By: Justin Parker
In a year that began with a promising 10-0 pre-season record and a championship at the Buddha Light International Association Cup in Taiwan, the Marauders’ men’s basketball team fell short of cracking the Ontario University Athletics Final Four.
After a strong win over Windsor in the preliminary round, McMaster lost a tough match to the Carleton Ravens, who would go on to finish second in the tournament. While their record and playoff play does not reflect a bad season, the team did not meet expectations they set up at the beginning of the year.
“There were really positive experiences that came from the year, but we’re competitive by nature,” head coach Amos Connolly said. “Some programs would consider our record a step forward, but for us it’s not. After a pretty strong start, we didn’t have any thought that we would have a losing record in the conference.”
McMaster finished the 2016/2017 campaign with an 8-11 conference record, including a crushing 2-8 record on the road. The Marauders struggled with their consistency to close out games. Basketball is a game of runs, and the Marauders often found themselves on the wrong side of them.
While it manifested itself in different ways, from poor shooting to unforced turnovers, the Marauders would sometimes succumb to fatigue that would ultimately cost them the game. When top players were forced out of action due to injury, the Marauders could not replace those minutes as well as they were able to in past seasons.
Despite falling short of expectations, the Marauders have players moving forward who will be the foundation for next year’s team.
Third-year forward Connor Gilmore finished the season in the OUA’s top five in points (19.5) and rebounds (nine) per game, using his size to be a dominating force on the court, good enough to earn him a spot on the OUA First-Team All-Star list.
Third-year player David McCulloch finished the season with 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. A model of consistency, he lead the team in 36.6 minutes per game while starting every single game the team played this season.
“We did manage to get some really strong leadership from Dave [McCulloch] and Connor [Gilmore],” Connolly said. “There is absolutely no question it is their basketball team now.”
This season may have ended on a sour note, but the Marauders are primed to have a strong 2017/2018 season and are already looking forward to what is next. Between a strong coaching staff that will help to maintain consistency and with returning leaders in Gilmore and McCulloch, the Marauders look to hit the hardwood running next season.
“Although there were some tough spots and some challenges I think that the guys did a really good job of staying the course, and remaining committed and true to the team in the midst of that,” Connolly said. “That lays the groundwork for success moving forward.”
By: Justin Parker
The up and down season for the McMaster men’s basketball team continues, as they dropped a rough 83-62 decision to the Waterloo Warriors on Feb. 4. Despite David McCulloch’s 13 points, the Marauders struggled to contain the Warrirors on defence, allowing Waterloo to outscore them in every quarter.
Poor shooting efforts kept the Marauders off the scoreboard multiple times throughout the game, shooting 32.9 per cent from the field and 20.8 per cent from three. The team was also out-rebounded 43-32, with Connor Gilmore leading the Marauders with eight rebounds.
“We haven’t been shooting the ball particularly well, and that’s been a problem for us,” Gilmore said. “I think we’re executing and moving the ball well, but I think once we start knocking down shots and getting into a groove we’ll be fine.”
Gilmore has been a consistent bright spot on the team throughout the season. He leads the Marauders in points and rebounds, nearly averaging a double-double (19.8 points, 9.3 rebounds). Gilmore’s stats are good enough to rank him third in points and fourth in rebounds in the province.
Gilmore has emerged as a leader amongst a relatively young team. After losing four starters from last year, the Marauders needed more players to step up and take some ownership of the team.
“Dave [McCulloch] stepped up - he’s gone from playing 20 minutes a game last year to now playing close to 40…he’s a great defender and a great leader on the court,” Gilmore said. “Elliot Ormond stepped up a lot…he’s provided tons of energy on defence. He’s a great rebounder, finishes well around the basket, so he’s been great too.”
As of publication, McCulloch is leading the Marauders and Ontario University Athletics in minutes this year, averaging 36.2 per game. In that time he has been showing off his all-around game, averaging 12.9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. McCulloch has put in a lot of work in the offseason to fit into a larger role this year.
"I think we surprised a lot of people with how great we were playing in September through November; now it's a different story."
David McCulloch
Third-year guard, McMaster men's basketball
“It’s been tough, but in a good way,” McCulloch said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have some very talented players that I’ve learned from in my first two years, so I felt fully prepared when the season came around to fill that larger role.”
