KINGSTON, Ont. - Looking to gain some traction in an incredibly tight Ontario Colleges Athletics Association (OCAA) East Division, the Vikings hosted the 11-3 George Brown Huskies on Friday. SLC would play a great 30 minutes of basketball, but let the Huskies back into the game in the fourth quarter, and fell 87-69.

The Vikings could not have asked for a better start, as the team would hit several three point shots and shut down the Huskies' offence, resulting in a 10-point lead after the first quarter. SLC would take 20 three-point attempts, and were able to drain eight.

George Brown would start rolling in the second quarter, forcing the Vikings take more contested shots, cooling off the hot hands of Terence Thomas, Andrew Dawkins and Connor Poulain in the process. The Huskies also started to click offensively, taking a small lead towards the final three minutes of the quarter. But the Vikings would hit three consecutive three-pointers down the stretch, tying the game at 39 at halftime.

The game became more technical to start the second half with both teams electing to drive to the net and hit jump shots than shoot the three-pointer. The teams would exchange the lead throughout the quarter, with the Vikings hanging onto a thin 60-57 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

The Huskies would come alive to start the fourth quarter, as they shut down the Vikings offence, while recapturing the lead and pushing it to a 12-point differential. SLC would have a few chances, but could not get their jump shot or three-pointers to fall, as the Huskies went on to win 87-69. George Brown would outscore SLC 30-9 in the final quarter.

"We played our guts out for a solid 30 minutes of the game tonight. I don't know if we ran out of gas or got caught watching, but we are just flat in the final quarter of our tight games," said Vikings head coach Barry Smith.

Dawkins would finish with a team-high 22 points, going 5-of-11 from the three-point line, while shooting 42 per cent from the field. The Vikings were able to contain current OCAA point leader, Vadim Halimov to just five points in the first half. But Halimov came alive in the second half, finishing the game with 31 points.

The Vikings will host the Canadore College Panthers on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 1 p.m.

Source: St. Lawrence College