Women’s Basketball
Two nail-biters left the Blue Devils 1-1 in their final home games of the Fall semester. In the weekend opener on Saturday afternoon against the visiting Crandall University Chargers, King’s would trail after the opening quarter 15-14, before opening up in the second to lead by four at half time, 33-29. Despite pushing the lead to 11 in the second half, the Blue Devils struggled to put away their New Brunswick visitors. King’s battled through through an untimely injury to King’s forward Kayleigh Garland, who was forced off with a broken nose, and a fourth quarter surge by the Chargers cut the lead to as little as two points with just under four minutes left to play. King’s responded, with a clutch three-pointer from senior guard Chloe Oxner and a layup from teammate Olivia Moreau restoring a seven point lead, 61-54. One final onslaught by Crandall, capped by a layup from Kylee Balser, would pull the Chargers within two again, at 62-60 with under a minute remaining. Late free-throws by Oxner and point guard Kayleigh Coco-Edman would prove enough to see out the win, with the Blue Devils escaping 64-60 in their second win against Crandall this season. Moreau and Jenna Bain both reached double figures for King’s, with 14 and 10 points respectively, while rookie Norah Quinlan led Blue Devils scoring with 16 points, going 4-6 from the three point line. Oxner led King’s on the boards with 13 rebounds. For the Chargers, Alexa Rancourt, Megan Gallie and Sydnee Balser all reached double figures with 18, 16, and 11 points respectively, with Rancourt and Gallie registering double-doubles with 19 and 10 rebounds.
The second half of the weekend doubleheader was a high-octane offensive face off. King’s found themselves on the back foot early to the Holland College Hurricanes, allowing 27 points in the first quarter to trail by 13 after the first 10 minutes. Kickstarted by Bain, the Blue Devils would cut the lead t0 10 before halftime, and then again to five entering the final quarter of play. With high foul counts relegating King’s forward Lauren Ford and guards Coco-Edman and Oxner to the bench in the final quarter, King’s struggled to draw any closer, and Holland College would see off the threat from the Halifax hosts, taking the 96-87 win.
Concise free throw shooting down the back stretch proved pivotal for the Hurricanes, with guard Lisa Bolander shooting a perfect 12 for 12 on the day. For the Blue Devils, Bain recorded a monster performance in a losing effort, collecting 11 rebounds and amassing a game-high 29 points. Oxner was the only other Blue Devil in double figures with 11 points. For the Hurricanes, forward Grace Bennett led the way with 27 points, accompanied by Bolander with 20 points and 15 rebounds.
The UKC Women won’t have to wait long to get another crack at the Hurricanes. This time, the Blue Devils will travel to Prince Edward Island for their final ACAA game before the midseason break this weekend. King’s will wait with anticipation for the return Garland from injury, and monitor the status of guard Emma Garagan, who missed Saturday’s game with injury, but played Sunday. The rematch in Charlottetown is scheduled for on December 4 at 1 p.m. and will be streamed on ACAA.tv.
Results
vs. Crandall 64-60 Win
vs. Holland 87-96 Loss
Men’s Basketball
A set of losses in the final homestand of the semester left the King’s gymnasium gloomy for the UKC Men’s team, who dropped games in succession to Crandall University and Holland College. In Saturday’s tilt against the visiting Chargers, the Blue Devils did everything but win the game, despite falling behind early. In first half, King’s struggled to keep place with the Chargers, who entered halftime up 48-40. But a blistering third quarter performance by the Blue Devils would erase the deficit, with King’s carrying a one point lead into the final 10 minutes. King’s pushed the lead to seven with just over 2:30 on the clock, only to see it dwindle back down to one via a quick pair of three-pointers from Crandall guard Devon Glenn. Josh Crocker of the Blue Devils hit a triple of his own to put King’s back up four in the final minute of play, but a jumper from Glenn cut the lead in half and Crandall regained possession with a mere four seconds remaining. King’s failed to close down Crandall guard Brett Curtis, who drilled a decisive three pointer as time expired, leaving the Blue Devils on the short side of a 83-82 scoreline. Jayden Nordin topped the King’s scoresheet with a team-high 18 and 11 boards for a double-double, while Crocker added 12 and substitute shooting guard Sandrais Clayton chipped in with 14. Curtis lead the way for the Chargers with 20, and Sacha Gautier, Colby Larwence, and Glenn contributed 19, 17, and 12 respectively.
King’s tried to regroup quickly for Sunday’s match against Holland College, but the ensuing visit from the Hurricanes proved to be equally disheartening for Blue Devils fans as they cruused through their first meeting with King’s by a score of 84-73. Holland College controlled the bulk of the game, outscoring the host side in each of the first three quarters. A late sign of life in the 4th saw the Blue Devils outscore the visitors 28-20, finishing 11 points off pace. Once again, Nordin led all scorers, tallying 29 and going 10-11 from the free throw line, while forward Kevin Baukuma-Sayers was the only other Blue Devils in double figures with 15. For the Hurricanes, Jashajuan Downey posted a team high 20 points, with Bryce Corless and Jalen Menzies adding 19 each.
Head Coach Luc Stevenson’s team will get to show their mettle in a replay of Sunday’s game next weekend in Prince Edward Island. The consecutive games against Holland College will serve as stable coordinates for the team’s progress in their inaugural campaign under Stevenson’s guidance. That game is set for Saturday, December 4 at 3 p.m. and will be streamed live on ACAA.tv.
Results
vs. Crandall 82-83 Loss
vs. Holland 73-84 Loss
