Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Competitiveness and elbow grease set the stage, while Joshua Edwards took centre stage as the MacEwan Griffins men's basketball team came away with an 83-78 victory in non-conference home action against UNBC on Sunday.
Edwards hit a huge three-pointer to put the Griffins up by three with a minute left and they withstood a late charge from the visiting Timberwolves for their first preseason victory.
MacEwan had lost 77-64 to UBC-Okanagan in their non-conference home opener on Friday.
"We got the win against a very good UNBC team," said head coach Mike Connolly of Sunday's effort. "We're very happy with that because they're a good team and we were able to compete and play with them."
Mason Hunter led the Griffins with 23 points, while Edwards hit 20 as both played 32 minutes each. Alex Jap chipped in 12 points and Milan Jaksic had 10 points along with eight of MacEwan's game-leading 51 rebounds.
"The biggest thing we did that helped us is we out-rebounded them 51-39 and we had 22 offensive boards," said Connolly. "We have a goal. Our goal is to win the rebounding battle – not the total but the offensive one – and today we did that.
"I thought that was the thing that stood out – our guys' grit, hard work and determination. We played defence well and this is what happens. It allows you to stay in the game."
And Edwards made four threes in the game, including his clutch one as time ticked down.
"Josh Edwards stood out," said Connolly. "I thought he played well. We shot the ball well, too. We made 10 threes. I thought we picked up the pace, sprinted the floor and we got some open looks."
Both Edwards and Hunter also led the way in Friday's loss to UBCO with 13 points each, while Jap had 11 with a team-high seven boards.
"Last night's game was strictly about the first five minutes of the second quarter where it was even and they hit four threes right in a row and we went down 16 and couldn't recover," said Connolly, who nevertheless liked the effort in the opener. "We competed and did some good things; it was just a stretch where we lost it. I think a lot of the first-year guys had jitters. After last night's game, today it was like, 'OK, I can play.' And we played."
The squad will next host Winnipeg on Oct. 15 (6 p.m., David Atkinson Gym) as they continue to get ready for their season opener at Mount Royal University on Oct. 29.
"We still have lots to work on, but the biggest thing I love is their hard work and competitiveness and that's huge," said Connolly. "When you're competitive, it allows you to keep playing. That's what we did. We were competitive and didn't give up and we made everything hard for them the whole day.
"I think we've got a lot to work on offensively to be better, but when you're playing D and keeping the game close, anything can happen down the stretch."
