Metro Vancouver…..The KPU Eagles men’s basketball team rang in the New Year again on Friday night as a second-half surge gave the Eagles the edge to defeat the Columbia Bible College (CBC) Bearcats 85-78 at home in Surrey. KPU’s 2014/15 PACWEST CCAA regular season record is now 2-6, both wins came over CBC. The Eagles now have six more consecutive home games on the calendar for the month.
“We shared the ball really well and we were patient on offense,” noted Eagles head coach Vladimir Nikić, “The ball was moving, the players were moving, and we were successful.”
Coach Nikić was proud of the work his team did and while he emphasizes the work of the team as a whole, he noted special recognition for Cooley. For the second time in Cooley’s young university career, not to mention the second time against the Bearcats, he achieved a double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds.
Game recap versus the Bearcats:
A 19-point run by the Bearcats late in the first quarter and deep into the second proved to be a challenge for the Eagles as they fought to find their momentum. KPU went into halftime down 47-35 to CBC.
First-half stats for the Eagles had first-year power forward Matt (Madison) Cooley, Delta, BC lead his team (11 points, one assist, three rebounds), followed by third-year point guard Spencer Maichin, Delta, BC (nine points, two rebounds, two steals), and first-year power forward Nick (Nicholas) Smith, Surrey, BC (eight points, one assist, four rebounds, one steal). KPU shot 64% from the line.
CBC’s leaders after 20 minutes included second-year shooting guard Elijah Calhoun, Brooklyn, NY, USA (22 points, one assist, seven rebounds, two steals) and fifth-year Hudson Naylor, Kamloops, BC (10 points, one assist, six rebounds, one steal).
Second-half action saw the Eagles persistently chip away at the Bearcats twelve-point lead. By the start of the fourth quarter KPU was within four points of a tie and with six minutes to go KPU saw their first lead of the night. Eagles shooting guard Jaiten Rana, Delta, BC was fouled at the three-point line on two back-to-back offensive attacks and wowed the crowd by sinking all six shots. First-year KPU forward Trevor Schulz, Richmond, BC was a strong defensive force for the Eagles by effectively neutralizing CBC’s second-year forward Addison King, Bellingham, WA, USA. King scored 10 points in the third quarter but was held to zero for the remainder of the game. The teams would trade the lead back and forth until the Eagles went on a seven-point unanswered run to emerge with the thrilling victory for the home crowd 85-78 over the Bearcats.
The Eagles had strong shooting performances by first-year guard Brenden Bailey, Coquitlam, BC (28 points, three assists, six rebounds, four steals), Cooley (25 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot), Rana (19 points, two rebounds, three steals), and Smith (10 points, two assists, nine rebounds, two steals, one blocked shot). KPU shot 68% from the line in the second half for a 68% average on the game.
In second-half statistics, Calhoun (27 points, two assists, eight rebounds, two steals), Naylor (21 points, two assists, eight rebounds, one steal), and King (15 points, three rebounds, three steals) led for the Bearcats. CBC shot 56% from the line in second half and overall 66% for the game.
“All of our guys that came on in the second half contributed greatly to what happened on the floor. Defensively, we showed that we can be mentally tough even when we played with four guys with four fouls each,” stated Coach Nikić, “We played great defense, we did a great job in the second half boxing out and it showed. We controlled the tempo in the fourth quarter, but above all again we moved the ball and that’s why we won the game.”
Scoring:
KPU 11+24+25+25 = 85
CBC 23+24+17+14 = 78
Total Rebounds:
KPU 21+25=46/CBC 30+16=46
L to R background: Eagles Cooley, Rana, & Smith provide support as Maichin reaches for the ball versus Bearcats Calhoun
The Eagles will spend the entire month of January at home in the Eagles' Nest, for full schedule, please visit http://www.kpu.ca/athletics/teams/basketball-men/schedule-results1415. The next game will be Friday, January 16th at 8:00pm versus the Quest University Canada Kermodes and then Saturday, January 17th 2015 at 8:00pm versus the Capilano University Blues.
The Eagles women's basketball team are proud to announce their second-annual Canadian Breast Cancer Awareness Night on Friday, January 30th 2015. The Eagles will host a silent auction and t-shirt sale starting at 5:30pm to raise funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's BC & Yukon chapter. The event is cash-only and gate, silent auction, and shirt sales will be donated to Breast Cancer Research.
Photo Credit: Tree Frog Imaging (inset), KPU Sports Information
For more information on the Department of Athletics & Recreation, please contact Junelle Mah, sports information and marketing, at 604-786-0804 or at junelle.mah@kpu.ca.
The KPU Eagles Department of Athletics & Recreation enters its 14th season of interuniversity competition. The Eagles are members of the PACWEST conference and play in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with 100 student-athletes participating on eight varsity teams in men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, badminton and golf. KPU athletics plays its home games at the Eagles’ Nest (Surrey Campus), Northview Golf & Country Club, Newton Athletic Park, all located in Surrey, BC and the Ace Badminton Centre in Richmond, BC. The Eagles are active in the conference with staff members on various advisory committees and competing to host both provincial and national championships. The student-athletes are mainly from the lower mainland but KPU’s rosters have included student-athletes from North America, South America, Asia and Europe.
Follow the Eagles on Twitter @KPU Eagles, on Facebook www.facebook.com/KPUEagles, or on our website www.kpu.ca/eagles.