(London, Ontario) – The Falcons Men's Basketball team (9-8) suffered a close 101-98 loss to the Sheridan Bruins (12-4) at home on Thursday evening.
It was a high-paced contest from the tipoff, as both teams came out with high energy. Local forward Alfred Johnson made his presence known right away with a layup to open the scoring for Fanshawe. A smooth pass from first-year shooting guard Marko Maletic (London, ON) to Kuek Duol (London, ON) gave the Birds a slim lead. The Bruins would come back with defensive pressure but great ball movement from the Falcons resulted in Adrian Stevens (Toronto, ON) hitting a triple at the buzzer to end the first quarter 28-25 for the home team.
A confident take to the rim from Hanani Ujullu (Kitchener, ON) continued the scoring for the Falcons in the second quarter. A two-handed slam from Johnson then excited the home crowd. Unfortunately, Sheridan scored the ball off of a pair of Falcon turnovers to take a 52-48 lead at half time.
The teams continued to quickly trade baskets in the third frame. Fanshawe opened with a three pointer from Maletic followed by a put-back dunk from Johnson. Carter Hawthornthwaite (London, ON) then hit a shot from behind the arc but the Bruins would match each Falcons point with a basket of their own. The fans in the Glenn Johnston Athletics Centre got on their feet after another dunk, this time from Mason Middaugh (London, ON). Going into the final quarter, Sheridan was up 74-73.
The Bruins got hot in the fourth, hitting triples three possessions in a row. Fanshawe responded with a pair of made free throws from D'Andre Austin (Toronto, ON) and yet another dunk from Johnson. Both teams exchanged points through the frame as the lead went back and forth, but the Falcons ran into foul trouble at the end of the quarter. Sheridan won the game 101-98.
In Johnson's return, he recorded 23 points, going 10 for 13 from the field. Ujullu notched 14 points, 10 rebounds and six steals, while Maletic scored 17 points and added seven assists. On Saturday, February 15, the Falcons will host Conestoga (5-10) at 8pm.