Despite the recent struggles, the team is looking ahead.
“This season has taught me a lot about how much you need to grow as a team and gel in order to be successful,” Gilmore said, “I think this is a great group of guys, it’s been really fun playing with them. We’ve gone through ups and downs, but it’s taught me to persevere and stick with everyone and come together as a team.”
McMaster hosts the Algoma Thunderbirds this Saturday, who currently sit at 4-12 on the season. The Thunderbirds average the second-lowest points per game in the OUA and are tied for the second most points per game allowed. In order to obtain a good spot in the playoff picture, the Marauders must stabilize their play and win out their last three games.
“This season has been a roller coaster so far,” McCulloch said. “I think we surprised a lot of people with how great we were playing in September through November; now it’s a different story. We’ve lost a few games and now we’re in a spot where we may not even host a playoff game. But I think with this adversity will come some very good things.”
There is no time like the present to iron out the kinks and figure out their gameplan. A streak of competitive efforts could be the momentum the Marauders need in order to make a strong impression come postseason play.
By: Justin Parker
The McMaster men’s basketball team had a rough week in Toronto, losing 99-77 against Ryerson on Wednesday, followed by a tight defensive battle on Saturday at the University of Toronto that ended with the Varsity Blues coming out on top 65-57. Their shooting woes came due to the missing presence of the team’s leading facilitator Rohan Boney, who missed both games due to an ankle injury.
During a transitional year for the Marauders, veteran players are often a guide for younger players looking to make their mark on the team. This season, Rohan Boney has emerged as one of the team’s leaders.
Last season Boney wavered between starting games on the court or on the bench depending on the game plan. In the 2016/2017 season, Boney has seen his minutes increase, and during those extra minutes, he has contributed all over the team’s stats sheet. This adaptability is one of the key traits Boney brings to the team.
“I’m kind of versatile; I’ll play guard and forward,” Boney said. “I try to get my teammates involved and pass it around, score when needed. But just try to keep everything flowing. Last year… my role was to be an energy guy, come in and play fast and play aggressive. This year if I have a bad game it would really show up on how the team does.”
Last year, Rohan Boney contributed 10.8 points per game and 2.6 assists per game in 22.6 minutes. This year, he currently leads the team in assists (4.2) and blocks (0.8) per game, while sitting second in points (14.8), rebounds (7.3), and steals (1.2) per game. Boney’s numbers rank him as fourth in the province and tenth across Canada for assists per game. This bigger role has enhanced Boney’s position as a leader on the team.
“I think [Rohan Boney] just does what you need him to do,” head coach Amos Connolly said. “I think in the past we didn’t need [Boney] to score as much but we needed him to facilitate and rebound and I think now he looks and he realizes that we need him to score.”
"To see his level of dedication and commitment to the program, and to see him be willing to lead from the side and let other guys lead... I couldn't be happier with what [he's] doing for us".
Amos Connolly
Head coach, McMaster men's basketball
“I think his maturity is what we’re really seeing right now. I think his awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the group and the strengths and weaknesses of himself and how he can contribute… I’m really impressed with what he’s done as a leader for this group.”
Boney sees his role as a leader is to get the team to the best position to win as possible.
“Some guys respond differently to certain stuff, like some guys you can yell at, some guys you have to pat on the back,” Boney said. “Honestly, a leadership role [is] trying to get the best result as a team that you can get, and that’s what I try to do every day.”
After five years, Boney has learned a lot about balancing life and school, how to communicate, how to deal with pressure and essentially how hard work can breed success. Playing this long is not an easy feat, but he continues to lead by example according to Connelly.
“To see his level of dedication and commitment to this program, and to see him be willing to lead from the side and let other guys lead but still make sure that things are going in the in the right direction, I couldn’t be happier with what [he’s] doing for us.”
Despite recent struggles, the Marauders currently sit in second place in the Ontario University Athletics Central division with a 7-8 record. They are six points behind first-place Brock, and looking to regain form with four games remaining in the regular season. While they’ve lost three of their last four games, their next four are against lower-ranked teams starting with a Feb. 4 matchup against the 3-11 Waterloo Warriors.
