ALL STARTERS REACHED DOUBLE DIGITS; TEAM COMBINED FOR 21 ASSISTS
Despite a 1-7 record, the McMaster Marauders gave the #10 Gee-Gees a challenge on Friday night at Montpetit. The Marauders, led by point guard Anthony Wrzeszcz, would put up a worthy effort to remain in the game until the fourth quarter.
“They’re super talented,” Gees head coach James Derouin after the game of the Marauders. “Their record is obviously not consistent with the talent they have on their roster and their coaching staff.”
Fifth-year guard Dragan Stagic re-entered the starting lineup after sitting out almost a month due to injury. The two-time OUA Third Team All-Star finished with 10 points.
Rounding out the starting lineup was Ankit Choudhary (20 points), Justin Ndjock-Tadjore (12 points), Brock Newton (10 points), and Jacques-Mélaine Guemeta (18 points). Choudhary and Guemeta both drained four three-pointers on the night.
Now sitting at a 43.9 per cent three-point clip from long range after the weekend, Guemeta has improved on his 30.4 per cent clip from last season, a regression from his rookie year, where he shot 34.6 per cent. “Time in the gym,” answered Derouin confidently when asked what the improvement could be chalked down to.
“They’re face guarding him out there,” continued the longtime bench boss. “They don’t want to even let him think about the rim. That’s [from] hard work. His first year, he shot it pretty well for us … last year he just fell off the earth, really. But he spent all summer working on it, and I’m really happy for him, he’s having a great year.
The Gee-Gees didn’t make it easy on themselves, racking up 17 turnovers. “I didn’t love the way that we played,” said Derouin, referencing the turnovers in particular. “But I did think, with [Stajic coming] back … we kind of expected [chemistry issues] … we have to grind it out while [Stajic] gets back in shape.”
The Gees played with a tight seven-man rotation as guard Enrique Garcia came off the bench third and played just four minutes. Forwards Matthew Smith and Owen Kenney combined for just seven points on 2-of-11 shooting, though each picked up two steals and Smith two blocks.
Derouin noted Smith’s second half was much better than his first, calling him a “presence” in the paint. “[Smith and Kenney] came off the bench tonight, not sure if that threw them off, but again, we just didn’t seem to find a rhythm … we did what we had to do defensively, holding them to 70 points.”
The Gee-Gees would take down the Guelph Gryphons 81-45 on Saturday night, behind Choudhary’s 22 points. But from there, their schedule takes them to #4 TMU next Saturday before welcoming the 9-0, #5 Carleton Ravens to Montpetit on Dec. 4.
