Metro Vancouver…..The KPU Eagles men’s basketball team finish the weekend at 2-12 in seventh place, just outside of the last PACWEST playoff spot. A third of the season still remains and the Eagles continue to fight their way to the post-season, despite this weekend’s losses to the VIU Mariners, 115-56, and the Camosun College Chargers, 91-46. KPU will spend the next month on the road, first as visitors to the Capilano University Blues on Thursday, February 5th and on to the Quest University Canada Kermodes on Saturday, February 7th.
“We had great moments of teamwork, but we also had problems with layups, three’s, and free throws,” commented Eagles head coach Vladimir Nikić, “Turnovers and offensive rebounds also hurt us. Until we figure out how to stop turning the ball over, we are going to continue to struggle.”
First-year guard Brenden Bailey, Coquitlam, BC and first-year power forward Matt (Madison) Cooley, Delta, BC continue to stand tall on the CCAA national rankings this past week. Bailey sits in 13th place nationally in scoring (11 games, 227 points, averaging 20.64 points/game) while Cooley improved from 32nd to 22nd (12 games, 101 rebounds, averaging 8.42 points/game).
Game recap versus the VIU Mariners
“We played a good team, it was a great learning experience to see where we need to be in order to compete at this level. Our biggest concern was taking care of the ball during the game and we didn’t,” noted Coach Nikić, “We kept turning the ball over and defensively, we played well but the rebounding was not there; they were cleaning up the glass. Our offense was good and I liked the ball movement. It was much better than before, but we couldn’t finish.”
The Mariners opened the game with a 12-point run to end the first half ahead 68-29 over the Eagles, and then finished the game 115-56 over KPU.
Bailey ended the night, again as a leader in scoring for KPU (20 points, one rebound, four assists, four steals) alongside first-year shooting guard Jaiten Rana, Delta, BC, (12 points, one blocked shot, one steal), and first-year center Navdeep Brar, Abbotsford, BC (seven points, one assist, two blocked shots). The Eagles shot 50% from the line in the first half and improved to 67% in the second.
Leaders for the Mariners included fourth-year guard Justin King, Las Vegas, NV, USA (25 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal) and second-year forward Jerod Dorby, Duncan, BC (19 points, five rebounds, three steals) in scoring, while second-year forward Curtis Wilson, Victoria, BC, led in rebounds with a total of 11 on the night. VIU shot 79% from the line in the first half and fell to 64% in the second.
Scoring:
KPU: 13+16+18+9=56
VIU: 35+33+26+21=115
Rebounds:
KPU: 15+10=25/VIU: 27+38=65
The Eagles honoured fifth-year graduating senior, #10 James Bradshaw (centre and inset)
in his final home game at the Eagles Nest on Saturday against the Chargers
Game recap versus the Camosun College Chargers
“We had 13 turnovers and of those, seven were really bad turnovers. Those led to unnecessary fast-break points and a dunk to let Camosun get momentum which they carried into second half,” said Coach Nikić, “Our shots were there but our shooting percentage was low. Defensively we did a great job today, but Camosun played offense more than we did, and any time you play defense more than offense you will not get the results you want.”
The halftime score had the Eagles at a deficit of 24 points as the Chargers led 45-21. An unanswered Camosun scoring run in the third would widen the gap to 36, and KPU fell 91-46 at the final buzzer.
Bailey (10 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals), Rana (10 points, two rebounds, two assists), and first-year power forward Nick Smith, Surrey, BC (nine points, two rebounds) led Eagles in scoring, while Brar and first-year forward Trevor Schulz, Richmond, BC led the team in rebounds with seven each. From the line KPU shot 63% in the first half and dropped to 43% in the second. KPU also honoured fifth-year graduating senior, point guard James Bradshaw, Delta, BC in his final home game as an Eagle.
Camosun’s leaders included third-year guard Evan Woodson, Victoria, BC (16 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals) and second-year guard Hassan Phlls, Toronto, ON (18 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals). The Chargers shot 64% from the line in the first half and 54% in the second.
Scoring:
KPU: 7+14+11+14=46
CAM: 26+19+25+21=91
Rebounds:
KPU: 11+19=30/CAM: 23+26=49
The Eagles are on the road for the month of February, with a visit to the Capilano University Blues in North Vancouver, BC on February 5th at 8:00pm and then to the Quest University Canada Kermodes in Squamish, BC February 7th, also at 8:00pm. For full schedule details, please visit: http://www.kpu.ca/athletics/teams/basketball-men/schedule-results1415.
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.
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