Trojans make it six in a row with win over NAIT

CALGARY, ALTA., (Feb. 17, 2023) - The SAIT Trojans men's basketball team continue to roll as the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) regular season comes to a close.

Playing in their penultimate game of the season, SAIT outlasted the NAIT Ooks 80-67 in Friday night action played at Edge School.

The win pushed SAIT's record to 13-7, while NAIT falls to 12-7. Each team will play their final games of the regular season Saturday - SAIT against Northwestern Polytechnic at 3pm and NAIT against St. Mary's University at 8pm.

The game started slow for both teams, but SAIT found a way to get going - getting 17 points from Marcus Masters and 14 points and 10 rebounds from Marc-Denault Gabriel in the first half.

SAIT's 51-23 lead at the break allowed Coach Marty Birky to roll out his bench to close out the final two quarters of play. NAIT did not quit and took advantage, outscoring the hosts 27-10 in the final quarter of play to cut what was once a 31-point lead to just 13 by the final buzzer.

The game also saw the return of former Trojan Benjamin Kamba, who helped SAIT to an ACAC title in the 2019-20 season. Kamba scored 9 points for the Ooks and wreaked havoc on SAIT's guards with his strong defensive play.

Charlie Conner finished the game as SAIT's leading scorer, netting 22 points and 6 rebounds in the win. Masters concluded the evening with 19 points.

NAIT was led by Yasser Abdullahi's 19 points.

Both Conner and Abdullahi were named Players of the Game.