What you missed in 2016:
A 12-game win streak came to an end as the Mac men dropped four games to No. 6 Brock, No. 4 Ottawa and No. 1 Carleton before the break.
While the games against the Badgers were decided by just four points, both saw Mac struggle to contest with Brock’s lockdown defence in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter, giving up two costly turnovers and a block to set their record back two games.
Second-year guard Chris Thompson was a bright spot for the Marauders, coming off the bench to put up 34 points and seven steals in the two-game series.
In Ottawa, Mac fell behind early in the first and struggled to regain control against powerful Gee-Gee and Raven teams.
Third-year forward Connor Gilmore was strong offensively in both contests, and currently sits fifth in Ontario University Athletics with 20.2 points per game.
The team rebounded with a solid 90-75 win to start the New Year against Nipissing. They stumbled to a loss the next night, dropping 95-87 result against a Laurentian team who is still finding their groove after a hazing scandal resulted in key players being suspended to start the season.
Defence continues to be a talking point for the Mac men, who have struggled to contain teams early and make critical stops late.
Against Laurentian, McMaster fell behind by 10 points in the first quarter, while relying on fifth-year forward Rohan Boney’s 14 points to tie the game at 20 apiece.
Later in the fourth, they managed to pull within three to make it a one possession game, before dropping back 11 until the final three minutes.
Boney would go on to score a game high 32 points on the night, but the Voyageurs finished with more assists and bench points.
Moving into 2017, the Marauders will to look to establish some momentum against more local OUA competition as they try to position themselves for a playoff run.
Mac has played one of the toughest schedules in the country, let alone the OUA, so their 4-5 conference record has to be taken with a grain of salt. If Mac split the series with Brock, this is a different conversation.
Expect to see more big offensive performances from the high-powered scoring duo of Gilmore and Boney, with third-year guard David McCulloch looking to make a big impact from the point guard position.
By: Justin Parker
This rivalry just got more interesting.
The men’s basketball team suffered their first loss of the regular season at the hands of the Brock Badgers in a 72-71 nail-biter on Nov. 16. In such a close game, late missed shots can always be pointed to as possible game winners. However, poor shot choices plagued the Marauders throughout the entire game.
The Marauders started the first quarter with a field goal percentage of 44.4 per cent, but dropped to 23.8 per cent in the second quarter. The team finished the game shooting 26.9 per cent from three and 60.9 per cent at the charity stripe. In a game that saw 10 lead changes and seven ties, one shot can really make a difference. However, as coach Amos Connolly notes, it is tough to point to an early missed shot as a missed opportunity to capture the win.
“You can always look back on it and handle something differently, that happens all the time,” Connolly said. “From a tactical standpoint, I don’t think you ever walk out of a game and say ‘okay, we just nailed that one perfectly’. The coaches are too good and the players are too good, and things change all the time. The decisions compound. It’s not fair to pick apart things that happened in the first quarter as necessarily the reason why you lost the game by one, but it all relates.”
Fifth-year senior Lazar Kojovic struggled early and got into foul trouble, which opened up more playing time for bench. Guard Chris Thompson who entered the game in the first quarter with a bang, scoring 10 points on 4-5 shooting, including two threes. Thompson finished with a career-high 21 points in 27 minutes and added five steals to the stat sheet.
The team is keeping their heads up and recognizing what can be learned from this close loss
“[Thompson] came off the bench and played really really well and Chris doesn’t get tired very often,” Connolly said. “So you don’t necessarily have to sub him out because of fatigue in the same way you might with other players. When he came off the bench and played as well as he did, combined with Lazar struggling, it just kind of lead to him having more minutes it was a pretty easy decision to make in the combination of those two factors. We’re fortunate that Chris stepped up the way he did.”
Playing a career game, Thompson missed two key free throws late in the game when the Marauders had a chance to regain the lead. Despite a couple of late threes by Connor Gilmore, who lead the team with 25 points and 10 rebounds, the Marauders ultimately could not pull out the win.
However, the team is keeping their heads up and recognizing what can be learned from this close loss as they have a week off before they turn their attention to the rest of their season, including two tough games against Carleton and Ottawa to close out the fall semester schedule.
