“A lot of work was put in, and it feels amazing seeing everything come to reality.”
The Gee-Gees basketball teams took a long bus ride to Northern Ontario on the weekend, where they would each play a game against the Algoma University Thunderbirds. Both Algoma teams were struggling. The men’s team entered the game 1-11, while the women’s team was fairing slightly better and held a record of 2-10 entering Jan. 19’s game.
The first game — the women as always — began much closer than expected. The Thunderbirds were mostly keeping pace with the Gees, and the nationally ranked U of O team was holding just a five-point lead after the first quarter.
But from there, it was all Gee-Gees. Guards Natsuki Szczokin and Ariane Saumure were becoming an issue for the ball handlers on the other side of the court, as they used active hands and their speed to start laying in bucket after bucket on the hapless Algoma squad.
The Gees held the Thunderbirds to just nine points combined in the next two quarters, as they increased their lead to 70-23 after three quarters. The game would mercifully finish with a final score of 87-31.
Szczokin, while not having her best night from the field, managed to pass for nine assists and used her anticipation to grab six steals. Saumure, however, enjoyed an efficient night from behind the line. The fifth-year dropped in four threes on seven attempts, part of a 8-for-12 night from the field overall.
Like her backcourt partner, Saumure also grabbed six steals. The two now sit in first and second place respectively on the OUA’s steals leaderboard following the weekend’s games.
The men’s game began much farther apart in score, with the Gees holding a 23-7 lead after one quarter. By the end of the game, the male Thunderbird’s had kept better pace than their female counterparts, but still ended up far behind the Gee-Gees. The game ended with a final score of 87-50.
Kevin Otoo finished the game with 29 points, a career-high. The second-year Gee also added six assists, and four rebounds, but it was a buzzer-beater three at the end of the first half which was the most impressive part of the point guard’s night. With the three, Otoo reached 1000 career points, split between his time with Humber College and the U of O.
In a message to the Fulcrum, Otoo talked about the long road to the accomplishment. “It still feels surreal,” the fifth-year said. “A lot of work was put in, and it feels amazing seeing everything come to reality.”
The 2023 OUA Championship MVP also spoke about what it feels like to be a part of the successful basketball program at the U of O. “It’s super fun being a part of this team. It’s really like family, and that makes winning one hundred times better. I wouldn’t want to spend my last year with any other team.”
Otoo also picked up two steals in the win, included in the team’s total of 15 for the game. Wing Khalifa Koulamallah led the team with six, while guard Dragan Stajic grabbed four. At the conclusion of the weekend’s games, Otoo sat first in the OUA in steals, while Stajic placed third.
Both teams are back at Montpetit Jan. 26 and 27. They take on the Waterloo Warriors on Friday night and then play the Laurier Goldenhawks the following afternoon.
