For immediate release

November 22, 2010

Kwantlen Eagles’ hoops take on Bearcats

(METRO VANCOUVER, B.C.) The Kwantlen Polytechnic University Eagles men’s and women’s basketball teams continued their young season this past weekend by taking on the Columbia Bible College (CBC) Bearcats from Abbotsford. Both Eagles teams were looking to secure their first win of the season and had high hopes after defeats on both the men’s and women’s sides in exhibition play.

The Eagles women’s team took to the floor and had great success with wins in both games. On Friday night, the team came out with very little energy in the first two minutes as the Eagles trailed 10 to one. After refocusing, the Eagles took the lead going into the half and held the Bearcats to only two field goals in the second period, edging out a 68-61 win. Veteran captain, Taminder Dhaliwal (Surrey) led all scorers with 25 points, while guard Erin Mufford (Langley) and forward Chantelle Doerksen (Abbotsford) both hit key shots in the fourth quarter.

On Saturday, the team came out much more focused and with better energy and showed solid defense in building a 40-18 halftime lead. Lapses in concentration allowed CBC to close the gap in the second half to as close as 12 points, but the Eagles regrouped and held off the attack with a decisive72-52 win. Guard Mel Poce (Calgary) and forwards Chantelle Deorksen and Becca Gaukel (Chilliwack) tied for the team lead in scoring at 14 points each. Forward Samantha McPhail (Vancouver) led the Eagles with 10 rebounds off the bench, while Poce also dished out four assists.

On the men’s side there was a struggle to score their first win. Friday night’s game saw the Eagles go down by a score of 79-82 in a tight match. However, the Eagles bounced back on Saturday and came out on top with the first win of the year by a score of 81-79. Doug Meyers (Coquitlam) led the way with 22 points and six rebounds, while rookies Harpreet Randhawa (Williams Lake) had 20 points and eight rebounds and Julio Epondulon (Vancouver) had 17 points and six rebounds in the Eagles victory.

“It was a very good win for the guys. It was a big load lifted off their shoulders to finally get their first league win,” says coach Bernie Love. “The guys have been playing so hard and have lost a lot of close games, so I was happy for their hard work to finally be rewarded.”

Next up for the Eagles in red is a home stand against the Camosun Chargers of Victoria. Tipoff is Friday and Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. for the women and 8:00 p.m. for the men. Friday night’s game will be preceded by a special banner raising ceremony, celebrating the Eagles women’s soccer team’s recent conference win at the British Columbia Colleges Athletic Association Provincial Championships. This marks the Eagles soccer team’s second consecutive season on top of the B.C. standings. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. and the ceremony will commence at 5:30 p.m.

Kwantlen’s varsity athletics teams are the Kwantlen Eagles. In basketball, soccer, badminton and golf, they compete in national intercollegiate leagues. For more information about the Kwantlen Eagles or view live webcast, visit kwantlen.ca/eagles or follow the Eagles on Twitter: KwantlenEagles

For more information, visit: www.kwantlen.ca

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For more information about this story or the Eagles Athletics Program, contact:
Elise Le Brun
Director, Athletics & Recreation
Tel: 604.599.2980
athletics@kwantlen.ca

OR

For more information about Kwantlen, contact:
Joanne Saunders
Director, Marketing & Communications
joanne.saunders@kwantlen.ca