MBB | Voyageurs Challenged by Ridgebacks but Persevere to Win

The Voyageurs came out victorious against the newly formed Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Saturday night as they won by a score of 85-75. 

The Ridgebacks gave a gut check to the seventh ranked Voyageurs in the first quarter as they came out flying and restricted the Voyageurs to just seven points on 15.8% shooting while they themselves shot 52.9%. In fact, the Ridgebacks finished the quarter on a 17-0 run that started 4:35 remaining in the first quarter. Ammar Hassan led the Ridgebacks with nine points and was followed closely by AJ Cummings with seven points in the quarter, whereas the Voyageurs were led by Sam Ivey with five points and Kadre Gray with two points. 

But the Voyageurs responded in the second quarter by outscoring the Ridgebacks 29-13. They increased their defensive intensity and held their opponents to just 29.4% shooting. The Voyageurs began the quarter on an 8-0 run which helped them reduce the deficit to nine points. But, the Ridgebacks refused to back down as they stretched their lead to 15 points with 2:59 left in the first half. But the Voyageurs too refused to go away and thanks to efficient shooting late in the quarter, especially from Ivey, who drained back to back three-point buckets which reduced the Ridgeback lead to just one point at the conclusion of the first half. The scoreboard read 37-36 in favour of the Ridgebacks at the end of the first half. 

The Voyageurs continued their offensive style of play in the third quarter as they added another 29 points in the quarter. Ivey and Gray caught fire and scored 11 and 10 points each respectively to lead their team. Ivey specifically was outstanding as he wet 3-5 from beyond the arc to allow his team to take a 10 point lead at the quarter's end. The Voyageurs shot an impressive 64.7% from the field while restring the Ridgebacks to 50.0% shooting. Finally, leading scorers from the Ridgebacks included Cummings with six points and Graddy Kanku with five points. 

The fourth quarter was more evenly tied between both teams as each added 20 points to their tally. The Ridgebacks fought tooth and nail to tie the game and even cut the lead to eight points with 1:05 left to play but the Voyageurs defence would stand tall and deny the Ridgebacks a comeback. When all things were settled, the Voyageurs emerged victorious by a score of 85-75. 

Sam Ivey led all players in scoring with 33 points and was followed closely by Gray with 25 points. Rookie Cedric Nga Mbiaba also had an outstanding night as he added 14 points of his own to the Voyageur tally. Conversely, the Ridgebacks were led by Hassan with 24 points Cummings with 22 points in scoring. 

The Voyageurs will now travel to the provincial capital, Toronto, to finish off their 2019-2020 regular season. They will take on the Toronto Varsity Blues next at Goldring Centre on February 14. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 pm.  

Wali Khan