Aug. 25, 2008
On Monday, the Huskies kicked the day off with a morning boat tour of Kingston. The team traveled through Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and the Thousand Islands. After gaining their sea legs back, the team went back and explored some of the city itself.
For such a small area, there was plenty to do in Kingston. Many restaurants and shops are packed into each street. The most popular store among the team was by far “Dollarama.” Unlike in the United States, everything actually was one dollar or less, which made for a great bargain on a student budget.
Back at the hotel, players and coaches got together for a pregame meal. Then it was time to get dressed and go to the game against Queen’s University. The Huskies were excited to get back into action for the first time since March, and it showed in the first half. There were some nerves and a little rust, too.
This was the first game that the Huskies have played in using international rules. These differ from American rules mainly in the size of the lane, which is wider in international play, and in goaltending. In international play, you are allowed to tip the ball off of the rim or into the basket as long as you do not come into contact with the rim itself. Also, the game is split into four ten-minute quarters, as opposed to two twenty-minute halves.
At halftime, the Golden Gaels trailed 30-25. The gymnasium full of fans was rocking as their home team was keeping pace with the Huskies. But in the third quarter, the Huskies started to gain momentum, when Matt Janning threw an alley-oop to Chaisson Allen, and Allen then returned the favor on the next play.
The Huskies got out to their biggest lead, 15, after opening up the fourth quarter with jump shots by Eugene Spates and Matt Smith. But the Gaels fought back, and came to within five points with less than four minutes to play.
Down the stretch, the Huskies proved to be too much for the Gaels, as Spates and Baptiste Bataille hit clutch three-pointers to put some distance between the teams. Allen put the exclamation point on the game with a breakaway dunk, thanks one of the five steals by Manny Adako. The Huskies won 69-59.
For it being the first game, the Huskies looked good. They made some great personnel adjustments at halftime, along with cutting the turnovers down from 12 in the first half, to only six in the second.
Coach Coen emphasized how important this first step was in what will be a long journey this year for the Huskies. The next step will be Wednesday night against the University of Ottawa, where they hope to improve to 2-0 on the tour.
On Monday, the Huskies kicked the day off with a morning boat tour of Kingston. The team traveled through Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and the Thousand Islands. After gaining their sea legs back, the team went back and explored some of the city itself.
For such a small area, there was plenty to do in Kingston. Many restaurants and shops are packed into each street. The most popular store among the team was by far “Dollarama.” Unlike in the United States, everything actually was one dollar or less, which made for a great bargain on a student budget.
Back at the hotel, players and coaches got together for a pregame meal. Then it was time to get dressed and go to the game against Queen’s University. The Huskies were excited to get back into action for the first time since March, and it showed in the first half. There were some nerves and a little rust, too.
This was the first game that the Huskies have played in using international rules. These differ from American rules mainly in the size of the lane, which is wider in international play, and in goaltending. In international play, you are allowed to tip the ball off of the rim or into the basket as long as you do not come into contact with the rim itself. Also, the game is split into four ten-minute quarters, as opposed to two twenty-minute halves.
At halftime, the Golden Gaels trailed 30-25. The gymnasium full of fans was rocking as their home team was keeping pace with the Huskies. But in the third quarter, the Huskies started to gain momentum, when Matt Janning threw an alley-oop to Chaisson Allen, and Allen then returned the favor on the next play.
The Huskies got out to their biggest lead, 15, after opening up the fourth quarter with jump shots by Eugene Spates and Matt Smith. But the Gaels fought back, and came to within five points with less than four minutes to play.
Down the stretch, the Huskies proved to be too much for the Gaels, as Spates and Baptiste Bataille hit clutch three-pointers to put some distance between the teams. Allen put the exclamation point on the game with a breakaway dunk, thanks one of the five steals by Manny Adako. The Huskies won 69-59.
For it being the first game, the Huskies looked good. They made some great personnel adjustments at halftime, along with cutting the turnovers down from 12 in the first half, to only six in the second.
Coach Coen emphasized how important this first step was in what will be a long journey this year for the Huskies. The next step will be Wednesday night against the University of Ottawa, where they hope to improve to 2-0 on the tour.
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