MBB | Voyageurs Fall Short in Overtime to 4th Ranked TMU

In its first match of two in a road trip to The 6, the Laurentian Men's Basketball team fell to the TMU Bold, currently ranked fourth in the country, in an extra frame. Coming off two straight wins and a dominant four quarters, the Vees couldn't contain the Bold's offence to close it out, dropping to 6-5 on the season.

In the first three frames of the game, LU came on top in each, leading by as much as 6, coming in the third quarter. Laurentian had some of its highlight players making a splash in the first half. Leading scorer Brice Fandio contributed 8 points, while league leader in rebounds per game, Ismael Konate, roped in 5 of the team's 28 boards. Both teams failed to protect the ball incredibly well, with the Vees turning it over nine times. Despite the turnovers, Laurentian led at halftime 30-28.

The Voyageurs came out of the break blazing. Fandio got the team started with a quick three, and Konate provided a tough layup, with an assist promptly after. LU's quick start forced a timeout from TMU. The teams traded baskets, trading the lead to each other. Fandio closed the quarter off with a deep three, followed by a quick turnaround-fadeaway to lead 49-46.

The fourth frame saw some crafty shots from Konate and Evan Boudreau-Munro. TMU pulled to within reach of the Vees' lead, even taking a small lead with a few minutes left in the
game. That was, until Matthew Djanashvili sank a layup in the dying seconds to tie the game at 60-60. Then, overtime started.

The Bold snatched any sense of a win from Laurentian in just a couple of minutes. TMU went on a 12-0 run to begin the extra time, with LU's first points coming from a free throw with two minutes left. They completed a couple of baskets in the final minute, but it was too little too late for the northern team.

The Voyageurs fell 72-65, and sit at just over .500 on the season. Despite their loss, players still performed as expected, and it was simply a late-game run that sealed it for the home team. Laurentian hopes to get back on track in their final game of 2025 tomorrow, versus Toronto.

- Brendan Rubin