Brent Mutis
CapU sport info
On a weekend where Blues men's basketball raised a banner to the rafters for the first time in 20 years, they made good in their home opener with a 109-87 victory over the Langara College Falcons Friday before dropping an 85-81 decision Saturday.
Langara stormed out of the opening tip Saturday, led by a three and five points from Owen Jones. Russell Curley hit from beyond the arc in the first quarter as well but three of the Blues starters were held scorless over the opening 10 minutes.
Curley hit another three in the second quarter and 6-foot-5 rookie point guard Arshya Ghasemi scored six points to help CapU eat into the Langara lead but the Blues still trailed by 10 at halftime. Langara veteran Moeiz Athaya got it going in the third quarter with 10 points and the Falcons went up by as much as 19, prompting a Blues timeout. Capilano closed the game on a 32-17 run and got within three with less than five minutes to go but Athaya hit two threes in the space of 30 seconds to give Langara some breathing room.
In Friday's opener, Capilano made a statment in the opening quarter by grabbing a 13-point lead, highlighted by David Featherston's 10 points off the bench which included one of his two threes on the night. He'd wind up with a game-high 22.
Curley fashioned his first double-double in Blues colours as he nabbed 12 boards to go with his 16 points. Making his Blues debut, U.S. junior college transfer Kash Lang contributed in all areas, ending up with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.
With 14 points and 11 assists, Ahmad Athman also posted a double-double and had the highest assist total of any Blues player in the last three seasons.
Every Blues player hit the scoresheet, including Max Brougham and Carter McCauley who were playing their first games at the college level.
Just before tip off Friday, Capilano held a ceremony to raise their 2023 PACWEST championship banner which they won in March with a 98-95 triumph over Vancouver Island University. Several graduated Blues alums were in attendance and were recognized during the banner raising.
The Blues hit the road for a pair of games at Vancouver Island University (VIU) in Nanaimo. It's the first time they've played since Capilano's 98-95 win in the PACWEST title game in March. The upcoming games are both 8 p.m. starts on Thursday, Oct. 26 and Friday, Oct. 27.