“The mantra we have this year is win or learn,” Connolly said. “As cheesy as that may sound, I think it is pretty appropriate. In the past couple of years, we took losses very hard as a group. That caused many issues with the team. We’re trying pretty hard to make sure that we understand that losses have value and what we can gain from it. We are certainly in the learning mindset after last night.”
As the Marauders shift their focus to the last few games of the fall term, they look for a chance to get back on the winning track and keep pace with Brock who currently holds first place in their division. While Ontario basketball continues to be the most competitive in the country, the Central Divison of the OUA is starting this season as a real battleground of strong teams. The Marauders will get to play the Badgers again on Nov. 26 in what should prove to be another tough battle as Mac will look to exact revenge.
By: Justin Parker
The McMaster men’s basketball team kicked off their Ontario University Athletics season last weekend with tough back-to-back wins over the Lakehead Thunderwolves, including a Friday nail-biter that ended in overtime.
In both games, the Marauders saw a dip in scoring in the second quarter, most notably being held to one basket in the second quarter of Saturday’s game. Head coach Amos Connolly noted that despite being held to two points in the quarter, the team showed improvement defensively.
“Lakehead is phenomenal defensively and I think we settled for bad shots,” Connolly said. “I thought the guys did a really good job of not panicking. You get a score like [two points in a quarter] and it can kind of mess with your head. I think they did a good job of not letting it get to them too much… They committed to the understanding that we are going to make mistakes and just to make sure we improve and learn from it.”
The Marauders leaned on their starting five on the weekend, with Connor Gilmore playing a total of 76 minutes and posting a double-double in each game. Fifth-year forward Rohan Boney shined on Friday night, leading the team with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists.
While the starting five for McMaster played a majority of the minutes, the team is still trying to figure out how to spread the remaining minutes among the bench players. One of the top rotation players from the bench of the weekend was Chris Thompson, who played 39 minutes between the two games. The sophomore guard contributed on the stat sheet with 12 points on Friday night but came up big late Saturday, sinking three key free throws to seal the game for the Marauders.
Coming away from their first weekend series, the Marauders have a lot they can use to build upon through the rest of the season. The team was able to hold the Thunderwolves to 56 points on Saturday, beating a usually low-scoring team at their own defensive game.
“We have to be able to win games in that style, that mindset,” Connolly said after the team’s practice on Monday. “I think this weekend was really good for us. It sort of opened our eyes to how we need to play to slow down some of the faster teams, and to rebound against some of the bigger teams. Both of them were sort of gut-check scenarios where guys had to make big free throws. I’m happy with the win and I’m happy with the lessons that we learned.”
Many teams can get caught up in rankings, trying to justify wins based on opponent records and other analytics. The Marauders, ranked third in the U Sports Top Ten, have a tough road ahead. They play Brock twice and travel to the nation’s capital to take on Ottawa and Carleton. Despite the tough schedule, Connolly is making sure that the team focuses on their own game, rather than arbitrary rankings.
“We don’t get caught up in being third in the country,” Connolly added. “It’s something we don’t spend time thinking about. For us, it’s just every opportunity, every game is a chance to learn something different. Brock is a transition-oriented team who are very big. That’s different than what we’ve had so far. We are going to have to account for their size and sheer talent. It is test after test after test. These games aren’t fail and die. They’re fail and learn.”
The season has started on the right foot for the men’s basketball team. But it’s just the beginning; how they perform in the final weeks of the fall semester will give Maroon and Grey fans a greater understanding of where Mac stands in the OUA landscape.
By: Justin Parker
Consistency and stability are valuable commodities on the path to success. This is especially the case in sports, and, in particular, a team’s starting lineup. This year, the men’s basketball team is sporting a brand new starting lineup after the departure of three of their key players: Aaron Redpath, Leon Alexander and Troy Joseph.
After a heartbreaking loss to Windsor in the Ontario University Athletics quarter-finals last year, the Marauders are looking to use their new look to spark future success. Redpath, Alexander and Joseph made up for a significant amount of offence and minutes played last season and will be hard to replace. It is not easy fielding a nearly new starting lineup at the beginning of a year with high expectations to follow up the previous year’s successes.
