Eagles First Steps Back Onto the Court
UTM men’s basketball starts the season 0-2, women’s team split opening matches

Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams kicked off their regular season game on homecourt. For the past two Sundays, the teams have been battling against the St. George teams, trying to find rhythm in the new season.

Men’s Team Faces Early Setbacks

With the majority of the UTM men’s team being new players, the homeopener on November 2nd was the first steps on the court as an Eagle for most.

St. George Blue started the game with a fast pace that the UTM men were not expecting. By the end of first the Eagles were down 9-18 and had to regroup.

The second half of the game was a back and forth run. With key offensive efforts from Kent Lingat, a returning player, the game was a close battle right to the end. Unfortunately, the men were unable to close the final bit of the gap from St. George’s first steps on the court and St. Goerge left with a 79-75 win.

Finding themselves back on homecourt on November 9th, matching up against St. George Red, UTM was quickly put into another fast-paced contest. Getting open lanes and fast breaks, St. George was putting up quick offensive points. By half, St. George was up 49-27. UTM, lacking team communication, gave it their all to lock in for the next half.

The third quarter saw UTM coming in much sharper, gaining 21 points in the quarter. For the final push UTM’s Dante Giovinazzo was contributing most to the rim offensively with 13 points by the end of the fourth. Yet, it was just not enough. St. George Red left with a 90-58 win.

The men now know where their spaces for growth are highlighted. With a long season ahead, there is a lot of space for success for this team and they are ready to conquer it.

Women’s Team Effort to Find their Flow

For another season, the UTM women’s team sees nearly a complete new roster on the bench. And as they know from last year, trying to find the perfect harmony of everyone’s skills comes with growing pains.

The season home opener began at the RAWC on November 2nd with UTM matched up against the defending champions, St. George Blue. UTM stepped on the court with confidence, ready as ever to make a name for themselves this season.

The first half of the game was a constant battle, ending the first half with St. George Blue led 32-30. UTM knew they needed to push harder if they were going to win this.

Crucial offensive efforts from one of the team’s captains, Kaitlin Parsons, put the team into a better position. By the end of the 4th she put 25pts on the board, scoring nearly half of the team’s total. Defensive efforts from second-year players Khushneet Uppal and Diore Thorpe came to shut down St. George’s offensive capabilities.

In the end, UTM managed to pull it together and the game ended in a 63-56 win for the Eagles.

On November 9th, UTM matched up against St. George Red once again on homecourt. With St. George Red being the final team UTM saw last season, the returning players were anxious to show them up this year.

The first half came and went and St. George was up by 16 at the buzzer with UTM struggling to find offensive openings on St. George’s locked down defense. UTM lost their momentum in the second half, St George capitalized on it and maintained their offensive advantage. The game came to a close with a 71-48 win for St. George Red.

With a 50/50 mix of new and returning players, the Eagles must reflect on mental and physical performances that need improvement. There is a lot of growth to come, and this shortcoming doesn’t stop them here.

Stay tuned for more updates as the season unfolds as our Eagles find their rhythm.