Dual display

OUA West foes pose disparate challenges

Roshane Roberts scored 19 points against Brock on Saturday.
Image by: Sam Koebrich
Roshane Roberts scored 19 points against Brock on Saturday.

It was a tale of two skill-sets for the Gaels at home last weekend.

Men’s basketball showed off their defensive prowess on Friday against the McMaster Marauders and their offensive attack on Saturday versus the Brock Badgers.

Unfortunately for the Gaels, poor execution on offence cost them in a 65-63 loss to the Marauders. Queen’s defence was strong all night, only surrendering five points in the final quarter, but 22 turnovers and a dismal 39 per cent shooting from the field ultimately led to defeat.

Down two points at the end of the fourth quarter, the Gaels had the final possession of the game, but were unable to convert.

Guard Roshane Roberts hooped 13 points, while forward Nikola Misljencevic chipped in with 11.

Despite poor offensive performance, head coach Stephan Barrie was pleased with his squad’s overall defensive effort.

“I thought we played real strong offensively — they are a very tough team,” Barrie said. “For us to hold them to 65 points overall and five points in the fourth quarter gave us a chance to win the game. Unfortunately, our offence wasn’t clicking very well.”

Saturday saw the Gaels put up a season-high in points in a 92-82 victory over a young Brock squad.

The Gaels jumped out to a 25-11 lead after one, but that lead slipped to just two points at halftime. In the second half, the Gaels offence got rolling, pouring in 54 points.

Guard Sukhpreet Singh was the star of the game, controlling play, netting 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Roberts and guard Greg Faulkner racked up 19 and 17 points, respectively.

This victory wasn’t satisfying for some Gaels, as the Badgers are a winless, rebuilding program, but Misljencevic said each win is important to compete in the OUA East.

“The win was necessary,” Misljencevic said. “We play in the hardest division in the country and every game is very important for our overall standings. Although we could have played better, we’ll take the win.”

The theme moving forward for the Gaels is to put together a full effort on both ends of the floor. Performing both offensively and defensively for the full 40 minutes each game is a must, according to Misljencevic.

“On Friday, our defensive effort was there but we turned over the ball too much on offence. On Saturday, our defence wasn’t as good, but our offence was better,” he said.

“The goal is to now combine a strong defensive performance alongside an offensive one.”

The Gaels travel to Toronto tomorrow to face the York Lions (5-3), a team sporting the same record as them. They’ll be in a dogfight for the rest of the season to grab an OUA East playoff spot.

Both clubs are currently tied for fifth in the division. McMaster and the Windsor Lancers, meanwhile, lead the OUA West with identical 5-3 records.

The tip-off time in Toronto is set for 8 p.m.

Tags

Barrie, Brock, Gaels, mcmaster, Men's Basketball

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