Jan. 27 Brock roundup: Tatti, Harawa named athletes of the week
Women’s basketball point guard Melissa Tatti and men’s track and field sprinter Emmanuel Harawa were named the Brock University athletes of the week for the week ending on Jan. 26.
Tatti, a fifth-year point guard from Ancaster who is studying social sciences, scored a career-high points against the No. 6-ranked Queen’s Gaels on Jan. 25. Tatti scored 30 points, six assists and three rebounds to help the No. 9 Badgers upset the Gaels by a score of 81-64 at Bob Davis Gymnasium. Tatti recorded a field goal percentage of .526 per cent and .462 percent from three-point range. She also went four-for-five on free throws. The night before, Tatti posted a double-double versus the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. She registered 11 points, 10 assists, five rebounds in just 27 minutes of play during a 78-50 win.
Harawa, a third-year sprinter from Nairobi, Kenya, who is studying sport management, captured three gold medals at the Brockport Golden Eagles Invitational in New York on Jan. 25. Harawa won the men’s 200-metre dash, 400-metre dash and helped the Badgers claim gold in the 4x200m relay race. Harawa started the day off by posting a time of 49:75 seconds in the 400, which was a second-and-a-half faster than the second-place finisher. In the 200, he captured first with a time of 22.16. Harawa, alongside teammates Tyrell Smikle, Eloho Orogun and Caleb Crawford, won the relay race with a time of 1:32.08.
Women’s basketball
Senior guard Melissa Tatti scored a career-high 30 points to power the No. 9 women’s basketball team to a 81-64 victory over the No. 6 Queen’s Golden Gaels at Bob Davis Gymnasium Saturday.
Brock extends their win streak to three games and improves to 13-3.
Tatti rained threes by going six-for-nine from beyond the arc in the first half as the Badgers led 44-36 at halftime.
“I didn’t want to know how many I hit,” Tatti said. “Some of the girls asked me at halftime how many I got and I didn’t want to know. I just wanted to stay calm, cool and collected, because I hit those shots in the first half I knew they were going to guard me differently in the second.”
The Golden Gaels limited her to eight points in the third and fourth quarters, and she didn’t hit another three.
“Everyone had to pick it up a little bit,” Tatti added. “I was going to screen, decoy, do what I can in other ways to help out. Sam Keltos had a big second half and finished with a big game. Jessica Morris and Jenneke Pilling came up with some big shots. Kristin Gallant with some boards and Sofia Croce is coming along well.”
Brock led 67-56 after three and the Badgers never looked back.
Tatti recorded six assists and three steals while Keltos finished with 23 points and eight rebounds. Croce chipped in 11 points while Gallant secured 10 rebounds and Morris led all players with 11 boards.
“I thought we played hard and we finally got a first half together,” head coach Mike Rao said. “We dictated the game a bit and we took it to them. They’re a very good team, but I think the telling tale was our defensive work and dominating boards. It was hard fought and physical, but the refs let them play and it was good.”
Up next, the Badgers (13-3) host the York Lions (10-6), during a Bell Let’s Talk mental health awareness game Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m.
Men’s basketball
The Queen’s Gaels snapped the Badgers’ four-game win streak by handing the men’s basketball team a 75-69 loss at Bob Davis Gymnasium Saturday.
Badgers forward Daniel Cayer led the team with 19 points.
Godsman Kwakwah scored 17 points and Daniel Caldwell added 12 points a nine boards. Tyler Brown picked up five rebounds and chipped in four assists with seven points.
The Badgers held the lead for most of the first quarter, however Queen’s stormed back and led 38-33 at halftime.
Brock connected on 34.6 per cent (27-of-78) of their shots; Queen’s went 31-for-81 (38.2 per cent) as they six players with double digit points. Cole Syllas led the Gaels’ attack with 14.
Up next, the Badgers (9-7) host the York Lions (2-14) during their Bell Let’s Talk mental health awareness game Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Men’s hockey
The men’s hockey team lost their third consecutive game and sixth of the season by one goal after dropping a 2-1 decision at Windsor Saturday.
All of the scoring happened in the third period after a scoreless first two frames.
Tyler Rollo put the Badgers on the board first just 46 seconds into the third.
Windsor Ryan Barbosa tied the game up at 7:51 before Anthony Salinitri netted the game winner with three minutes remaining.
