Even a snowstorm couldn’t stop Laurier students from packing the stands as the Golden Hawks hosted the Central Division–leading Lakehead Thunderwolves at the Laurier Athletic Complex on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, following the women’s team’s hard-fought win over the same opponent. The Golden Hawks prevailed 104–102 in overtime, improving to 6–5 on the season and moving into second place in the OUA West, while snapping Lakehead’s four-game winning streak as they fall to 6–3 and sit third in the Central.
Lakehead was led by their star from Madrid, Spain, 6’9” centre Harold Santacruz, who came in averaging 23.1 points per game (second highest in U SPORTS), shooting 34.5% from three, and pulling down 8.7 rebounds per game. He delivered another big performance with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Their veteran guard Chris Sagl, who owns the fourth-best career assist-to-turnover ratio in Thunderwolves history (min. 50 assists), added 19 points, including a late dagger three that briefly put Lakehead ahead 94–91 in the dying seconds of regulation.
But Laurier refused to break.
Although Laurier was hobbled with many injuries to key players, many stepped up to the plate. Fifth-year forward and rising star Aidan Whalen, poured in an emphatic 34 points. After the final buzzer, Whalen credited the plan against Santacruz and Sagl, saying, “we know they run a lot of their stuff through them, so we just wanted to send bodies make it difficult for Harold Santacruz all night.” He emphasized the collective effort, adding, “Shout out my teammates, my coaches. They give me the confidence every day… I think it was a whole team effort, and I’m just glad we got the win.”
The fourth quarter was a tense back-and-forth where neither side led by more than five. And like the last two matchups, both decided on the final possession, tension built to a breaking point. With 10 seconds remaining, Sagl’s triple put Lakehead up by three, forcing a Laurier timeout. After the inbound, fourth-year Finance Management guard Joshua Loblaw, who finished with 20 points, found an unlikely but increasingly familiar option.
Nobody was open except for the rookie, first-year Kinesiology/Physical Education guard Malik Langenegger, who had already earned a reputation for clutch shooting. He drifted to the wing, rose with a hand in his face, and drilled the tying three with 0.7 seconds left.
Langenegger finished with 21 on the night.
First-year Arts forward Julien Binzangi also provided major value off the bench with 14 rebounds, demonstrating commendable hustle and persistence in ensuring Laurier maintained possession throughout the game, exactly the type of resilience Laurier needed in moments when Santacruz threatened to take over physically.
Head coach Cavell Johnson, in his second season at the helm, praised both Lakehead’s talent and his squad’s grit. “We knew it was going to be a dog fight,” he said. “From a chemistry standpoint as a team and from a wanted factor… the guys are really coming in every day showing that they want it for one another.”
With the win, Laurier enters the winter break riding momentum and confidence. Whalen pointed ahead optimistically: “We have a good month of preparation, a good month to get healthy… and I’m looking forward to it.”
Laurier will return to action after a much-needed five-and-a-half-week rest, opening 2026 on the road against TMU on Wednesday, January 7.
Contributed Photo/Birnavan Varnacumaaran
