The Ottawa Gee-Gees survived a scare Saturday night.
The third-ranked men’s basketball team in the nation, their opponent coming off a 42-point defeat the night before, the Gee-Gees recovered from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit Saturday night at the Thunderdome, their furious rally resulting in an 80-75 win.
It didn’t come easy.
The Wolves clung to a one-point lead in the final minute, going in front on an Anthony McIntosh drive to the net with less than 40 seconds to play.
But after Mehdi Tihani went backdoor to give Ottawa the single-point edge, McIntosh couldn't answer. On the Wolves next trip down the court McIntosh rushed a potential lead-changing shot, clanging it off the rim and into an Ottawa player's hands.
The Gee-Gees finished the scoring off on the charity stripe to remain unbeaten on the season at 4-0. The Wolves fell to 1-3.
“Compared to last night, it was a much better overall effort from our guys. There was obviously some game plan issues that as a staff we look at and say, well, what if we did this or what if we did that,” said LU coach Matt Erdman.
“But I’m really happy with the way they competed with the experience that these guys have. This is a growing experience for us.”
Still, the loss still stings, he added.
Ottawa was on the ropes in the fourth. Up seven to start the quarter, MacIntosh and Henry Tan hit back-to-back buckets to open the gap to 11.
It only took the Gee-Gees a couple of possessions to pull within three, thanks to a stifling defence that forced untimely turnovers. Add in three-pointers by Mike L’Africain and Tihani, part of a 10-0 run and the gap was just one.
Erdman was wary to blame inexperience for allowing Ottawa back in the contest.
“I’m going to chalk that up to maybe just not getting back on defence. They beat us on the transition quite a bit in the fourth. We took some silly shots and got away from some of the things we did well in the third quarter, like get the ball inside and get stops on the defensive end. When we get stops on the defensive end, we’re a really tough team to guard,” Erdman said.
It just didn’t happen enough down the stretch, which saw the lead change hands six times.
Johnny Berhanemeskel was the key for the Gee-Gees, hitting a bucket midway through the quarter that put Ottawa in front for the first time since Igor Lebov gave LU a 46-44 lead in the fourth. He later tied it 68-68 with a three pointer, then hit three of four free throws, twice restoring Ottawa to the front of the pack.
Five Wolves hit double digits in points, led by McIntosh’s 17. Henry Tan finished with 15, while Dwayne Harvey chipped in 13 and Lebov and Jamar Coke had 10 apiece. Berhanemeskel led all scorers with 25.
Beyond the arc: Former Lakehead star Joseph Jones surprised former women’s team star Lindsay Druery at halftime, popping out of a giant gift box at half court and proposing to her in front of the crowd. She said yes … Erdman sat seven-footers Andrew McCarthy and Brent Wallace for most of the contest, saying he thought a smaller lineup matched up better against the Gee-Gees.
