KPU Men's and Women's Eagles teams found themselves in a must-win situation last weekend in the qualification race for Provincial Championships.
Both Eagles teams were victorious over the visiting Douglas College Royals on Friday, February 3; the women led the charge to a 68 – 53 win, ending their five-game losing streak. Leading the charge was second-year center, Samantha McPhail (Vancouver, BC) with 17 points and 12 rebounds and going 5 for 6 (83%) from the free throw line. Second-year guard, Anna Work (Everett, WA) posted double-digit points (14) and shooting 100% (5 for 5) at the free throw line as did first-year guard, Jessica Villadiego (Surrey, BC), tallying 12 points while pressuring the Royals' guard.
The Men's team followed the Women's lead; in an intense game against Douglas College, the Eagles defeated their rivals 80 – 63. First-year guard, Aaron Ram (Surrey, BC), led the Eagles in points with 21 followed by first-year forward, Gurpal Mann (Surrey, BC), with 16 points and going 6 for 8 (75%) from the free-throw line. First-year guard, and new recruit, Anmoel Dhillon (Surrey, BC) also added to the tally with 15 points.
"The game was very intense on Friday," commented head coach, Stefon Wilson. "Rival games are what make [varsity] basketball exciting. I was proud of our players for using their emotions during the game in a positive way."
Saturday was no different, continuing their weekend of dominance, the Eagles travelled to Columbia Bible College for a show-down with the Bearcats; the women were first to dominate in an 83 – 43 victory. First-year guard, Cassandra Micona (Mission, BC), led the team with 18 points followed closely by first-year guard, Brittney Church (Langley, BC), with 17 points.
"Offensively, we have started to get better scoring chances as was seen in our game against Douglas College," stated head coach, Dan Nayebzadeh. "We also did a good job of this against CBC, shooting 13 for 13 from the free throw line. [If we] continue to take good shots and get the high percentages, we will continue to have this type of success."
For the first time all season, the Men's Eagles hit triple digits in total points with their 102 – 81 victory over the Columbia Bible College Bearcats on Saturday. Ali Bosir (Surrey, BC), third-year center, led the Eagles on the stats list capturing 29 points and 9 rebounds. Forward Varinder Singh (Delta, BC) followed closely with 25 points and guard Aaron Ram (Surrey, BC) racked up 19 points in the high scoring match.
After Week 8, both the Eagles Women and Men have taken sole possession of 6th place in the PACWEST standings. The Eagles will host the Langara College Falcons on Thursday, February 9 heading into the final two games of the regular season with tip-off for the Women at 6:00pm and for the Men at 8:00pm.
Complete game results can be found at: www.kpu.ca/eagles
KPU has been serving the Metro Vancouver region for more than 30 years, and has opened doors to success for more than 250,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts and science, design, health, trades and technology, apprenticeships, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 17,500 students annually have a choice from over 200 programs, including bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations.
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