Men's Basketball Weekend Recap | February 3, 2018
The Lakeland Rustlers Men's Basketball team split their series against the NAIT Ooks on the weekend, with each team winning on their home court. Friday night in Edmonton, the Ooks defeated the Rustlers 111-75. Saturday night, the Rustlers responded and defeated the Ooks 79-66.
The Rustlers took the lead early in the game Friday night, but once the Ooks got going, they could not be stopped. The Rustlers opened up a 4-0 lead to start the game before the Ooks would go on a 20-1 run over a 5-minute span. At the end of the first quarter, the Ooks led 28-11. The Ooks continued their offensive dominance in the second quarter, as they would outscore the Rustlers 20-11 in the quarter and the Rustlers found themselves down 48-22 at the half.
The Rustlers had a strong third quarter, as they fought to get back into the game. Despite scoring 32 points in the quarter, the Rustlers still found themselves down 76-54 after three. The Ooks controlled the fourth quarter, as they outscored the Rustlers 35-21.
The Rustlers were led by 4th-year forward Prentice Gardner with 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while 3rd-year guard Lual Atem added 17 points, two rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
After getting beaten badly Friday night in Edmonton, the Rustlers responded with a 79-66 win Saturday night in Lloydminster. The Rustlers came out strong to start the game, opening up a 9-2 lead early in the first quarter. The Ooks would struggle to make shots early on but cut the Rustlers lead to 1 with less than two minutes remaining. The Ooks would maintain their momentum and go on to take the lead at the end of the first quarter, 23-18. The Rustlers found themselves down seven early in the second quarter, but would quickly tie the game at 25 thanks to their strong defence, forcing the Ooks to turn the ball over. The teams would go back and forth, trading baskets for the rest of the quarter, with the Rustlers taking a 40-35 lead at the half.
Both teams come out slow to start the second half but eventually found their stride, as they would go back and forth for the quarter. The Rustlers found themselves down two, 56-54 heading into the fourth quarter. The Rustlers locked in defensively in the fourth quarter, holding the Ooks to just 10 points while scoring 25 of their own on their way to the 79-66 win.
The Rustlers were led by Gardner with 25 points, 11 rebound, seven assists and two steals. 4th-Year guard Terrell Murdaugh had 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, earning him Player of the Game honors. 3rd-Year forward Artavis Holiday added 14 points, four rebounds, three steals and an assist for the Rustlers.
The Rustlers return to the court on Friday, February 9th, as they travel to Camrose to face the University of Alberta – Augustana Vikings.
The Rustlers return home Saturday, February 10th, to face the same Vikings team. The game is set to get underway at 8:00 pm.