Redemption in final game for women, men fall short

By Josh Saggau
[contributor]

After a narrow victory on Friday night, Kwantlen’s women’s basketball team made it a lot easier on fans for the Saturday game as they beat the Douglas Royals 60-44.

Both teams had entered the weekend with just two wins—both have beaten Columbia Bible College twice—and it was the Eagles who emerged in eighth spot after sweeping the weekend set.

On Saturday night, the Eagles got exactly what they needed from their offence. Three players hit double-digits in points including Oxana Senyuk and Rebeckah Gaukel who led the way with 13 each.

It was the Eagles ability to hit from the three-point range that gave them their added attack. The team shot 26 per cent from beyond the arc, while the Royals mustered only one three pointer.

Kwantlen is still nowhere near a playoff spot, even with the wins, but getting back into the win column after a disappointing season is a nice way to close out the year.

For the men, it was much the same story against Douglas on Saturday night.

The team was so close to a win on Friday night and, after falling short, had a bit of a letdown on Saturday night in a 94-83 loss to the visiting Royals.

This time though, the game was never in Kwantlen’s control. For the second straight night, it was the Eagles ability to nail some key three pointers but on Saturday it was merely to keep the score close. The team only scored 11 points in the first quarter and never got back into the game. Midway through the third the team trailed by 20.

The heart of the Kwantlen team all year has been its defensive play. Facing the Royals, the Eagles gave up 191 points in two nights and weren’t able to overcome the Royals offensive attack to pick up a victory. Second chance opportunities killed the Eagles all weekend. Douglas had another 18 points on Saturday as a result of second chances.

After failing to pick up a point in either weekend game, the men finish the season in second-to-last place in the league at 1-17.