However, players will always be hard to replace unless the team is able to change and adapt to the new talent that is always available to a competitive team. In this way, the team is looking to move in a new direction that relies on spreading the offence around to different players.
Forward Connor Gilmore and guard Rohan Boney are both returning starters from last year, with only Gilmore starting the majority of the games he played in. Guards Lazar Kojovic, David McCulloch round out the consistent starters, while Elliot Ormond and Matt Quiring will split the final starting spot, depending on matchups. Kojovic and McCulloch played consistent minutes off the bench last season, while Ormond is back on the regular roster after sitting last year as a reserve player for the team.
The Marauders head into this season ranked fourth in the University Sports pre-season poll after an undefeated 10-0 run during non-conference play, including 8-0 against U Sports teams. The Marauders also spent a portion of their off-season playing in a tournament in Taiwan, giving the team an extra opportunity to build the cohesiveness that will be needed for them to find success throughout this season.
“We are satisfied with our season so far, “ head coach Amos Connolly said. “We are also aware of the fact we are going to play tougher teams in our own conference than we played the entire season so far. There is a balance.”
The team found success in the Buddha Light International Association Cup tournament in Taiwan, convincingly beating teams from all over the world on their way to the tournament championship. Individual accolades were awarded as well, as David McCulloch was named tournament MVP and Connor Gilmore was selected to the All-Tournament Team.
“Generally to this point, I’m pretty happy with how the guys are caring for each other, pushing each other, and holding each other accountable,” Connolly said.
Despite the lack of starting experience, the overall talent is there and it is just a matter of the team coming together an executing as one unit. The true test will begin on Nov. 11, as the Marauders have back-to-back games against Lakehead to kick off their OUA regular season.
Third-year starters
Connor Gilmore is coming off a strong season in which he averaged 10.6 points per game in an average of 25 minutes. Gilmore is in his third year of eligibility and has averaged 34 minutes per game in his last six games, while grabbing 7.5 rebounds in the process. At 6’ 7” and 220 lbs., Gilmore is a physical force sure to bring an edge on both sides of the court for the Marauders.
David McCulloch is another third-year starter to watch. Averaging 24.3 minutes per game off the bench last season, McCulloch saw his minutes nearly double from the year before, and shot an efficient 51.5 per cent from the field. In an average of 37.3 minutes in his last six games, McCulloch has averaged 14.5 points and 5.5 assists. McCulloch also recorded five steals in McMaster’s game against McGill on Sept. 29.
Fifth-year starters
The two fifth-year players in the starting rotation, Rohan Boney and Lazar Kojovic, look to help the team in scoring and experience. Both sported high field goal percentages from last season and have been with the team for four seasons prior to this year.
Boney averaged 10.8 points per game on 54.5 per cent shooting last season as a consistent bench player who started seven of the 17 games he played. The guard has regularly seen around an average of 22.1 minutes per game each season. With a career 54.1 field goal percentage, Boney continues to keep his average shooting percentage and points per game high as his first year as a starter, in addition to a career average of 5.5 rebounds per game.
Kojovic shot 34 per cent from beyond the arc in 15.5 minutes per game off of the bench last season, which was more minutes on average than each year prior. Now seeing 30.8 minutes per game over his last six, Kojovic is averaging 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in those games. At 6’ 4” and 6’ 5” respectively, Boney and Kojovic can continue to use their height to affect the possession of the ball off the glass in addition to the score.
Carleton
The Ravens had a strong pre-conference run, including a convincing 100-75 win over National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I Wichita State Shockers on Aug. 7. Carleton also claimed the House-Laughton tournament championship for their sixteenth straight season, lead by senior Connor Wood who sported an impressive 85.7 per cent three-point shooting percentage. A yearly juggernaut, Carleton will once again be a threat to every team in OUA and U Sports.
Brock
A top 10 U Sports team that is in the OUA Central division like McMaster. Currently ranked sixth in the nation, the Badgers dropped their last game in the RBC Classic tournament in a close bout against Dalhousie, ending an eight game winning streak they carried throughout their exhibition play. Forward Dani Elgadi lead the team in that game, and looks to do the same throughout the season. Elgadi heads into his fourth season sporting career averages of 19.3 points per game on 48.7 per cent field-goal percentage, along with 10.7 rebounds per game.
