MBB - Voyageurs secure victory over Lancers on home court
The men's basketball team hosted the Windsor Lancers on Friday night, to start off a weekend at home. The Voyageurs won 61-55, in a thrilling and closely contested match.
To start the game, Ismael Konate scored a 3-point shot within 8 seconds of tip-off, thanks to an assist from Kamil Dia Hantchi. Two minutes later, Daniel Muila, Caillou Lacroix and Cedric Mbiaba scored their first layups of the game, giving Laurentian the lead for a few seconds. The Lancers were quick to answer after every basket, leading to a 1-point game throughout the quarter. With twenty seconds left in the quarter, Mbiaba made two free throws and a layup, giving the Voyageurs a 17-16 lead going into then next quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lancers scored the first basket, while Lacroix scored two more points a few seconds later. With both teams being scoreless for over two minutes, Laurentian called a timeout, leading to 6 combined points between Gaetan Chamand, Mbiaba, and Muila. Halfway through, Hantchi scored two free throws and Konate scored a layup. The Lancers came back and scored four points, getting closer to the Voyageurs' lead, while Muila made a successful layup to head into halftime. The Voyageurs kept the lead by one point.
Coming back from halftime, Konate made a layup and a free throw, followed by two successful free throw attempts by Pierre Mukandila. The Voyageurs were then scoreless for several minutes, until the three-minute mark, where Hantchi scored a 3-point shot. With less than two minutes left, the Lancers took the lead, scoring 6 points very quickly. To conclude the third quarter, Lacroix scored another layup. The Voyageurs were trailing the Lancers 43-47.
In the last ten minutes, the Voyageurs got organized and initiated a comeback. Mbiaba, Lacroix, and Muila each scored a layup to equalize the game at 49-a-piece. Halfway through, Muila and Mukandila made another layup, Chamand scored a jump shot and Mbiaba scored two more points. With less than thirty seconds in the game, the Voyageurs were ahead by two points, until Lacroix and Chamand made two successful free throw attempts each. This led to a 61-55 victory for the Voyageurs.
The standout performers were Cedric Mbiaba with 14 points and 17 rebounds, Caillou Lacroix with 14 points, and Daniel Muila with 10 points.
The Voyageurs are back in action on Saturday, as they take on the Western Mustangs in a triple header day. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 pm at the Sudbury Arena.
-Madison Boileau