MEN'S BASKETBALL- SEA-HAWKS TRAVEL TO HALIFAX FOR A KEY 8-POINT MATCHUP WITH SAINT MARY'S
Saturday, February 1st Vs. Saint Mary's Huskies- 8:30 PM NST
Sunday, February 2nd Vs. Saint Mary's Huskies- 3:30 PM NST
THE MATCHUP
The Sea-Hawks enter the final month of the season traveling to Halifax this weekend to take on the Saint Mary's Huskies. This will be the first matchup between the two teams this season, as this weekend will be very important for both teams with 8 points on the line. Both teams are also very close in the standings and winning this matchup might be a deciding factor in who will prevail.
Saint Mary's is currently occupying the 7th place in the AUS with a record of 5 wins and 8 losses, earning 10 points so far this season. After finishing last season with an amazing record of 19 wins and 1 loss, the Huskies lost some of their most important players, former MVP Kemar Alleyne, their starting point guard Nico Brauner, and their vocal leader in the middle Brent Martindale. Although some teams would consider this year as a rebuild one, Saint Mary's is still competing at a very high level, even taking Dalhousie, the number 3 ranked team in the country, to an overtime game earlier in the season. They are being led by three players in particular who all average more than 14 points a game: Nikita Kasongo, Qyemah Gibson, and Johneil Johnson. Kasongo has missed the last 5 games for the Huskies, but when healthy has had an amazing all-around season so far. He is averaging 15.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game, showing that he is the heart of this Huskies team and that his absence explains their recent struggles. Gibson is showing significant improvements from last year, leading the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game while also grabbing 6.2 rebounds per game. Serving only a complementary role in his limited minutes last season, he benefited from players graduating and is showing he can be an excellent player in the AUS. Johnson continued where he left off last season proving he is able to be a presence on multiple levels on the court. He is averaging 14.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while also leading the team in steals per game with 1.2. If the Sea-Hawks are planning on having success this weekend, the focus has to be put on the Huskies big three, forcing other players to make plays necessary to win.
HAWKS EYE
The Sea-Hawks enter this matchup at the 5th place in the AUS standings with a record of 6 wins and 8 losses. It was important for Memorial to get back to winning ways after losing the first 5 games of the second half of the season. After winning on Sunday against CBU, they will look to keep up the momentum and continue the winning streak against Saint Mary's. Getting back their injured players up to speed was very important for the Sea-Hawks which showed in the last weekend matchup against CBU. Jason Thompson and Cole Long played exceptionally well, helping the team break their losing streak against a talented Capers team. Long is continuing on with his MVP caliber season as he is leading the conference in scoring with 21.1 points per game while also being the only player to shoot more than 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three-point line. If Thompson and Long keep playing like they did the first half of the season, the Sea-Hawks will prove to be a tough opponent for anyone in the league. "The Sunday game was a must win game to keep us in good position in the standings moving forward", Long said. "These next two games against Saint Mary's will be an opportunity to create some separation and set ourselves up for a nice finish".
One of the players that has carried a big role in the absence of Thompson, Barker, and Long was Boris Ristanovic. While suffering minor injuries himself, he played through them giving consistent effort for the Sea-Hawks who needed him to step up both offensively and defensively. With Thompson and Long back, the Sea-Hawks are poised to pick up momentum at the right time, aiming to enter the playoffs in a winning form. "Health is of extreme importance", Ristanovic said. "We're in a situation where every game is vital and therefore, we need a healthy group of players".
Part of Memorial's early success was discipline that the team showed when it comes to rebounding and defense. While the athleticism of Deng Ring and length of Ristanovic and Long jump out, one player that is the heart of defensive schemes for the Sea-Hawks is Jeff Damalie. Although he is not a stand-out scorer, Damalie is a force on the boards and is able to alter shots on defense by good contests. When asked about his role, Damalie said: "Rebounding and playing defense may not seem like a glamorous role, but I think that it is very important as we are getting the second chance points, while our opponents aren't". If the Sea-Hawks provide a solid outing on the boards and the defensive end, they should put themselves in a good position to come away with 8 points.
COACHES COMMENTS
Head Coach Peter Benoite believes that the games against Saint Mary's will be very important and that the team needs to keep pushing in a positive direction. "We got a big win last weekend versus CBU to get ourselves back in the win column, and it would be good for us to keep things going this weekend", Benoite said. "All games are important at this point of the season, and there is such a log jam for positioning in the league that every point will be crucial". He believes that this matchup will be decided based on the team's defensive effort. "The Huskies have a ton of talent and have shown they can beat anyone in the league, so we have to make sure we defend well and make things tough for them. They can get extremely hot, and we will have to have a lot of discipline to keep them form the rim and contest their shooters".