Goaltending woes costly in classic hoops contest
Nov 29, 08 Basketball (M)
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By Earl Zukerman
MONTREAL ā They say that goaltending wins games. That was not the case Saturday, however, as a pair of rare goaltending calls cost the basketball Redmen dearly in a 100-90 overtime loss to visiting Laval before 367 at the Currie Gym.
Francois-Olivier Gagnon-Hebert, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound centre from Quebec City, tallied 29 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as Laval swept their two-game weekend series over the Redmen and improved to 3-1 heading into a month-long exam break. Teammate Jerome Turcotte-Routhier posted a 17-point, 13-rebound performance.
In a game that featured everything but the kitchen sink, 10 players reached double figures in scoring, including four who achieved a ādouble-doubleā. A combined total of 40 personal fouls were called and two players fouled out but the large crowd was silenced when the first goaltending foul was called on ±«ÓćÖ±²„ with seven seconds to play and the Redmen holding a precarious 82-80 lead. The call awarded two points to Gagnon-Hebert and forced a five-minute overtime period in which Laval outgunned ±«ÓćÖ±²„ 18-8, including two on another goaltending call.
Montreal native Moustafa El Zanaty poured in 29 points in a losing cause for ±«ÓćÖ±²„, shooting 10-for-23 from the field, 4-for-10 from three-point range and 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. He also had seven rebounds and three assists.
Michael White, also from Montreal, had 17 points and grabbed 10 boards for ±«ÓćÖ±²„, while senior Sean Anthony of West Vancouver, registered 12 and 14, respectively, along with four steals. Rounding out the high scorers for ±«ÓćÖ±²„ was Pawel Herra (15) of Kingston, Ont., and Matt Thornhill (11) of Ile. Bizard, Que., who fouled out in the final minutes.
The Rouge et Or led 32-28 after one quarter, 47-42 at the half and 68-60 after three stanzas. They shot an impressive 48.8 percent from the field, 28.0 from beyond the arc and 75.0 from the foul line, compared to ±«ÓćÖ±²„ which connected on 38.6, 33.3 and a dismal 56.0, respectively,
The Redmen, 10-8 overall and 1-3 in league play, have a month to improve their goaltending situation and will regroup in time to participate in the Citadins Holiday Invitational tourney, Dec. 28-30.
GAME NOTES: Erik Galas, the fifth-year Redmen football star from Ottawa who played 21 minutes in his hoops debut at Laval Friday, only saw two minutes of court time in his second contest. He drew a pair of quick fouls late in the first half and did not see the court after thatā¦ Lavalās Xavier Baribeau, a 5-foot-9, 165-pound point guard, played the entire 45 minutes and posted some solid numbers with 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals.