The Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks men’s basketball team had fans thrilled as it opened the season with a 79-73 win over the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold on Friday, Oct. 23. Coming off a strong 5-1 preseason record, the Golden Hawks carried that momentum into the regular season.
After TMU won the opening jump ball and scored first, Laurier’s defence was tested early.
Third-year communications student, guard and No. 1 Max Voorpool played 32 minutes and scored 24 points, including Laurier’s first basket of the game. Voorpool said, “The crowd had a lot of energy. It felt good to be home.”
Despite taking the lead in the opening quarter, the Golden Hawks were overtaken by the Bold by halftime, with TMU leading 45-41. The turnaround came after a strong second quarter from TMU, which scored 28 points while Laurier managed 15.
When asked whether TMU’s defence surprised him, third-year economics student, forward and No. 8 Liban Abdalla said, “They did a full-court press. We had some trouble with that, but that’s something we can work on.” Abdalla contributed 21 points and nine rebounds in 37 minutes.
In the third quarter, Laurier tightened up defensively, holding TMU to just eight points while scoring 18 to retake the lead. The fourth quarter was closely contested and nearly cost Laurier the game, with both teams scoring 20 points. Voorpool said the team still has work to do, particularly when it comes to turnovers.
“I turned the ball over a couple times where we could have grown the lead,” he said.
In the end, Laurier held on for the 79-73 victory.
Winning, however, is never enough for the coaching staff. Cavell Johnson, head coach of the Laurier men’s basketball team, shared his expectations for the group.
“I think we carried over some grit from the last three games of the preseason. We still didn’t execute down the stretch as well as I would’ve liked, but we showed the grit that we’ve been building, and we will continue to clean up our execution going into tomorrow,” Johnson said.
He also acknowledged his own areas for improvement.
“I definitely need to be better at getting our guys to lock in and focus on execution offensively and defensively late in the game,” he said.
Both Voorpool and Abdalla praised the team, its talent and the atmosphere surrounding the program.
Speaking about what he wanted people to know about Laurier men’s basketball, Voorpool said, “Come out to the games. We engage with the crowd and bring a lot of energy.”
Reflecting on the team’s chemistry, Abdalla said, “It’s incredible, one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever been a part of. The young guys work, and the older guys hold people accountable. The coaches are always incredible. It’s just a great program.”
Their comments emphasize the strong sense of community surrounding the players, coaches and fans.
While Laurier opened the season with a win, Johnson’s comments highlighted that the team still has room to improve its execution under pressure despite securing the victory.
Contributed photo by Jasna Gill
