Men’s team hosted Queen’s University in their preseason game
On Friday, Oct. 17, the Concordia Stingers hosted the Queen’s Gaels in a preseason match. The Stingers entered the game with a preseason record of 3-3 and are looking to play their first regular season game on Nov. 6. The Stingers prevailed on Friday, beating the Gaels 73-61.
The team won the opening tipoff and veteran guard Mukiya Post quickly scored the first basket of the game. It was a sign of good things to come as Post scored a total of 20 points in the game.
The Stingers played great defence for most of the first half and held Queen’s to six points in the first quarter. Concordia had a big lead early as the offence exploded for 26 points in the first quarter.
Concordia looked to be already in midseason form as they controlled the tempo early in the game. They got the first points of the second quarter on a layup by centre Jean-Louis Wanya. The Stingers continued playing solid defence, with Wanya making a big block preventing the Gaels from getting a basket for five minutes. The Stingers led 37-19 at halftime.
The Gaels scored the first basket of the second half. The Stingers committed a lot of fouls in the second half which allowed the Gaels to outscore them and gave the Gaels a chance to mount a comeback.
Luckily for the home crowd, the Stingers came out strong in the final quarter and outscored the Gaels 20-17 to preserve the win.
“We were hot and cold today. We executed on some plays but on others we had trouble,” said Stingers Head Coach John Dore.
Last year, the Stingers finished in third place in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) division with a record of 8-8 and then lost to Bishop’s in the semi-finals.
This year’s team will rely heavily on Post who led the RSEQ in scoring last season. On defence, Concordia’s new 6’10” centre Wanya will be counted on to grab rebounds and block shots.
Dore stated that his team’s goal is simple: go undefeated and win the RSEQ championship.
The Stingers added a lot of new players this year including point guard Ricardo Monge, who described the difference between playing college basketball and university basketball.
“I have to make some improvements and learn quickly so that I can adapt to the new pace of the university game,” he said.
Concordia’s starting forward and captain Mike Fosu explained how the team is looking to forge their new identity every time they take to the court.
“Toughness. We want teams to know that Concordia is tough to play against.”
