Wesmen men dominate Canadian Mennonite University invitational tournament

Weekend demonstrates growth, leaves players ready for regular season kick-off

The University of Winnipeg’s men’s basketball team stayed in town last weekend and took part in the Canadian Mennonite University Invitational Tournament on Friday, Oct. 15 and Saturday, Oct. 16.

Head coach Mike Raimbault saw the experience as a chance for the team to gain more experience.

“The weekend was positive for us,” he said. “It gave us an opportunity to continue growing as a group. We still have a lot of room to grow but the team is working hard.”
In their first game of the weekend, the Wesmen took on Lakeland College.

U of W was led by Nolin Gooding, who had 24 points, and second-year forward, Brayden Duff, who had 18 points of his own. In the end, the Wesmen took the win with a final score of Wesmen 88, Lakeland 82.

We still have a lot of room to grow but the team is working hard.

Mike Raimbault, head coach, Wesmen men’s basketball

During their second game, the Wesmen took on Briercrest College and won by 27 points. U of W had five players in double digits on Saturday night.

Most impressively, rookie Kelvin Smith had 30 points, while Benny Iko dropped 20 during the game. When the final buzzer went, the Wesmen had 118 points, while Briercrest trailed with 91.

Wesmen fifth-year captain Nick Lother used the tournament as a testament to the progress the team has made so far.

“We got an opportunity to show people what we have been working on all pre-season,“ he said. “Ultimately that’s what we were looking for ... (now) we get a week to prepare for our first league game on Friday versus the Bisons.”

This Friday, Oct. 22, the Wesmen men’s basketball team begins their season playing against long-time rivals, the University of Manitoba Bisons.

They will take on the Bisons at 8 p.m. in the Bisons’ home gym, the Investors Group Athletic Centre, after the women’s game, which tips off at 6 p.m.

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