RECAP: Gee-Gees earn double-header wins against Rams, set sights on Carleton

The U SPORTS third-ranked Gee-Gees men's basketball team earned two wins over the Rams on Friday and Saturday by final scores of 70-62 and 79-70. 

On Friday, Ottawa responded to a hot start from the Rams, who outscored the Gee-Gees by a margin of 20-8 in the first frame. Settling in for big second half pushes, Ottawa was able to reclaim the lead and pull away late to secure the eight point win.

The upstart Rams, winners six of their last seven before the weekend, provided a strong test for the Gee-Gees who were looking to rebound from their only loss of the year against Carleton.

Ratcheting up defensive pressure to the tune of 19 Rams turnovers, along with nine made three-pointers were key in the Gee-Gees earning the win.

Dragan Stajic led the way with 15 points, six assists, five steals, and four rebounds, while Cole Newton added 15 points and two rebounds on three made three-pointers. Guillaume Pépin also added 13 points and six rebounds in the win.

On Saturday, the Gee-Gees were more in control throughout, building their lead as big as 16 points in the third quarter. Despite a late push by the Rams, Ottawa was able to improve their record to 10-1 in the OUA this season. 

The Gee-Gees outrebounded their visitors by a 39-28 final margin, outscored the Rams 30-4 in the paint and scored 27 points off of turnovers. The Rams however, were hot from beyond the arc, hitting 10 threes at a 47.6 per cent clip. 

In all, Maxime Boursiquot was the leading scorer with 26 points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. Pépin added 14 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, while Josh Inkumsah (12 pts. / 7 reb.)  Cole Newton (10 pts. / 4 reb.) rounded out Gee-Gees in double-figures.

"We battled," said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin. "We made plays when we had to, made our free throws, and got the win. [The Rams] played hard, they pushed us, but we held on and got the two wins this weekend at home, at the end of the day that's what it all about."

While still shorthanded, Ottawa welcomed limited returns from Quincy Louis-Jeune and Marlon Kordrostami over the course of the weekend. The Gee-Gees will hope to inch closer to full-strength headed into the final stretch of the season.

It will be a short wait until the next marquee matchup, as Ottawa hosts the top-ranked Carleton Ravens in the Bytown Battle at Montpetit Hall on Wednesday. Tickets are available at tickets.geegees.ca and the game will be streaming live on OUA.tv. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.