Ooks Win Close Battle Against Eagles

On Saturday afternoon, the NAIT Ooks host Kings University Eagles at the NAIT gymnasium.

In the first quarter, the Ooks took the early lead with back-to-back three-pointers from guard Griffin Lorenz. The Eagles were struggling offensively to create any good looks. The Ooks continued to generate high-quality looks from beyond the arc and around the rim. The Ooks were playing elite-level defense, forcing turnovers with their speed and tenacity. The Eagles found themselves in foul trouble throughout the first quarter. The Eagles began to close the gap as Vishal Dhillion started to heat up from deep. The Ooks led 22-14 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Eagles offense started to gain some momentum from the foul line and drove the ball to the hoop, playing a physical brand of basketball. Ooks continued to hold onto the lead with stellar offensive possessions from Benjamin Kamba and  Yasser Abdullahi. The Ooks led 45-37 heading into the break.

 In the third quarter, the Ooks dominated from start to finish. Ooks had great movement, sharing the rock and finding open looks; the Eagles had yet to answer. The Eagles were starting to create some good looks for themselves, but it was not enough to cut into the Ooks lead as they continued to pour it on. The Eagles were hurting themselves as they got caught traveling many times in that quarter, destroying any momentum they had. The Ooks led 75-54 heading into the final frame.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles were gaining momentum and cutting into the Ooks lead, with excellent shot selection and up-tempo defense leading to steals and easy points. The Eagles were closing the gap as the fourth quarter moved along. They cut the lead to just one late in the fourth but had a few costly turnovers leading to fouls, sending the Ooks to the line before they sealed the game 93-89.