Thunderwolves basketball teams head to Laurier in second-last weekend of regular season

Lakehead’s basketball teams return to Waterloo, Ontario this weekend, but this time to face the Golden Hawks of Wilfrid Laurier University. The Thunderwolves are returning to a city that saw them sweep four games, with the men’s and women’s squads picking up two wins each last weekend.

Women’s basketball

Lakehead’s women’s team opens the weekend’s action at 6pm on Friday, February 15th against the 8-12 Golden Hawks. Lakehead is currently 16-4 with four games left to play in the OUA regular season.

“Laurier is a very well coached and disciplined team,” Thunderwolves women’s basketball coach Jon Kreiner says. “They take care of the ball, don’t foul on D, and they work hard on both ends of the floor for 40 minutes.”

The Thunderwolves enter the weekend on a four-game win streak, while Laurier comes in off a loss.

“We will have our work cut out for us at Laurier,” coach Kreiner says, “as we look to continue our streak.”

Laurier currently leads the OUA in blocks per game as a team, while Lakehead enters with the third-highest scoring offense in the province.

“Laurier defends very well,” coach Kreiner says. “We will need to continue to develop our passing game and play smart on both ends of the floor.

WBB Playoff Picture: Lakehead’s women’s team is currently 16-4 and second in the OUA West, and with two wins the squad will be in good position to secure a first-round bye. The Windsor Lancers, who are third in the OUA West at 14-6 however, currently hold the tiebreaker over the Thunderwolves.

Men’s Basketball

On the men’s side, Lakehead basketball enters the weekend on a five-game win streak, including two wins against then-nationally top-ten ranked Western. The Laurier men’s team is currently at the top of the OUA West with a 15-5 record with a seven-game win streak. The Golden Hawks are #8 in the USPORTS national rankings.

Lakehead is currently 8-12 and five spots behind Laurier in OUA West rankings, but the Thunderwolves have gone 6-4 since the December break, averaging 85.6 points per game with a +79 point differential in the new year.

“Laurier plays extremely hard and has a number of shot makers on offense,” Thunderwolves men’s basketball coach Ryan Thomson says. “They also have tremendous versatility defensively.”

The Golden Hawks currently average 84.2 points per game behind 27-point-per-game scorer Ali Sow, only 1.4 points as a team less than Lakehead’s 2019 average. The Thunderwolves have given up 77.7 points per game in the new year.

“Sow is a very talented player,” coach Thomson says. “We need to make sure we find a way to try and slow him down both in transition and half-court actions.”

MBB Playoff Picture: Lakehead’s men’s team is currently 8-12 and sixth in the OUA West behind Guelph in fifth and McMaster in fourth. Guelph currently shares an identical 8-12 record, but holds the tiebreaker against the Thunderwolves. McMaster is 9-11, with Lakehead holding the tiebreaker over the Marauders. Windsor sits in seventh behind the Thunderwolves with a 6-14 record, and two Lakehead wins this weekend would guarantee the Thunderwolves a playoff appearance on the road.

Basketball games are available via webcast courtesy of OUA.tv