Aug. 27, 2008
After a day of practice and scrimmaging, it was time for the Huskies to take the court again.
Today’s preparation was a little different from a normal game day. Since the Huskies were not allowed to take the court until a half-hour before tip-off, head coach Bill Coen decided to extend the morning shoot around. The result was a comfortable 79-57 win.
As the Huskies battled the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Wednesday night, their fresh legs carried them to victory. A strong 16-8 run helped the Huskies to a 36-28 halftime lead, despite only shooting one free throw to the Gee-Gees 12 attempts.
The second half began just as the first half ended, with the Huskies going on a 21-3 tear in the first 10 minutes. The Gee-Gees made a run of their own, cutting the lead down to 13. But that would be the closest they would get, as the Huskies finished strong.
Manny Adako and Matt Janning led the way with 15 points each, while Eugene Spates chipped in 10 points of his own. However the key matchup of the game was Northeastern’s Chaisson Allen and Ottawa senior Josh Gibson-Bascombe, who was a first-team All-Star selection in the OUA last year.
Allen controlled this matchup from the first play of the game, when he forced Gibson-Bascombe to travel. From start to finish, Allen calmly controlled the offense while forcing Gibson-Bascombe into turnovers with his defensive presence. Allen finished with 10 points, and six assists while turning it over twice. Gibson-Bascombe finished with 11 points and four assists with six turnovers.
As a team, the Huskies turned the ball over seven times in the first half, but only turned it over three times in the second half, while forcing the Gee-Gees into 17 turnovers. Northeastern almost doubled Ottawa’s rebound total, 36-19.
More important than the wins and losses is the bond that the team has. This trip has made an already-strong bond even stronger. All of the players are extremely accountable for each other both on and off the court. They also make it a point to be together off the court. It doesn’t matter if it’s out to the store or out for a meal, everyone is together and enjoying each other’s company. That is both a product of coaching and senior leadership from Chris Alvarez, Matt Smith and Eugene Spates.
The team was happy with its 22-point victory, but extremely hungry and focused for tomorrow night’s game against Carleton University. The Ravens have won five out of the last six OUA championships and have the reigning OUA Player of the Year, Aaron Doornekamp.
But for now, the goal is to find something good for dinner, and to get some sleep.
After a day of practice and scrimmaging, it was time for the Huskies to take the court again.
Today’s preparation was a little different from a normal game day. Since the Huskies were not allowed to take the court until a half-hour before tip-off, head coach Bill Coen decided to extend the morning shoot around. The result was a comfortable 79-57 win.
As the Huskies battled the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Wednesday night, their fresh legs carried them to victory. A strong 16-8 run helped the Huskies to a 36-28 halftime lead, despite only shooting one free throw to the Gee-Gees 12 attempts.
The second half began just as the first half ended, with the Huskies going on a 21-3 tear in the first 10 minutes. The Gee-Gees made a run of their own, cutting the lead down to 13. But that would be the closest they would get, as the Huskies finished strong.
Manny Adako and Matt Janning led the way with 15 points each, while Eugene Spates chipped in 10 points of his own. However the key matchup of the game was Northeastern’s Chaisson Allen and Ottawa senior Josh Gibson-Bascombe, who was a first-team All-Star selection in the OUA last year.
Allen controlled this matchup from the first play of the game, when he forced Gibson-Bascombe to travel. From start to finish, Allen calmly controlled the offense while forcing Gibson-Bascombe into turnovers with his defensive presence. Allen finished with 10 points, and six assists while turning it over twice. Gibson-Bascombe finished with 11 points and four assists with six turnovers.
As a team, the Huskies turned the ball over seven times in the first half, but only turned it over three times in the second half, while forcing the Gee-Gees into 17 turnovers. Northeastern almost doubled Ottawa’s rebound total, 36-19.
More important than the wins and losses is the bond that the team has. This trip has made an already-strong bond even stronger. All of the players are extremely accountable for each other both on and off the court. They also make it a point to be together off the court. It doesn’t matter if it’s out to the store or out for a meal, everyone is together and enjoying each other’s company. That is both a product of coaching and senior leadership from Chris Alvarez, Matt Smith and Eugene Spates.
The team was happy with its 22-point victory, but extremely hungry and focused for tomorrow night’s game against Carleton University. The Ravens have won five out of the last six OUA championships and have the reigning OUA Player of the Year, Aaron Doornekamp.
But for now, the goal is to find something good for dinner, and to get some sleep.
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