Jason Hills
For MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON — In a game where the biggest scoring run was just seven points, and there was little to no breathing room, the MacEwan Griffins couldn't afford any big mistakes against the Saskatchewan Huskies.
Down 63-62 with less than four minutes to play, the Griffins allowed an open three off a missed coverage, and moments later allowed a layup off a turnover to extend the Huskies lead to 68-62, and that was just enough of an opening for Saskatchewan to escape with a 69-64 win on Friday night at the David Atkinson gym.
"It's a game of mistakes. We give up a three and an open layup, so they go up six, and that's the difference. We had a chance to come back, and silly turnovers creeped in and killed our chances," said Griffins head coach Mike Connolly.
"I thought our guys played hard for 37 minutes, we played hard defensively. We got nine stops in a row in the third quarter, but we have to keep battling through it.
"I know this loss hurts them, but we've got to come out and play. We competed, but now we have to respond. We got down, but we have to find a way to do it."
MacEwan was led by Job Janda, who had 17 points and seven rebounds, while Milan Jaksic broke the program single Canada West season record with his sixth double-double of 2024-25, posting 11 points and 12 rebounds. Justace Byam chipped in with nine points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in the loss as MacEwan fell to 2-13 this season.
Saskatchewan was led by Easton Thimm's 15 points and 16 rebounds, while Griffin Sharkey scored 14 points and was clutch beyond the arc hitting four three-pointers.
Here is Milan Jaksic's 10th rebound of the night, locking in his sixth double double of the season, which breaks the program record he shared with Ryan May (2014-15) for the most by a Griffin in a @CanadaWest season!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/LpuGShn2yl
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) February 1, 2025
"It's tough. We played well defensively, but if we want to win games, we have got to hit more shots. We can't go on scoring droughts like we did — that's what killed us," said Byam.
"Defensively, we did a solid job. We let a couple of their shooters get some open shots, and we missed some things on scout where we had some lapses on. This (loss) is a tough one."
The Griffins are battling for one of the last playoff spots in the conference, so each game down the stretch is crucial. Losing to the Huskies was costly, as Saskatchewan now has an identical 2-13 record, and they trail both Alberta and Regina (both 6-9) by four games.
"This game was one we felt like we let slip away. That's how basketball goes sometimes, but the thing about being in this league is we have a chance to get back at them in less than 24 hours, and that has to be our focus now," said Byam.
MacEwan trailed 21-14 after the opening quarter and 44-39 at half in a half that saw them only hold the lead for 1:04, but they stayed in the sight lines of Saskatchewan.
Dami Osuma gettin' it going for the @Macewangriffins in the opening quarter!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/Rniop1F32x
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) February 1, 2025
MacEwan was up against the Huskies' massive front court duo of Thimm (6'9") and seven-footer Ryker Wutke, and while they battled relatively even on the boards, they gave up 14 second-chance points in the first half.
"Coach emphasizes on us to crash the boards, and rebounding isn't all about size, it's about effort, so I feel like that's a category we can win tomorrow, but giving them 14 second-chance points, that's the gap between us winning and losing," said Byam.
MacEwan cleaned up their play in that area of the second half, but they went cold offensively at crucial times.
They'd get multiple stops at the defensive end, but then couldn't score to either take the lead or extend their lead.
After Saskatchewan was able to extend their lead to 68-62 on the biggest scoring run of the game (7-0), the Griffins weren't able to score on their opportunities as they made some unforced turnovers, or they missed some good looks.
"Rebounding in the first half, and too many scoring droughts in the second half. Shots weren't falling… it sucks, but we have to stay together and regroup and come back tomorrow," said Byam.
MacEwan and Saskatchewan will wrap up their weekend series on Saturday (5 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
