Presingular's clutch fourth quarter, strong defensive effort leads Griffins to huge win in Regina
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
7 | 31 | 21 | 25 | 84 |
|
|
21 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 69 |
Team Stats
Regina
| Game Statistics | MacEwan University | Regina |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (26-60) | (25-74) |
| Field Goal % | 43.3% | 33.8% |
| Rebounds | 45 | 46 |
| Assists | 14 | 11 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 17 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 14 | 14 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 28 | 38 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 10 | 14 |
| Bench Pts | 17 | 6 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
REGINA – With their hallmarks of defence and rebounding on full display, the MacEwan Griffins men's basketball team limited the Regina Cougars to just 12 points in the fourth quarter and roared to an 84-69 win on Saturday night.
Keyed by an electric and clutch offensive performance by rookie guard Diego Presingular, who scored 13 of his game-high 27 points in the final 10 minutes, the Griffins recorded their second win in their past three Canada West regular season games.
"I think our zone was working properly, we were just communicating hard, we were in the passing lanes, getting rebounds, boxing out – we were just well connected on the court together," said Presingular. "I'm proud. We were diving for loose balls and everything, so I think that's what kept us in the game and how we won that game."
The Winnipeg native broke the MacEwan program record for the most points by a rookie in a Canada West regular season game, surpassing the 24 that Isaiah Merk had in 2022. Just like Merk did in his performance against Winnipeg that season, Presingular hit five threes in the contest, three of them in the final quarter.
"To be honest, I knew we needed some buckets, and I was feeling it," he said. "I saw how they were playing, and I was just reading them. Last game, I realized they're going under the ball screen a lot, so I knew I could shoot it."
Sweet victory!
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) January 12, 2025
The seconds tick down on an 84-69 triumph over the @ReginaCougars, the second win in the last three games for the @MacEwanGriffins!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/Y12QEil0d7
With the result, the Griffins improve to 2-8, while Regina falls to 6-6 in the Canada West standings. The top seven teams in the Prairie Division will make the playoffs and the Griffins are currently only a win shy of that.
"What we're trying to do is get into the playoffs because there are still winnable games on the table," said Griffins head coach Mike Connolly. "We had a tough first term and now we still have some difficult games, but at least we have some of them at home.
"When we look at who we're fighting with to make the playoffs, there are teams that maybe have tougher schedules the rest of the way. We have games that are in our wheelhouse. We're right there with them."
If they play like they did on Saturday, they'll certainly have a chance.
"We rebounded, we played D, and we executed on offence down the stretch," said Connolly. "With about four minutes left it was a four or five-point game and then it went up to 11 just because we rebounded.
"Dami (Osuma) and Milan (Jaksic) down the stretch got mostly every rebound, and our defence was much better. We held them to 28 points in the second half. We're not winning running and scoring. We're winning with defence, rebounding and then we get out run and score. That's how we did it."
Diego Presingular with the scintillating slash to the hoop! @MacEwanGriffins have the lead down the stretch in the fourth quarter.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/7NmL94wCOJ
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) January 12, 2025
Presingular's 27 points led the way, a total that is not only the rookie program record, but is also tied for the eighth most by a Griffins player in a Canada West game.
"Diego hit some big shots," said Connolly. "He hits some threes, he was tough to guard. Everybody did well. Justace (Byam) was able to play, and he ran the point. He organized. We wouldn't have won with him not facilitating and organizing us down the stretch."
Jaksic matched Ryan May's single season program record (set in 2014-15) with his fifth double double of the season on a 20-point, 10 rebound evening. Byam chipped in 12 points and Damilola Osuma had six points, 11 boards and two blocks.
Justace Byam hits a one-handed runner in dying seconds of the third quarter to put the @MacEwanGriffins up 59-57 at @ReginaCougars. We're in for a big finish!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/CtajSS8oKv
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) January 12, 2025
The team is certainly feeling great after ending a 75-game losing streak with a victory over Brandon on Nov. 30 and now this. It's clear the culture is changing.
"The culture change is (happening) naturally as the kids start to do things day in and day out," said Connolly. "That's what we're starting to see and now we're getting the rewards. Maybe we're a year behind, maybe not, I don't know, but we're starting to do things now with an intensity, a desire and a determination that you have to have. That's what wins at this level."
The Griffins return home to host Lethbridge on Jan. 17-18.
"Our chemistry has already been insane from the beginning," said Presingular. "We keep on getting stronger, we keep getting better, we're there for each other, we work together well and we're happy now.
"We're coming back home to play Lethbridge on our home court, so we just need to keep this mentality – we keep pushing, we keep fighting and we'll hopefully win more games. That was one of our goals to make playoffs and win more games at home, so hopefully we can achieve that."
