finished with a finger-roll into the bucket. That brought a halt to the momentum Western built through the middle portion of the period and restored a double-digit advantage.

Pryce continued to be a factor, taking a charging foul with 1:33 left that Jones converted into a three-pointer at the other end. The Rams were shooting 46% at the end of the third, and headed into the final quarter with a 64-52 lead.

Western responded through the early part of the fourth, going on an 8-2 run and coming within six points once again with 7:00 left on the clock. Peter Scholtes was left wide open in the corner, and made good on a three to five, but Jones and Ola Adegboruwa answered with an end-to-end sprint that gave the latter an easy finish on a pass from his fellow guard.

Another three by Scholtes helped the Mustangs keep pace, but a thundering dunk by Luke Staniscia with just over two minutes to play gave Ryerson the momentum once again late in the contest. The Pefferlaw, Ont. native then drew a foul, sunk both his free throws and Ryerson kept possession as Nathan Diloreto fouled out of the game. Staniscia finished with nine points and six rebounds.

The Rams made six of their last seven free throws down the stretch to clinch their second victory of the season.

The men will hit the road for their last two games before the holiday break, travelling to Brock and McMaster next Friday and Saturday respectively.

Source: Ryerson Sports Info

MONTREAL, Que. – A third-quarter drought doomed the Bishop's Gaiters as they fell to the McGill Redmen, 67-54, in Quebec university basketball league play tonight at the Mitchell Gym. The Gaiters had taken their only lead of the night at 38-37, at 6:06 of the third, but were held scoreless through the rest of the period, as McGill led 49-38 after thirty minutes. 

McGill led 20-13 after the first quarter, but the Gaiters had chipped the lead down to three points, 32-29, by halftime. A three-pointer by Sean Monplaisir (Toronto, Ont.) capped a 7-1 run over 1:49 early in the third, putting Bishop's up 38-37. McGill scored 12 unanswered points to put the game away. In the fourth quarter, the Gaiters could pull to no closer than four points.

Bishop's (5-9, 5-6 CIS, 0-4 Quebec) was led, for the second straight night, by Mukiya Post (Victoria, B.C.), who scored 13 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Onnex Blackwood (Scarborough, Ont.) was the only other Gaiter in double figures, with 11 points. Jeremy Leonard-Smith (Ottawa, Ont.) led Bishop's with seven points.

McGill (8-13, 6-8 CIS, 3-2 Quebec) had three players in double figures, led by Tristan Renaud-Tremblay's 18. Karim Sy-Morissette scored 13 points, and Winn Clark added 11 for the Redmen.

The Redmen shot 49% from the field (25-for-51), while holding the Gaiters to 36% (21-for-58). McGill held a slight edge in rebounds, 34 to 33, and committed 22 turnovers to 20 by Bishop's.

The Gaiters are off for exams, and return to action after Christmas at the Classique des Citadins in Montreal.

Source: Bishop's Sports Info

KINGSTON, Ont. - Despite a six point half time lead the Gaels (0-6) were unable to hold on as the Brock Badgers (5-1) defeated Queen's 69-60 in OUA basketball action on Saturday night.
 
The Gaels came out flying in the first quarter as they opened up a nine point lead over the visiting Badgers. The team scored 19 points in the opening quarter compared to only 10 for the Badgers.
 
The Badgers chipped away at the Gaels lead in the second quarter outscoring Queen's by three points. At the half the Gaels still held a six point lead after shooting 48 percent from the field. The Badgers poor shooting slowed them down in the first half as the team went six for 20 from the three point line.
 
In the second half Brock came out strong 41 points compared to only 26 for the Gaels. The Badgers would hold on despite Queen's making it close in the fourth quarter. Final score was Brock 69 and Queen's 60.
 
The Gaels were led on offence by Nikola Misljencevic of Ottawa who shot five for 11 from the field and six for seven from the free throw line to finish with 16 points, which led all scorers. Misljencevic also added three rebounds and two steals. Mackenzie Simpson of Ottawa also chipped in with 12 points, four rebounds and three asssits.
 
The Badgers were led by Andrew Kraus who finished with a double double recording 10 points and 13 rebounds.
 
The Gaels return to the hardcourt on Friday December 2 when they travel to London, Ontario to take on the Western Mustangs.

Source: Queen's Sports Info

SASKATOON — Using a 14-0 stretch in the third quarter, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies defeated the Trinity Western University Spartans 98-73 Saturday night at the PAC in Saskatoon.

Peter Lomuro, a guard who transferred to the Huskies this season from the University of Winnipeg, scored on back-to-back fast breaks in the quarter, highlighted by a thunder dunk on a pass from forward Michael Lieffers. The Huskies finished the frame outscoring the Spartans 35-19.

Saskatchewan jumped out to a 20-10 lead in the first quarter before Trinity Western gained momentum in the second quarter. The Huskies had a slim 39-36 lead heading into halftime. The third quarter sparked the Huskies large lead. Saskatchewan added another 24 to Trinity's 18 in the fourth.

Lomuro finished with 20 points for Saskatchewan, while the Huskies Jamelle Barrett, the league scoring champion last season, had 23 points and seven assists. Duncan Jones added 15 points and Lieffers 12. Patrick Burns had seven rebounds.

