Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – All they can do is take lessons learned out of a tough loss to Saskatchewan last Saturday and move forward.
It's exactly what the Griffins men's basketball team intends to do as they hit the road again for a series in Prince George, B.C. against the UNBC Timberwolves (Friday, 9 p.m. MT and Saturday, 8 p.m. MT, both Canada West TV).
"We've just got to get out and compete, play hard," said head coach Mike Connolly. "We learned a little bit. We talked about it – watched tape from Saturday – just how we could have worked harder and done a few things better that we didn't do.
"Now we've got to go to UNBC and just be mentally and physically ready to play."
MacEwan (0-4) is searching for its first win of the young 2023-24 season after back-to-back losses at Saskatchewan, while UNBC (1-1) is coming off a bye week after splitting against UFV on opening weekend.
"I just think we have to be consistent in our effort," said Connolly on what it's going to take to break through into the win column. "What happened last game is we weren't playing very well, and we cleared the bench and allowed some guys to play. It went from a 15- to a 30-point (deficit). So, some of the young guys had a lesson. Our veteran guys have been pretty consistent, but we had three guys who just didn't have a good game."
Connolly expects those guys to bounce back and is hopeful he will also have veteran leader Job Janda back in the lineup after he suffered a minor injury early in Saturday's game and sat out the rest of it as a precaution.
He noted UNBC offers a fun atmosphere to play in with an engaged crowd.
"I think it's a very tough place to play," he said. "They do a good job with their game day, getting things ready. They have a great atmosphere; they have a good community base. I think they play 10-15 points better at home than they do on the road. It's going to be difficult that way."
On the court, they also need to match UNBC's work rate.
"We have to cut down easy three-point shots because they can get on a roll and shoot the ball," he said. "They work hard and compete just like us. We have to go out there and compete and take away their three-point shot."
