Men win pair, women drop narrow decisions

The SAIT Trojans remain undefeated at 16-0, and the Mount Royal Cougars know they’ll need to be at their absolute best if they’re to topple the ACAC’s best women’s basketball team this postseason.

The Trojans took both games against the Cougars this weekend, winning 75-62 on Friday night in Cougar territory, and again in their own building on Saturday, 59-52.

The Trojans have been on a tear this season, leading the ACAC in scoring at nearly 81 points per game.

This weekend was billed as a true measuring stick for the Cougars, who had yet to play the Trojans this season, and whose other two losses had come at the hands of two North conference opponents in mid-November.

Emily Larson led the way for the Cougars on Friday with 24 points, and Jamie Morck had yet another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Outside of Morck and Larson, who accounted for more than half the Cougar points, the rest of the team struggled to find production, shooting a combined 10-of-35.

The Trojans jumped out to an 18-11 lead in the first quarter and led by 11 points at the half. Head Coach Joe Enevoldson called the Cougars’ first half offense “stagnant”, but attributed poor defensive rotations as the main reason they couldn’t fight all the way back in the second half.

The Cougars were able to put together a 25 point fourth quarter, but by that time the game was already out of reach.

Saturday’s affair was a tightly contested defensive battle that saw the Cougars hold the lead over the undefeated Trojans for three and a half quarters of play.

Neither team shot the ball well, the Cougars going 17-of-54 from the field (31.5 percent) and the Trojans shooting even worse at 27.7 percent.

Defence was at a premium, however, and the Cougars proved they belong in the same conversation as the Trojans, the nation’s second-ranked team.

Star forward Jamie Morck fouled out with just under four minutes remaining, and promptly took a technical foul in protest. She watched from the bench as the Cougars saw their one point lead turn into a two point deficit, and they would never recover as SAIT outscored the Cougars 20-11 in the final frame for a 59-52 victory.

Overall, the Cougars look like a team that can compete with the Trojans, and they will undoubtedly be hoping for a shot at redemption in the post-season. For that to happen, the Cougars will have to beat some tough competition from the North conference in the early qualifying rounds.

Men
On the men’s side, the results were the opposite, as the Cougars took both games from the Trojans to extend their winning streak to 11 games.

Cam Dodd and Jordan Hone continue to build on their chemistry, scoring 23 and 21 points, respectively. Good three-point shooting and another good night from the free throw line made up for an overall mediocre shooting night from the Cougars. The Trojans, on the other hand, shot 47 percent from the floor, but only 20 percent from behind the arc, and took only 11 free throws compared to the Cougars’ 23.

The Cougars jumped out in front early with a torrid first quarter, scoring 29 points to the Trojans’ 16. It was a very even affair after the first, as the Trojans outscored the Cougars in the second and third quarters. The initial lead was enough, though, and the Cougars were able to hang on without being in any real danger for the remainder of the game. The Cougars wound up winning by seven, 79-72.

Saturday night’s game was an exciting matchup with multiple lead changes and strong games from the Cougars’ top players. Cam Dodd continues to thrive in the backcourt with Hone, and on Saturday both filled the stat sheets impressively.

Dodd finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds and added two blocks and two steals. Dodd has been getting to the charity stripe with much more regularity as of late, and went 14-16 from the free throw line.

Hone played the role of setup man and hit the glass hard, finishing with 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, as well as a game-high five steals. Jared Cornish also had a big game for the Cougars, rebounding from a subpar performance a night earlier to finish with 21 points and seven rebounds.

The Cougars led by 12 points after the first quarter, but the Trojans came storming back in the second to cut the lead to five at halftime. The Trojans came out strong after the break and claimed the lead in the third quarter, paving the way for a frantic finish. The fourth quarter began with the Trojans up 51-49, and both teams badly wanted the win. The Cougars were able to outscore the opposition by a basket in the fourth to set up overtime with the score at 71-71.

The Cougars had more gas in the tank heading into the extra frame, and outscored the Trojans 19-11 in overtime to pull away and beat the Trojans for the second time in as many nights, 90-82.

Both basketball teams will have a weekend off before preparing for home game on Friday, February 11th versus the Augustana Vikings, before taking their show on the road the following night in Concordia. Game time is 6:00 p.m. for the women and 8:00 p.m. for the men.