MBB - Voyageurs earn first win of the season against Ridgebacks
On Saturday night, the men's basketball team earned their first victory of the season against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. The Voyageurs won the game 75-49 on home court, ending the weekend on a high note.
In the first quarter, Ismael Konate put Laurentian on the board with a layup, while Caillou Lacroix scored a 3-point shot. This would give the Voyageurs an early lead, in which Pierre Mukandila and Danial Muila both added two more points. Halfway through the quarter, Gaetan Chamand scored his first points of the game, adding 5 more points to the board. At the end of the quarter, the Voyageurs were up 20-12.
The Voyageurs set the tone early in the second quarter, with a dunk from Lacroix, only 9 seconds in. The Ridgebacks refused to let up, scoring 6 points and getting closer to Laurentian's lead. Mukandila sunk 2 free throws and Kamil Dia Hantchi made his first 2 points of the game. With only three minutes left in the quarter, Lacroix, Konate and Hantchi made a combination of 11 points, extending the Voyageurs' lead 41-25 going into the half.
In the third quarter, Konate and Lacroix geared up offensively to score a combination of 11 more points, leading to a timeout call by the Ridgebacks. With three minutes left in the quarter, Abdulmajid Hassan made two layups and Konate netted 3 free throws to end the quarter. The Voyageurs were sitting in a comfortable 62-35 lead going into the last ten minutes.
In the last ten minutes, Muila opened up scoring for the Vees with a layup, while Lacroix sunk another 3-point shot. The Ridgebacks saw numerous opportunities to score and made 6 points within two minutes, leading to timeout call by Laurentian this time. The Vees came back and scored 8 points, leading them to their first victory of the season.
The standout performers were Caillou Lacroix with 22 points, Ismael Konate with 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Pierre Mukandila with 13 points and 7 rebounds.
The Voyageurs are back in action on Friday, as they head on the road to take on the Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks and the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday night to close out an away weekend.
-Madison Boileau