With an exhibition win against them already under their belt, the Keyano Huskies Men's Basketball team made the most of their lone regular season matchup against the SAIT Trojans, charging to an 84-54-win Saturday at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre.
"It's just another win, just another game on the schedule for us," Head Coach Jeremy Wielenga said. "It was a little bit of a grind with a back-to-back and a short turnaround, but I thought our guys really responded and did what we were supposed to do defensively."
Four Huskies finished in double-digits, highlighted by a 22-point effort from Jusci Thompson which was a career-high for the third-year guard from Toronto, Ont.
Taking a 20-13 lead after the first quarter, the Huskies retained a two-point edge at halftime. In the second half, the Huskies' offence and defence came to shine, outscoring the Trojans 23-11 in the third quarter and 26-10 in the fourth to close out the 30-point win.
"The weekend sweep was most definitely what we were aiming for all week," Taliik Ross said following his 18-rebound, 17-point effort. "This one was a little bit more emotional, me being a transfer [from SAIT].
"This one counted, so that's what made it more special."
In addition to Thompson's 22 and Ross' 17, Sean-Michael Clancey had 17 points and Omeechi Williams added 12 in the winning effort. DJ Haynes had nine points and Keenen Caribou had seven as well to round out the scoring.
Clancey had 11 rebounds and Williams had 10 as the pair joined Ross in Saturday's double-double club.
Nathan Carefoote-Jones, Thompson, Caribou, and Clancey each had three steals to tie for the team lead as the Trojans committed 16 turnovers in the game.
With his season-high 17 points and back-to-back double-doubles, Ross is finding a perfect fit in the paint with the Huskies and the Jacksonville, Florida product is conversely feeling the love.
"From day one, I stepped onto this court, and they made me feel like I was going to be one of the top three guys," Ross said. "Coming in with Sean and Omeechi being the number one and two guys, and then me slotting into that third spot being a big role on this team; I love it.
"It feels so good to be welcomed like that."
With the weekend's results in, the Huskies now hold a four-point lead on the NAIT Ooks for the top spot in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference's (ACAC) North Division. The Huskies and South Division's Lethbridge Kodiaks are the lone teams to still hold a perfect record.
Up next for the Men's Basketball Huskies is a trip to the ACAC South Division, challenging the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings on Friday, November 18 at 8:00 p.m. That will be followed by a matchup against the Olds College of Agriculture and Technology Broncos on Saturday, November 19 at 8:00 p.m.
