MBB - Voyageurs lose to Mustangs at Sudbury Arena
On Saturday, the men's basketball team hosted the Western Mustangs in a triple header day at the Sudbury Arena. The Voyageurs dropped the game 102-71 to conclude a weekend at home.
In the first quarter, forward Ismael Konate scored the first two points for the Voyageurs, followed by a layup from Pierre Mukandila. With two minutes off the clock, Kamil Dia Hantchi scored a 3-pointer to give Laurentian the lead for a few seconds. Later on, Caillou Lacroix and Konate scored a combination of 7 points, while Cedric Mbiaba scored his first two points with free throws. With two minutes left in the quarter, Laurentian called a timeout to strategize offensive approaches, which was effective, as Lacroix and Gaetan Chamand scored a layup shortly after. With under a minute left, Mbiaba scored two more points. The Voyageurs were behind by three points going into the next quarter.
In the second quarter, a turnover by Laurentian led to the first two points being scored by the Mustangs. Within the seventh minute, Hantchi and Ahmad Cidi-Jalloh both sunk a 3-point shot, followed by a layup from Mukandila and Hantchi again a minute later. To end the quarter, Lacroix scored a combination of 7 points, but the Mustangs got away from the Voyageurs, having a 55-40 lead going into halftime.
Coming back from halftime, Muila scored first for the Voyageurs with a layup, and Mbiaba made another layup at the four-minute mark. While driving to the net, Lacroix got fouled two more times, leading to two successful free throw attempts both times. In the last two minutes, Chamand, Evan Munro, and Chikosi Boardi scored a combination of 7 points. However, this was not enough to catch up to the Mustangs, as they were ahead 87-56 by that point.
To finish the game, the Voyageurs scored first with a free throw from Muila, followed by a three-pointer from Cidi-Jalloh. The next two points were scored by Lacroix three minutes later and Mukandila with a free throw. With the clock ticking down the three minutes, Hantchi scored a layup and Keenan Morain and Konate both made two free throws. The game ended with two successful free throws from Morain. The Voyageurs fought hard but lost the game 102-71 to the Mustangs.
The standout performers were Caillou Lacroix with 20 points and 7 rebounds, Kamil Dia Hantchi with 10 points and 6 rebounds, and Ismael Konate with 7 points and 6 rebounds.
The Voyageurs are back in action next weekend, as they take on the York Lions on Friday night, followed by McMaster Marauders on Saturday. Tip-offs are scheduled for 8 pm on both days, with games being hosted in the Ben Avery.
-Madison Boileau