In their inaugural season on the hardwood, what better measuring stick for the Okanagan College Coyotes than playing against an NCAA Div. 2 opponent.
On Sunday in Burnaby, the Coyotes rose to the challenge and held their own in an exhibition game against the Simon Fraser Clan of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
A night after playing in Squamish, OC led by SFU by as much as nine points in the second half, thanks in large part to Davide Ciancio hitting several threes from beyond the arc.
But the Clan responded to the challenge, pulling away down the stretch for an 84-72 victory.
“Our guys were excited to be playing SFU, a first-class organization and they have a fantastic facility,” said Coyotes coach Dini Gini. “Everything was top notch and our guys played a heck of a game against a NCAA Division II team.
“We gained confidence as the game went on and we got some big shots from Davide. Unfortunately we just could not finish in the latter part of the game, but we give SFU credit as defensively they were very good. I am proud of our guys compete level and we executed very well.”
A night earlier, still carrying bus legs, OC grinded out an 80-72 victory over Quest University.
Ciancio led the Coyotes with 20 point, while Connor McCormack was named the player of the game.
The Okanagan College women’s team are in the process of preparing for a big tournament in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho from November 15 to 18th.
The men have some well-deserved time off to prepare for a huge tournament at Spokane Community College, from Dec. 1 to 3.
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