(Avery Cadogan PHOTO BY DEREK DRUMMOND)
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA –
Avery Cadogan of Winnipeg, Man., scored a career-high 30 points and registered a single-game school record eight treys, as the McGill University men's basketball team clipped the Kent State Golden Flashes 85-79 in preseason play at Banco National Arena in San Jose, Costa Rica, Monday.
McGill, the defending RSEQ conference champions, improved to 1-3 in exhibition play. It marked the first Redmen victory over an NCAA squad since a 79-69 decision over Farleigh Dickinson on Aug. 20, 2016, snapping a four-game losing streak against American opponents.
Cadogan, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, shot a sizzling 10-for-12 from the floor – including an impressive 8-for-9 performance from three-point range – and was 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. He also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds to go along with one block and an assist. Cadogan broke the team's previous trey record of seven held by
Dele Ogundokun (7-for-10 vs. Concordia, Nov. 24, 2016),
Thomas Lacy (7-for-9 vs. Guelph, Oct. 4, 2014) and
"Avery was outstanding," said McGill head coach
David DeAveiro, in his eighth season at the helm. "He did all the things he needs to do to be successful. I am so pleased for him."
In a contest that featured eight lead changes, McGill hit five early treys and went on a 17-3 run after the opening tip-off en route to a 22-16 lead at the quarter and a 41-38 advantage at halftime. The Flashes rallied to tie the score at 60-60 after three but McGill outpaced them 25-19 in the final stanza.
With McGill holding on to a 75-67 lead and five minutes left, Kent State ripped off an 8-2 run, punctuated by a
Mitch Peterson three-pointer on the wing that triggered a Redmen timeout with 1:41 to go. McGill attacked the basket on the next two possessions, rebuilding a cushion they held for the remainder of the game.
In was the first loss in three games for KSU, which opened their international tour with victories over the Laurentian Voyageurs (83-82) and the Costa Rican national team (69-51), Aug. 12-13, respectively. Kent State, which hails from Kent, Ohio, posted a 22-14 overall record last season enroute to winning the Mid-American Conference championship
Joining Cadogan in double-digits with 16 points was six-foot point-guard
Alex Paquin, a native Montrealer who was making his Redmen debut after transfering from American University in Washington, D.C. He was 7-for-10 from the floor and 2-for-3 from the line, collecting six rebounds, three assists and a steal in 24:18 of court-time.
"We're excited to be on this trip," added DeAveiro. "Although we are missing key veterans, this is great opportunity for our younger players to grow and I was extremely proud of how they performed. We saw the introduction of
Alex Paquin and the talent that he brings to our team. The game plan was very simple and the kids were great."
Due to previous commitments, five McGill veterans were unable to make the trip, including seniors
Dele Ogundokun (the Quebec league MVP last season), plus
Sebastian Beckett,
Francois Bourque and
Daniel Pieper as well as junior
Isaiah Cummins.
Five KSU players hit double figures, led by
Mitch Peterson with 15 points. The others were
Taishaun Johnson (14),
Avery Jalen (13),
Danny Pippen (13) and
BJ Duling (10).
Rounding out the scoring for McGill was
Noah Daoust (9),
Jenning Leung (8),
Edgar Brown (8),
Greg Trahan (5),
Jamal Mayali (4),
Sami Al Uariachi (3) and
Regan Lynch (2).
The Redmen shot 52 per cent from the field (31/60) and 48 per cent from downtown (13/27) while sinking 10 of 15 attempts from the charity stripe. KSU shot 45 per cent from the field (30/67), making only five of 26 threes and 14 of 22 from the line.
McGill continues their six-day, four-game excursion to Costa Rica with matchups against Lamar University (Aug. 15) and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), who they will confront twice (Aug. 16-17) before returning to Montreal.
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
@EarlZukerman (twitter)
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www.mcgillathletics.ca/calendar.aspx