Ottawa
The Gee-Gees round out the top five in the nation, right behind the Marauders, and will have to fight with Carleton for the OUA North division title. Ottawa boasts a 6-1 record against U Sports teams and a successful run in the Jack Donohue Memorial Tournament. Ottawa spent several weeks last season ranked No. 1 in the nation, but finished in sixth place after losing to the UBC Thunderbirds in the CIS Final 8 Consolation Final. Ottawa goes into the season without their all-time assists and wins-leader and the 2015-16 CIS Player of the Year: point guard Mike L’Africain.
All it takes is one.
The McMaster Marauders will likely only need one victory in this weekend’s OUA Final Four to secure a berth in the CIS Final 8 national tournament. Taylor Black, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, does not care about getting one win, though. He wants two.
“We aren’t coming here to just qualify for nationals. We are coming to win [the Wilson Cup]” said Black, in an interview on Feb. 25. Now, that is not a guarantee that is so often seen in professional sports before a key game. It’s a representation of what this team believes they are capable of.
The first game for the Maroon and Grey is against the Ottawa Gee-Gees – the team that handed Mac their worst loss of the year. The teams’ lone regular season match-up was a 15-point win Ottawa win in the Burridge Gym.
These are different teams though. McMaster has clearly progressed as the season has gone on – winning games by huge margins, getting a balance of scoring and holding potent scorers to paltry stat lines. On the flip side, the Gee-Gees have a different look than the team Mac saw in November. Terry Thomas is a fourth-year forward playing in his first season as a Gee-Gee after transferring from St. Francis Xavier, and he has transformed the Ottawa offence. He is shooting the most field goals per game, shoots 45.2 per cent on five three-point attempts a game and is second on the team in rebounds per game.
Black gave Thomas credit and called him a “difference-maker,” for the Gee-Gees, but also said that Mac has some difference-makers of their own. He pointed to the athletic defenders McMaster has, and how they can disrupt Thomas’s game.
“I don’t know if there is anyone who has been in Thomas’ face like Aaron Redpath will be, and I don’t think [Thomas] has seen athletic defenders like Leon Alexander and Rohan Boney,” said Black.
McMaster’s head coach Amos Connolly has clearly defined what the Marauders need to do to grab a spot in the Wilson Cup Final. Against a team with the second best offensive rating in the country, they cannot come out flat.
“It is the difference between winning and losing,” said Connolly. “Against Western, our guys came out flat. We can’t afford to do that with Ottawa.”
The advantage that McMaster has is on the defensive end, according to Mac’s bench boss. He says that they have “really tightened up” guarding their basket, and pointed to the rotation of perimeter defenders as a key factor for the game. Connolly is confident in his team and thinks the game will be close throughout.
Mac let the game slip away in the fourth quarter in the regular season tilt, but played Ottawa tight until that point.
The winner of the game will move on to the Wilson Cup Final and will play the winner of the Carleton and Windsor match-up. The finalists will qualify for the Final 8. Should Carleton beat Windsor, the team that takes third place will get a spot in the national tournament because the Ravens are the host school.
Carleton and Windsor play at 6 p.m. on Feb. 28, and McMaster plays Ottawa at 8 p.m. All Wilson Cup games will be aired on Sportsnet360.
The rollercoaster season continues after a weekend of losses for the men’s basketball team.
Following a 82-64 dismantling from the Ottawa Gee-Gees, the players and coaches walked out from the locker room looking lost.
“After Ottawa … that was the lowest spot of the season,” said head coach Amos Connolly. “We felt like we didn’t give ourselves a chance. We just didn’t compete.”
Friday night’s match at Montpetit Hall saw the home debut of an experienced Gee-Gees team, led by fifth-year guard Warren Ward. An energetic crowd gave Ottawa a hop in their step, coming out with 8-0 run to start the game. The run would essentially seal the game with the Marauders never looking like they could win after digging an early hole.
Two fouls in the first 25 seconds allowed McMaster’s Nathan McCarthy to step in to fill the void, and the second-year player put together his finest performance of the season. McCarthy was the lone bright spot of the night, finishing with nine points, five rebounds, and two impressive blocks.
