eS ( orts EDITOR: CARLY RHIANNA SMITH THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 8 i il i a ae ht LOL Se. SS a, = = JANA MINOR photo Jeff Chu goes for the shot during an intense match against UNBC while his teammates watch from the bench. Men's team triumphs Basketball team conquers UNBC in a match on home turf By JANA MINOR ind of like dating up, the Langa- ra Falcons are playing out of their league - and scoring. The men’s basketball team beat the University of Northern British Columbia’s Timberwolves in an intense exhibition match at home on Oct. 27 that came down to the last second. “We have a talented team that can play a lot of the teams at the next lev- el,” said Jordan Mottl, assistant coach. UNBC’s Timberwolves recently made the jump to Canadian Interuni- versity Sport, the league above Langa- ra’s Pac West division. Langara lit up the scoreboard in the first quarter but fell behind in the sec- ond, buckling under UNBC’s tight de- fence. “We usually have a slow quarter af- ter the half, but we took the lead in the third and really picked it up,” said point guard Brody Greig. The game wasn’t decided until the literal last second. With Langara ahead by two points, a foul was called just moments before the clock ran out, and referees ordered one second be put back on the board. UNBC guard Sam Raphael then took two free throws, missed both, and handed the victory to Langara. “T wasn’t too worried,” said Greig. “After he missed his first free throw, we knew we won.” The final score was 84-82. Points leaders were Greig with 16 points, Jes- se Jeffers with 15 points and Jeff Chu with 12 points. “The basketball gods owed us one. They owed us a miss at least,” said Mott] of the intense ending that nearly sent an already tight game into over- time. “Our level of compete was where it needed to be. Our level of execution, not quite,” added Mott]. “We just need to get better at concentration and exe- cution at the highest intensity level,” he said. “It was a very exciting game,” said head coach Paul Eberhardt. He said the team is dealing with some key injuries. Point guard Elliot Mason is bouncing back after dislocat- ing a finger and centre Devin McMur- try has a hyperextended knee. “Tf we stay healthy we should be able to compete with anyone,” added Mott]. The Falcons lost 87-63 against Port- land Bible College on Oct. 28 in their fi- nal exhibition game. Regular season kicks off Friday, Nov. 2 with a free home opener against Douglas College. Lang- Falcons lose a fiery game SPORTS notes WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HOME OPENER November2 6:00pm Langara College HOME OPENER November2 8:00pm Langara College INTRAMURALS Monday 9:00 a.m. - 10:20am. Open gym Wednesday 9:00 a.m. - 20am. Basketball Friday 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Yoga Friday 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Badminton RESULTS Falcons WOMEN'S BASKETBALL October 26 Falcons 60/Flam- ing Rons 61 WOMEN'S SOCCER October 26 Falcons 2/ Wolf- Pack 5 MEN'S BASKETBALL October 27 Falcons 84/Tim- berwolves 82 When their opposing team pulled out, the Falcons filled the gap with more than they could handle By MICHAEL LETENDRE the Flaming Rons on Friday, but the Langara women’s basketball team played a hard fought game that came down to the final shot. The Falcons were scheduled to play Columbia Bible College, but due to inju- ries, CBC had to pull out of the game. The Falcons’ coaching staff began searching for another team to play. They found the Flaming Rons, a squad from the Strathcona Women’s Basketball League. “In 11 years at Langara, it’s never happened before,” said Falcons head coach Mike Evans. The Rons outsized the Falcons, and from the start of the game the Falcons looked flat on offense, settling mostly for jump shots. The Falcons were down 25-30 at the end of the first half. “T thought our first half was just hor- rendous,” Evans said. Evans chewed his team out during the intermission, and the Falcons re- sponded by coming out and playing ag- gressive. They pushed the tempo and were able to get easy baskets in transition and cause multiple turnovers by run- ning a press defense. The fourth quarter was a shoot-out, with the lead changing back and forth multiple times. With 16 seconds left, the Falcons found themselves down by three and with possession of the ball. For their final play, the Falcons ran a play to get guard Jesseca Eng a shot at a potential game-tying three pointer. Her shot rang off the rim and after a scramble, the ball landed in the hands of guard Denise Busayong, who sank a 2 at the buzzer, putting the final score at 61-60 for the Flaming Rons. It was a disappointing loss for a team that’s gone 0-5 in the pre-season. “We ran our sets pretty well and if we hit our free throws we would have won the game,” said Evans. Te: may not have expected to play WolfPack creams Falcons After a rough season with injured players, women’s soccer lost a shot at gold By STEVEN CHUA Falcons on Friday, who lost their shot at gold in a 2-5 loss against Thompson Rivers University. The women’s soccer team confront- ed two challenges in their semi-final duel against the number one team in the Pacific Western Athletic Associa- tion: they faced a star player while nursing a roster full of overtraining in- juries. Opposing striker Alanna Bekkering has clocked in time with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Prospects youth soccer program, and many consider her a star player. “We're going to try and stop Alanna from doing the damage,” said head coach Ryan Birt. “We think that’s where our best chances lie.” F: wasn’t favouring the Langara Overtraining injuries were the next obstacle. Team captain Lana Rockhill said she’s faced recurring knee problems, the most recent being torn cartilage. However, she was confident it wouldn’t stop her from entering the field. “{Pl] Put a knee brace on and it'll all be good,” she said. Striker Amrit Berar faced a season- ending injury — a torn knee ligament. Midfielder Lauren Tasaka and de- fender Jodie Davis were also nursing knee ailments, but the setbacks didn’t quell the team’s hunger for a win. “We're going for first, there’s not second or third or fourth for us,” Rock- hill said. With the exception of Berar, every- one played through their injuries on Friday. The Falcons executed Birt’s plan — Bekkering never made it onto the scoreboard. The Langara team started strong, closing the first half with a 2-0 lead. Midfielders Courtney Sheppard and Tejvir Malhi scored two goals, while goal keeper Carissa Harriman shut out the opposing team. However, TRU slammed the ball into the Falcons’ net 15 minutes into the second half. The Langara women responded by keeping the ball in the opposing team’s territory, but 10 minutes before the game’s end, the Thompson Rivers WolfPack managed to score a deflating goal by blasting the ball into the Fal- cons’ net from midfield. Overtime play ensued, and the Wolf- Pack managed to rack up three more points. The Falcons were left losing the game at 2-5. Birt said Langara played a good match, but luck wasn’t favouring them. “T honestly wouldn’t do anything dif- ferent,” said Birt. The Falcons went on to play Quest University for a shot at bronze on Sat- urday, but lost 0-1. Birt said at that point, his main con- cern was preserving his players for next season. STEVEN CHUA photo Assistant coach Loren Lidin fires the ball toward goalie Carissa Harriman at a team practice in Tisdall Park