Metro Vancouver…..The KPU Eagles men’s basketball team dropped to 2-10 after losing both games this week. The first loss came from the third-ranked PACWEST Langara College Falcons 114-66 on Thursday, and the second came from the fourth-ranked Douglas College Royals on Saturday 98-62 at home in Surrey, BC. The 2015/16 PACWEST regular season schedules each team to meet three times, the Eagles are 0-2 in both season series with the Falcons and Royals. The Eagles will play at home for the last time on Friday, January 30th and Saturday, January 31st before taking to the road for the remainder of the season.
Eagles first-year Head Coach Vladimir Nikić sees areas of improvement with his young team, but is also realistic in areas that still present a challenge, “We have to make sure that we hit all of our lay-ups and free throws. We need to make sure that in the future we follow through with what we talk about in the locker room,” he noted, “We aren’t moving well on defense and closing out on three-point shots is a problem. In order to be successful we need to be more disciplined on defense and we need to be more mentally tough.”
Game recap versus the Langara College Falcons
The Falcons, the 2014 reigning CCAA National Champions, came out to a fast start early in the first quarter. Langara’s tough defensive strategy forced multiple Eagle turnovers that subsequently led to two separate 11-point runs before the first ten minutes were over. At the half, the Eagles trailed the Falcons 57-34 before Langara walked away with the victory, 114-66.
Eagles’ first-year power forward Matt (Madison) Cooley, Delta, BC played a tremendous game. Not only did the rookie science major earn his third university-career double-double (31 points, 15 rebounds, one assist, one blocked shot), but he did so while in foul trouble early in the game. Cooley was assessed his fourth foul with minutes to go in the first-half, and was able to stay in the game until the final 28 seconds when he reached five.
Cooley, like fellow first-year teammate, guard Brenden Bailey, Coquitlam, BC, is nationally-ranked by the CCAA. Bailey is currently tied for ninth in scoring (10 games played, 218 points, 21.8 points/game), while Cooley is 32nd in rebounding (10 games played, 78 rebounds, 7.8 rebounds/game).
Also contributing for KPU in the game versus Langara was first-year shooting guard Jaiten Rana, Delta, BC (19 points, one rebound, one steal) and first-year post Navdeep Brar, Abbotsford, BC (4 points, six rebounds). The Eagles shot 80% from the line in the first half, 82% in the second, for a game average of 81%.
Leaders for Langara included fifth-year forward Jitinder Lohcham, Vancouver, BC (26 points, 8 rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots, three steals), first-year guard Montell Lindgren, Prince George, BC (11 points, three rebounds, five assists, three steals), and fifth-year guard Elliot Mason, Richmond, BC (11 points, one rebound, seven assists, one steal). The Falcons averaged 68% from the line for the night, which included 78% in the first half and 60% in the second.
Scoring:
KPU 13+21+13+19 = 66
LAN 32+25+34+23 = 114
Total Rebounds:
KPU 23+22=45/LAN 19+29=48
(KPU in White) #23 Nick Smith looks on with #7 Jaiten Rana as #25 Matt Cooley adds to his third career double-double
Game recap versus the Douglas College Royals
The Eagles defense struggled from the start. Similar to the game against the Falcons, turnovers by the Eagles led to fast breakaways and an opening 16-point run by the Royals. At the half, the Eagles were down 44-17 and while they were able to outshoot the Royals 20-18 in the third quarter, the KPU defense gave up 36 points in the fourth. The Eagles fell 98-62 to the Royals after forty minutes.
Game leaders for KPU included first-year power forward Nick Smith, Surrey, BC (12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals), first-year forward Trevor Schulz, Richmond, BC (11 points, six rebounds, two blocked shots), and Cooley (10 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot, one steal). The Eagles shot 53% from the line for the game, which included 67% in the first half and 50% in the second half.
Douglas’ third-year guard Kristian Hildebrandt, Vancouver, BC led the way for his team (20 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal), followed by third-year Malcolm Mensah, Toronto, ON (17 points, five rebounds, three blocked shots, one steal), and second-year guard Grant Campbell, Surrey, BC (14 points, one rebound, six assists, one blocked shot, two steals). The Royals shot 67% in the first half and 78% in the second half for a game average of 75%.
Scoring:
KPU 8+ 9+20+25 = 62
DC 26+18+18+36 = 98
Total Rebounds:
KPU 18+26=44/DC 27+17=44
The Eagles have two home games left before spending the rest of the season on the road. For full schedule, please visit http://www.kpu.ca/athletics/teams/basketball-men/schedule-results1415.
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.
The last home game at the Eagles Nest will be on Saturday, January 31st 2015 versus the VIU Mariners. The Eagles will honour their women & men’s basketball graduating seniors Samantha McPhail and James Bradshaw. Celebrations will occur before the Eagles tip off at 1:00pm for the women and 3:00pm for the men.
Photo Credit: 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.