CCAA Men's Basketball | Game 1 Recap
The Lakeland Rustlers Men's Basketball team lost their opening game at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Basketball Championships being held in Laval, QC Thursday afternoon. The Rustlers, who finished second at the Alberta Collegiate Athletic Conference (ACAC) Men's Basketball Championships nearly two weeks ago faced the Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association (OCAA) Champions, the Seneca Sting, in their first game of the national championships.
The Sting took the lead early on in the first quarter, as the Rustlers struggled to put the ball in the basket. Both teams appeared to have nervous energy in the first game of the championships, as scoring was low on both sides in the first quarter. After ten minutes of play, the Rustlers found themselves down 10-8. Scoring picked up in the second quarter, with the Rustlers opening up an 18-15 lead with 6:30 left in the half. The teams would go back and forth for the rest of the half, as the Rustlers found themselves trailing 27-26 at halftime. The Rustlers scoring struggles from the first quarter returned in the third, as the Rustlers would be outscored 24-10 in the third quarter and trail 51-36 heading into the fourth. The Rustlers found themselves down 20 in the fourth quarter, but would not go away without a fight. The Rustlers cut the lead to less than ten with just under two minutes remaining, applying strong defensive pressure and attacking the basket, drawing fouls. In the end, the Rustlers could not overcome the 20 point deficit, losing the game 77-69.
The Rustlers were led by 3rd-year forward Artavis Holiday with 19 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal, earning him Player of the Game. The Rustlers also got 14 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two steals from 4th-year forward PJ Gardner, while 2nd-year guard Brandon Isaac added 13 points, two assists, a rebound and a steal.
With the loss, the Rustlers move to the back side of the bracket where they still have a chance to medal with the backdoor bronze format of the tournament. The Rustlers will face the loser of the second quarter-final between the Holland Hurricanes and Dynamiques de Brebeuf Friday at 1:30 pm EDT.