With the win the No. 5 ranked Huskies move to 5-2 and are on a four game winning streak. Trinity Western drops to 2-6.

Sean Peter, a fifth-year player, was the leading scorer for the Spartans with 24 points. Tristan Smith added 11 points and four steals. Calvin Westbrook had five rebounds.
 
Saskatchewan went 10-of-21 on three-point attempts, with Barrett and Jones hitting three each. Trinity Western was 4-of-14. The Huskies shot at 60% in the game, while the Spartans shot 44%.
 
This was the last weekend for most Canada West teams before the December break. Saskatchewan's league schedule resumes Jan. 6 in Victoria, while Trinity Western is home to Lethbridge.

Game Notes: The Huskies played this weekend without fourth-year forward Nolan Brudehl, who is injured.

Source: Saskatchewan Sports Info

CALGARY – With three of their top players out of the line-up, with the No. 4-ranked team in the nation in their gym, and staring a 2-6 start to the season in the face, Tyler Fidler put the Calgary Dinos on his back and led them to a 92-85 upset over the UBC Thunderbirds Saturday night in the Jack Simpson Gym.
 
The loss was the second straight for the Thunderbirds, who drop to 4-2 on the season, while Calgary improves to 3-5 as they head into the Christmas break.
 
Fidler, playing just 26 minutes on the night, put up 10 points in the opening quarter and didn't let up, finishing the night with 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 9-for-12 from the line in his best performance of the season. He was great, but he was able to play at that level because of strong play across the board from the Dinos in what head coach Dan Vanhooren described as one of the most significant victories of his career.
 
“I think that's top two, for sure,” said the 12th-year coach, who has had several epic battles with Kevin Hanson and the Thunderbirds during that time. “I'm so proud of the guys' energy and effort. We got a contribution from every guy on the bench. We pounded, we worked hard, we hit shots, we played smart, we executed. Tyler Fidler played like a fifth-year man tonight – he gave our guys the confidence that they needed to win a basketball game when they needed somebody to follow.
 
“We haven't played a single conference game with our entire line-up yet, and this was such a big game for us mentally. It creates a level of belief that we needed, and now moving forward, hopefully some special things can happen.”
 
The game featured 11 lead changes and seven tied scores, with the largest margin coming when UBC took a 14-6 lead just over four minutes into the contest. It was tight all the way.
 
The Dinos dug into that Thunderbird lead late in the opening quarter, with UBC taking a 27-22 advantage into the second. Led by a nine-point quarter from Josh Wolfram, the Dinos erased that deficit to send the game into the half at 45-45. It was 67-66 UBC after three, and the Dinos began to pull away late in the fourth when the Thunderbirds were forced to foul.
 
Despite winning the game, the Dinos were badly outmatched on the glass, giving up 51 rebounds to the Thunderbirds while collecting just 30. Calgary did, however, force UBC into 28 turnovers defensively and shot the ball extremely well as a unit – finishing the game at 52.6 per cent.
 
The Thunderbirds were led by a 17-point effort by Doug Plumb, with Malcolm Williams chipping in 16 off the bench along with Kamar Burke's 14 point, 11-rebound double-double. Nathan Yu, who ran into foul trouble early, played just 15 minutes and recorded eight points.
 
A total of five players fouled out of the contest – four of which were Thunderbirds.
 
The Dinos got big contributions from Dustin Reding with 16 points, Wolfram's 15, and 11 from Keenan Milburn. Patrick Walker had a big night with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting and was the Dinos' leading rebounder with six in just 15 minutes of play.
 
Both teams head into the Christmas break and will next see conference action on the opening weekend of 2012. The Thunderbirds will welcome prairie foes Alberta and Saskatchewan to War Memorial Gym Jan. 6-7, while Calgary will also play in the Lower Mainland that weekend as they head for a Fraser Valley-Trinity Western swing.

Source: Calgary Sports Info

Senior guard, Ryan Mackinnon, sitting third on the Canada West scoring list, led all scorers with 23 on the night, featuring a 5-5 three-point performance in the first half that secured the Vikes a comfortable lead at the break. His sharp-shooting efforts were augmented by the double-digit performance of four of his teammates, including, Michael Acheampong and Mike Berg who came up with 14 points apiece.

The 'Horns's offensive effort rested on 13 points from both Dominyc Coward and Logan Reiter, with Coward also leading all rebounders with eight.

Last night against UBC, the 'Horns came out of the starting gates with defensive pressure and transition offense, forcing the T-Birds to compete in a match more suited to the 'Horns depth and quickness. Tonight, however, the crowd watched a different style of play—the 'Horns succumbing to a Victoria-dictated, slower, half-court game that allowed the Vikes to use their size and inside presence to their advantage. The 'Horns showed signs of momentum, including a second quarter fast break dunk by Logan Reiter that sent the crowd to its feet, but the dominant rebounding of the Vikes as well as their impressive shooting performance extinguished the 'Horns's efforts toward a comeback.