The blowout loss to the OUA East rival did not hamper the team, as the young squad gathered themselves for the next game against the No. 1 team in the country. Mac took the floor at the Raven’s Nest and put together their strongest effort of the season.
“Everyone left there upset with the loss, but very optimistic about what we saw,” Connolly commented. “It was a level of competing that you feel you can build on.”
The previous night was a team of unconfident play, settling for jumpshots and long threes. But against Carleton, the Marauders rose to the occasion and went head-to-head with the CIS champions, losing 100-88.
88 points is the most points the Ravens have allowed in an OUA regular season game since the 2004-05 season. The last team to come close was the Lakehead Thunderwolves, who hung 85 points on Carleton last year.
McMaster came out of the gates with intensity, looking to attack the paint. For the first time all season, Connolly started McCarthy and Taylor Black. The pairing would pay dividends, giving the Marauders length inside to defend Carleton’s big men, Thomas Scrubb and Tyson Hinz.
After a tight first half, with McMaster shocking the crowd with a first quarter lead, the Maroon and Grey found themselves starting the third quarter down nine to arguably the best team in the country. Mac used defense to climb back into the game, forcing turnovers to allow transition buckets.
With a 45-40 scoreboard, the Ravens were forced to call timeout to refocus the team. A revitalized Carleton squad came out of the stoppage looking to draw fouls and get their points at the line.
The referees rewarded their efforts with plenty of whistles and Carleton shot 16 free throw attempts. With a large cushion, the CIS champs took their foot off the gas, allowing Black to step in and take over offensively.
Through a mix of ball screens and pick-and-pops, Black went on an offensive tear. He finished the game with 23 points in only 16 minutes. But the forward’s efforts started a Marauder comeback that would be put to rest by calm offensive execution from Carleton’s Phil Scrubb.
McMaster’s road trip may not have ended with victory, but it was certainly a weekend of growth. The team saw both of their big men have a standout performance for the first time all season. For success going forward, the Marauders needed that to happen sooner than later.
Next up is a home game against Queen’s, who are going through and up-and-down season of their own. After defeating the No. 7 Thunderwolves, the Gaels dropped their next game to the lowly Guelph Gryphons. Connolly will field Black and McCarthy again, hoping to use their size to get back in the win column.
Tip-off is at 8 p.m. in Burridge Gym on Saturday, Nov. 24.
OUA East opponents have not been kind to the McMaster Marauders, with the Ottawa Gee-Gees handing the Marauders their second loss of the season, 82-64.
Friday night’s match at Montpetit Hall saw the home debut of an experienced Gee-Gee team, led by fifth-year guard Warren Ward. An energetic crowd gave Ottawa a hop in their step, coming out with 8-0 run to start the game.
Ward used his ball-handling to weave his way to mid-range territory and finished off with a stepback jumper. But it wouldn’t be his scoring that would undo McMaster; it was his play making.
Mac collapsed on any move to the paint, and the veteran had no problem finding his teammates behind the arc. Ottawa finished the game with 10 threes on 41.7% shooting. The birthday boy Ward finished the game with 18 points and 7 assists.
With Taylor Black picking up two fouls in the first thirty seconds, Coach Amos Connolly looked to Nathan McCarthy to take over at the centre position. McCarthy put together his best effort of the season, being active on both ends of the court.
Ottawa led 44-33 at the half, with a red-hot offense giving them momentum into the locker room. 44 points is a season-high for points allowed by McMaster in the 2012-13 season. The game would not stay close for long, with Ottawa outscoring Mac 21-15 in the third.
No player was able to establish themselves offensively for the Marauders as the team look to attack from the wings. The Gee-Gee defense used their length to meet Mac at the baseline, forcing errant passes and turnovers. Scott Laws led the team in scoring with 11 points, all in the first half.
Mac showed little backbone in the game, allowing the Gee-Gees to get whatever they wanted at both baskets. Connolly’s squad will need to step up the intensity for next game as they visit reigning CIS champion Carleton Ravens.
The Ravens sit at 2-1 on the season and have to forget about the previous loss in order to conquer the OUA favourites.
