MBB - Voyageurs end preseason on a high note
On Saturday night, the men's basketball team played host to the Nipissing Lakers in their last preseason game. The Voyageurs were victorious 77-57 over their northern rivals.
The Voyageurs started off strong by winning the tip off and Abdulmajid Hassan making the first lay up of the game. Caillou Lacroix and Ismael Konate added to the scoreboard with their own layups, making it 11-5 Laurentian in the first five minutes of the game. The Voyageurs kept adding to the board, with points from Daniel Muila, Kamil Dia Hantchi, Keenan Morain and Lacroix, to finish off the first quarter with a score of 27-11.
To start the second quarter, the Voyageurs opened up scoring with a jump shot from Tyler Brown, followed by a lay up from Konate. Due to outstanding defence by both teams, the scoreboard remained at 14-34 in favour of the Voyageurs, for several minutes. Laurentian called a timeout to sort out their offense at the sixth minute, with Morain netting a 3-point shot shortly after. Lacroix and Pierre Mukandila made a combination of 5 points, going into the half with a 42-25 lead.
While the Voyageurs had the lead on their side, the Lakers came back on the court and scored several points, making it only a fourteen-point difference five minutes into the quarter. Once again, Laurentian called a timeout to get organized offensively and defensively, which was effective, as proved by Lacroix and Muila who scored lay ups shortly after. Mukandila sunk a 3-point shot with 20 seconds left in the quarter, making it 56-43 for the blue and gold going into the last quarter.
The Voyageurs started off strong in the last ten minutes of the game, with more 3-point shots from Mukandila and Lacroix, forcing the Lakers to call a timeout. Lacroix and Hassan repeated the same sequence shortly after, giving them an even bigger lead 72-47 with five minutes left in the game. Due to an aggressive defense played by the Vees, the Lakers had difficulty getting the ball inside the key, only scoring 5 points in that same timeframe. Nipissing called a timeout in the last two minutes which was ineffective, giving Laurentian the victory 77-57 in their last preseason game.
Laurentian's standout performers included Cailloux Lacroix with 24 points, Isamel Konate with 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Abdulmajid Hassan and Pierre Mukandila with 8 points each.
The Voyageurs are back in action on Thursday, November 2nd for the first game of the regular season as they head to Ontario Tech, followed by Queen's Friday evening.
-Madison Boileau