NAIT’s basketball teams tipped off their season last weekend, with the men’s home opener on Friday, Oct. 25. Last season saw the Ooks qualify for the divisional playoffs, but they lost to Keyano 81-69. The opening weekend had them matched up against Keyano again, setting the tone for a thrilling pair of games between the Ooks and the Huskies.
The men got out to a slow start on Friday, trailing Keyano 11-2 five minutes into the game. The Ooks came alive at the end of the quarter, though. NAIT scored seven points in the final 90 seconds of the first quarter to keep the game close (20-15 for the Huskies).. The Ooks made up some ground halfway through the second when they cut the Huskies lead to 26-24, but the blue and gold never found their way on top. Keyano outscored NAIT 14-5 in the rest of the second quarter to head into halftime up 40-29.
With seven minutes left in the third NAIT regained some ground, but Keyano continued to dominate, leading the Ooks by double digits for the rest of the game and securing a 83-67 victory.
NAIT’s slow start on offence put them in a position to chase Keyano right from tip-off, and as the score got close, they struggled to hold off the Huskies.
On Saturday, NAIT had the opportunity to fix those mistakes and took full advantage, jumping out to a 20-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Keyano came right back swinging, connecting on some jump shots to gain a 26-22 lead. The Ooks responded immediately and outscored the Huskies 17-3 in the quarter to lead 39-29 at halftime.
In the second half, the blue and gold continued to score, cruising home to an 84-70 victory over the Huskies and earning new Head Coach Adika Peter-McNeilly’s first win with the program.
The win “feels amazing,” Peter-McNeilly said in a post-game interview with the Nugget. “We weren’t happy with the result Friday. I went home and watched the film, I saw what we could do differently … and we brought it today, we punched and kept punching. We stuck to the game plan, and we came out big.”
The Ooks will hit the road with both teams heading to Medicine Hat on Friday, Nov. 1, and Briercrest on Saturday, Nov. 2.
