Grant MacEwan Gets First CIS Win of the Year

Top Performers

RMC: Jonathon Wilson- 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals

GM: Marcus Shafer 17 points, 4 rebounds, 6 steals

EDMONTON,AB— Grant MacEwan University took its first CIS win of the season during its match up against Ontario’s Royal Military College Saturday evening during the Golden Bear invitational tournament.

The game was a great pre-season test for both teams. All the players saw floor time; however, RMC’s head coach Scott James, found his team of nine hard-pressed to match Grant MacEwan’s bench strength.

“It was a tough game,” said James. “I thought we played hard with as small of a bench as we have, but it’s hard to play against a team of 14 guys.”

RMC came out strong, with forward Simon Dakin leading off the scoring as he took advantage of many open shots inside. MacEwan’s Marcus Shafer kept pace though, matching each shot with his own from both the three point line and inside the paint. Shafer finished with a team-high 17 points.

By the end of the first half, the game remained close with the MacEwan Griffins leading 44-39.

The RMC Paladins began to back away from their tight defense in the second half as three of the team’s starters approached their personal foul limit. The Paladins continued to fight hard, but the game took on a noticeably slower pace.

Though Grant MacEwan held their lead, they never broke away on the scoreboard as Head Coach Ryan Dunkley would have liked.

“I was frustrated,” said Dunkley. “I thought we could’ve won that game by fifteen to twenty points.”

In the games closing minutes, Paladins guard Jonathon Wilson made a clutch three point shot to close the gap, but MacEwan’s team continued to drain foul shots, evading any chance of RMC overtaking them.

The game rounded out with a final score of 79-74 for the Griffins.