The Brock Badgers men’s basketball team beat the Waterloo Warriors 78-66 on Nov. 9, dominating from the three-point line at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
Brock shot 54.5 per cent from deep through the opening three quarters and 40.6 per cent in the game, their highest in a game this season, with Anthony Heyes leading the way scoring five of the Badgers’ 13 made three-pointers in the contest.
The second-year guard scored a career-high 17 points and wasted no time making his mark on the game. The St. Catharines native scored the Badgers’ first nine points, all from beyond the arc, finishing with 11 first quarter points to lead Brock to an early advantage. But the Warriors responded, going on a 14-5 run to close the quarter as the opening frame ended deadlocked at 20.
However, the Badgers found their shooting stroke in the second, draining five three-pointers on 71.43 per cent shooting from deep. Davante Hackett got the three-point parade started in the second with three of his 12 points off the bench, before a pair of Jalen Edwards threes grew the Brock lead to 10 in the latter stages of the half.
Michael Matas extended the Badgers’ halftime lead to 12, 45-33, with a triple of his own before the break, as the fourth year forward finished with 16 points and eight rebounds on an efficient seven-for-nine shooting.
The three-point barrage continued in the second half with Heyes scoring from three on the Badgers opening possession, while Hackett buried two of his four threes in the quarter to lead the Badgers with six points in the third. The Badgers got out to an early 15-5 run before the Warriors responded with a 13-8 run of their own as Brock went into the final frame up 68-51, looking to get back into the win column.
But the Warriors were destined for that not to happen, outscoring the Badgers 15-10 in the frame and cutting the Brock lead down to 11, the lowest it’s been since the second quarter.
However, the Waterloo comeback fell short as the Badgers picked up their second win of the season in controlling fashion.
Brock’s bench outscored Waterloo’s bench 47-15, while the Badgers outrebounded the Warriors 39-26. Both bench productivity and rebounding will be crucial for the Badgers as they look to continue to keep pace with the leaders in the OUA Central division where the Badgers currently sit in fourth place.
Next, the Badgers (2-2) host the Ottawa Gee-Gees (4-1) on Nov. 15 and then the Carleton Ravens (4-0) on Nov. 17, both at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
For more information on the Brock Badgers men’s basketball team, visit gobadgers.ca.