Powerful Virginia too much for Stingers

The Concordia men’s basketball team’s struggle against NCAA contender Virginia Cavaliers last week shows that size does matter, as the home squad fell 85-70 in an exhibition game Saturday.
Concordia could not find their rhythm early on, as they gave Virginia a 20-13 lead in the first quarter. The Stingers were outscored 72-41 by the third.
Stingers’ centre Jamal Gallier, standing at 6’7″ and 260 lbs, went four for 11 from the floor, but he was eclipsed by Virginia’s Tunji Soroye, who is 6’11”.
The Cavaliers fielded six players taller than Gallier, Concordia’s tallest player.
Concordia was out shot, going 27.7 per cent from 83 attempts while Virginia took 77 field goals and converted 44.2 per cent.
However, the Stingers did show signs of life in the fourth, reducing the lead to 15 points. Point guard Damian Buckley, with a game high 35 minutes of playing time, took matters into his own hands, driving to the basket often. He was also responsible for the play of the game when he drained a half court shot from the floor on his backside sending the crowd into its biggest cheer of the afternoon.
Though the late scoring drive wasn’t enough to save the game, Gallier believes they had a chance at winning.
“Anytime you’re within 15 points you have a chance, if the game would have gone on longer we could of had them.”
“They’re a really tough team, the whole point of us playing them is so we can get good practice,” he said.
For Concordia head coach John Dore, it marked the first game of his 20th season at the helm.
The Cavaliers, from the University of Virginia, play their regular season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, arguably the toughest in the NCAA with perennial powerhouses like the North Carolina Tar Heels, Duke Blue Devils and Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Stingers’ next games will be on Oct. 10-11 when they will host their annual Nike tournament. This year’s guests will include the University of Lethbridge and one more opponent which will be announced at a later date.

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