MBB | Laurentian Drops Home Opener To Western as Randriasalama Shines

In their season opener, the Laurentian Voyageurs Men's Basketball team took on the Western Mustangs at home. The Vees came out with a 94-74 loss in a promising return to regular-season play.

After losing the tipoff and allowing two points, the Vees were off to the races. After five minutes of solid defence, the offensive efforts paid off. To Randriasalama took charge, finishing the first quarter with 11 points, with three made shots beyond the arc, and Matthew Djanashvili helped with second chance points coming off offensive rebounds. Ismael Konate finished the quarter with a hook shot in the post, leaving the Voyaguers trailing 25-18 into the second.

The Vees' offensive struggles came back in the second quarter, with their first made bucket 2:35 into the frame. The remainder of the quarter had a focus on completing contested shots. Laurentian came up with some key turnovers in the quarter, the most notable being a forced
turnover off an inbound pass in the Mustang's zone, leading to an Angel Castellanos three-pointer. The team closed off the half strong, with a 48-34 deficit heading into the halftime break.

It was clear that two things were stressed during the break: control the tempo and take smarter shots, and that's exactly what Laurentian executed in the second half. After a strong defensive start, Randriasalama added to his tally, raking in a triplet of threes. Unfortunately, Western stayed stronger in the box and capitalized on their second chance points to lead by over 20 points moving into the final frame.

The final ten minutes came with much of the same as the prior 30, leading to their loss. Although the Vees could not complete the comeback, there were some bright spots for the team in the young season. Ismael Konate finished the game just shy of ten rebounds, and  Randriasalama remained a staple in the offence, dropping a 30-point game on 48% shooting.

With 22 points coming from the paint and 15 off the bench, the Vees got their points in gritty fashion, something they should continue to master. The Laurentian Voyageurs look to Saturday night, a home matchup against Windsor, to rally back to a .500 record.

- Brendan Rubin