Women’s Basketball
A season opener that was a little closer than most Blue Devils fans would have liked, as the UKC Women’s team outlasted the Chargers of Crandall University 65-63 in Moncton. Having not played a game in over 600 days, the Blue Devils took some time to find their groove; however shooting nearly 30% from 3 proved critical in the King’s side surviving the Chargers through four quarters. Chloe Oxner and Jenna Bain led the starting lineup in scoring with 12 and 16 points respectively, though Kaleigh Coco-Edman’s 17 points off the bench led all scorers and provided a surge of energy for the Blue Devils. Elsewhere, Emma Garagan hauled in a team high six rebounds.
With a week between games, King’s will reflect and shake of the rust before their home-opener weekend, with St. Thomas and UNBSJ slated to visit the Kingdome. Their depth and experience give the UKC Women a strong edge in the league, though the visiting Tommies will be looking for retribution for their semi-final loss to the Blue Devils the last time these teams met in the 2020 post-season. King’s has returned with six members of that semi-final team, including the entire starting lineup that faced Crandall. The Blue Devils will take the court at 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 6 against St. Thomas, and then again on Sunday, November 7 at 11 a.m., both games at home.
Results
@Crandall 65-63 Win
Men’s Basketball
A slow start in Moncton proved to be the downfall of the UKC Men’s team, who dropped their season opener to Crandall by a score of 72-83. Scoring only five in the first quarter, the Blue Devils took 10 minutes before finding their rhythm for the rest of the game. Surging late in the 4th, King’s came within six points, fuelled by the production of senior guard, Jayden Nordin who tallied 19 points in the games final quarter before the clocks hit zero. Nordin recorded 28 total for the game, joint-top with Crandall’s Colby Lawrence. Elsewhere, rookie Josh Crocker chipped in 12 points, transfer forward Kevin Baukuma-Sayers collected a team-high nine rebounds, and Geevon Janday nearly had a double-double with eight points and eight boards, shooting 80% from the floor.
King’s will look to bounce back in the coming weekend with St. Thomas and UNBSJ both visiting the Kingdome. The undefeated Tommies are front runners for the championship, while UNBSJ is yet to open their ACAA season. King’s will need to senior leaders in Jayden Nordin, Ilyas Kurbanov and transfer Kevin Baukuma-Sayers to find their stride at home, while the status of veteran Ethan Merlin remains uncertain as the guard works back from injury. King’s will host St. Thomas on Saturday, November 6 at 6 p.m., followed by UNBSJ on Sunday, November 7 at 1 p.m., both at home.
Results
@Crandall 83-72 loss
