Cougars 1-2 in Concordia Classic, Igual named MVP

author: konstantin kharitonov | sports editor

a strong showing everywhere except on the record/Arthur Images

Cougars head to Montreal after good showing at classic

While it may not have been the most successful tournament for the team, one particular basketball player was able to make the most of their tournament.

The Cougars men’s basketball team had recently completed their first preseason out-of-conference tournament where the team had traveled to Montreal, Quebec to participate in the Concordia Classic. Facing the Cougars were the Concordia University Stingers (the hometown squad), the York University Lions and the Dalhousie University Tigers. Unfortunately for the U of R, the team had dropped the first and last games against the Stingers and Tigers before picking up their first any only win of the tournament against the Lions.

While it may not have been the greatest showing box score wise for the U of R, one particular player was able to make the most of the three-game tournament. Alex Igual, a fifth-year business student, was named the tournament Most Valuable Player after shooting 59 per cent and recording 44 points and 14 rebounds over the three games. Igual was the most dangerous player on the court for the team defensively as well as offensively, as the point guard was also able to record 5 assists and 5 steals in the three Cougar games.

Overall in the tournament, the team has not been blown out, and each of their games, the Cougars are able to keep up for most of the game, albeit in each of them, a weak quarter or bad plays was all that was needed to sink the team.

In the game against the Stingers, the Cougars had come out strong, keeping pace with Concordia throughout 3 quarters. The train had fallen off the rails in the 4th quarter however, getting outscored 29-18, with the final score of the game ending up being 92-74 for the hometown team. Igual was perfect from the 3-point range, going 3-3, having a total of 16 points in the loss.

The second game had been the biggest bright spot for the team, where the Cougars had demolished the Lions 101 to 42. Almost half of every three pointer the Cougars took had gone in while the team limited York to a single successful attempt of 28 from the 3-point range. The team had started 13-2 in the first quarter, and was never challenged in the rest of the game.

Alas, the Cougars were not able to finish strong, as the team had been considerably beat by the Tigers by a score 98 to 85. The Tigers made the U of R pay for their irresponsible play, as Dalhousie scored 27 points off of Regina’s 23(!!!) turnovers. That and Dalhousie just proved to be the better team throughout the game. Igual had yet again a strong night, scoring 13 points and 8 rebounds for the team in green.

While it was not the most successful tournament for the team, the Cougars were able to compete in every single game, not letting themselves get blown out and had never let themselves be taken aback by the score. It may not be the best omen to the rest of the season, but all anyone wants is for the team can at least be competitive this year, and this tournament showcase they can be just that.