The 'Horns will look to adjust their tactics going into the semester break, perhaps picking up the stone and sling of a run-and-gun tempo that has served them well in the past. With the loss, they fall to 4-4 on the season and will meet up with Trinity Western University in Langley on January 6. The Vikes remain undefeated at 8-0 and will play the University of Saskatchewan at home the same night. Games will be webcast on canadawest.tv,

Source: Lethbridge Sports Info

The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s basketball team will head into the Christmas break at .500.  The WolfPack improved their record to 4 and 4 following a victory over the visiting University of Regina Cougars.  The score was 110-100.   The WolfPack will finish the first half of the Canada West season with a .4 and 4 record , while Regina is 2 and 5 going into the break.
 
And they sent their fans home from the Tournament Capital Centre happy and hungry.  It was “McDonald’s weekend” and the ‘Pack fulfilled their promise of winning and scoring over 100 points.  For that, each ticket holder got a free ‘Big Mac’.
 
“This weekend is always a grind,”said WolfPack head coach Scott Clark.  “ You just hope to be on the winning side of the ledger. We were fortunate that it happened.”
 
“ It seemed like defence went out the window tonight,” said Regina coach James Hillis. “37 points in the fourth quarter was a lot. We got got behind but we kept closing. In the last four minutes it became scrambly because we were playing faster than we wanted to.  We gave up 24 points in the first quarter and 30 in the third quarter. That has been an issue for us.  You have to be able to get stops.  We are not the team that we once were that could give up 95 points and win.”
 
TRU was led by Justin King (3rd year, forward, Las Vegas, NV).  He had 35 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes of play.
 
Clark praised King who was playing this weekend with injuries.  “Obviously he can score like crazy and he is a good basketball player.  He is a really good guy.  He is banged up a little bit right now but he gutted it out and played injured this weekend. He couldn’t practice on Tuesday. We played the ‘crap’ out of him. That says a lot about a guy when he puts it on the line when his team needs him.”
 
Chas Kok (5th year, forward, Lynden, WA) entered the weekend as the Canada West’s top scorer. He had 22 points and eight rebounds in this game.
 
Kevin Pribilsky (4th year, guard, Victoria,BC) had 15 points and six rebounds in being named the TRU Bookstore/McDonald’s “Leader of the Pack” player of the game.
 
Clark said Pribilsky is a leader. “He is a quiet warrior. That is what you want. He comes every day and gives it his all. He goes about his job and does it in a very professional manner. He doesn’t have to say a whole heck of a lot and people take notice.”
 
Pribilsky was happy to win both their games this weekend (taking Brandon on Saturday Nov 25). “ It was good to get the wins before the break. Both games  weren’t very pretty.  We know what we have to work on in the second half of the year-especially on our defensive rotations and transition. We did OK on the boards at times but sometimes we had mental  lapses. We are happy to be four and four but there is a lot of work to do.”
 
Two other ‘Pack players were in double figures: Akeem Pierre (3rd year, guard, Calgary, AB)had 13 points while Brett Rouault (2nd year, guard, Vernon, BC) contributed 11 points.
 
The Pack led wire to wire: 24-16 after the first quarter, 43-39 at the half and 73-63 at the three quarter post.
 
Regina’s had two players with over 20 points. Paul Garneau (4th year, forward, Regina, SK) had 23 points and eight rebounds while Brendan Hebert (2nd year, guard, Regina, SK) had 20 points and three boards. Other players in double figures for the Cougars were Jared Janotta (2nd year, guard, Regina, SK) with 15 points and Connor Burns (3rd year, post, Regina, SK) with 13 points.
 
Clark is happy with his team’s record as they go into the break. “ I was looking at the schedule and hoping 4 and 4 was achievable,” he says. “ 5 and 3 was great as well. Championships and playoff spots aren’t won at this time of the year.  They could be lost though. We put ourselves into a position that we haven’t won or lost anything.  In order to do some damage, you have to play good basketball in January and February.  That is what we are looking to do here.  We have to tighten up a lot of things. If we can get better here and there we could have a chance.”
 
The WolfPack return to league play on Friday Janaury 5, 2012 when they entertain the University of Winnipeg Wesmen at the Tournament Capital Centre.  The Cougars will host  Brandon that same night.
 
SUB IN’S:   The WolfPack will head to San Diego December 17 th for exhibition games against PointLoma Nazarene and San Diego Christian University.
 
Clark on his team being the top TRU CIS club in terms of a record in only his second year at the helm of men’s basketball: “ It’s a process of bringing in the right pieces,  making a connection with the community. And it is a process of playing the right way.  If you put winning and losing into perspective sometimes, I am as guilty as anybody at times for not being able to do that. This is a game of basketball. We are trying to get young men to play unselfishly, hard , go to school and be part of the community.  That is part of the process here as well. To focus only on being .500, we are still the same guys. We are no less a group of individuals.”
 
A Kamloops man, Lance Hallstrom  got a chance to try for $10,000 between the third and fourth quarters of the game.    was the finalist in the 97.5 The River/TRU $10 K showdown.  He had a half court shot but missed it.
 
Another contest starts in January with the big shot coming February 11 th in the men’s game against UBCO. 

Source: Thompson Rivers Sports Info