Connor Walters and Ayden MacDonald each registered an assist on Rollo’s team-leading ninth goal of the season.
Badgers goalie Mario Culina made 22 saves in the loss.
Up next, the fifth-place Badgers (12-12) visit the York Lions (6-18) Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The Badgers also fell 5-4 in overtime to the York Lions 5-4 at the Seymour-Hannah Complex Jan. 23.
“We love the energy we’re coming out with, and we love the work ethic,” Brock head coach Marty Williamson said. “It’s just we’ve got to stay mentally strong.”
The Badgers found themselves in a hole early with the Lions leading 2-0 after the first period.
It only got tougher for Brock midway through the second period with the Lions scoring twice in the span of 45 seconds to give themselves a 4-0 lead.
The Badgers flexed their offensive prowess late in the second by cutting the Lions’ lead to 4-3 thanks to two goals by Tyler Rollo, who netted his eighth and ninth of the season.
An early third period power-play goal by Ayden MacDonald tied the game at 4-4.
Both teams traded chances in overtime before York’s Nik Coric found the back of the net to lift the Lions to victory.
“We kept working and pushing the pace, and we got some results from it,” Williamson said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t result in two points for us.”
Defenceman Jordan Sambrook added a goal for Brock and Frank Pucci tallied two assists. MacDonald, Jordan Malletta, Dexter Weber, Connor Walters and Skylar Pacheco each picked up an assist.
The Badgers outshot the Lions 41-28 as netminder Mario Culina, who recorded an assist, made 23 saves. York’s Cole Ceci picked up the win with 37 saves.
Men’s volleyball
The men’s volleyball team lost 3-0 (18-25, 19-25, 15-25) to the No. 3 McMaster Marauders at Bob Davis Gymnasium Sunday.
Logan House notched eight kills and six digs and Saulius Lianga recorded six kills and four digs.
Marcelo Muniz Correa added 18 assists and four digs. Mark Naqvi posted three kills, a service ace and a block.
“We showed that in times we can compete, but they served well and sided out at a way higher clip than us,” head coach Matt Ragogna said. “I thought the game plan we set was contained well and we served tough. They are ranked third on the country and showed us tonight why. I’m looking forward to getting another crack at them Friday.”
Up next, the Badgers (5-7) will travel to McMaster play the first-place Marauders (11-1) Friday.
Women’s volleyball
The No. 9 women’s volleyball team dismantled the McMaster Marauders 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-19) at Bob Davis Gymnasium Sunday.
“Big win for us tonight and the team executed the game plan really well,” head coach Steve Delaney said. “We did everything we set out to do.”
Brock’s dangerous duo of Laura Condotta and Darby Taylor each scored 11 kills.
Condotta added 11 digs and Taylor hit for .500.
Second-year setter Sara Rohr contributed 30 assists, two service aces, two kills and six digs.
Rohr has been winning a lot of the drills during training and saw an increase workload versus McMaster tonight.
“I’m proud of Sara. She was huge for us and she’s been continuously getting better at practice,” Delaney said. “When you change your starting setter, it’s not an easy thing. The setter position is quarterbacking the offence, so sometimes making a change at that position can have an effect on the team, but she delivers the ball with good tempo to the pins and is getting better at her decision making.”
Second-year right side Christina Jovetic added three kills and four digs, including six blocks.
Up next, the Badgers (9-3) travel to Hamilton to complete a home-and-home series with McMaster (8-6) Friday at 6 p.m.
Track and Field
Emmanuel Harawa didn’t miss a beat in his return to the track.
Harawa, who missed the Brock Badgers track and field teams’ previous meet due to a hip flexor injury, scorched the field at the Brockport Golden Eagles Invitational Jan. 25.
A third-year sprinter, Harawa defended his double gold performance from last year in the men’s 200-metre and 400-metre dashes, and secured another gold by helping Brock win in the men’s 4 x 200-metre relay race.
Harawa started the day off by posting a time of 49:75 seconds in the 400-metre.
“I get stronger in any race during the later stages, so making sure my start and drive phase was fast was my main focus,” Harawa said. “Fortunately it was and I put a good time together.”
In the 200-metre, he captured first with a time of 22.16 to edge out the second-place sprinter by 24 milliseconds.
“I just wanted to get out hard and push myself to see if the time off would make a big impact,” he said.
In the men’s 60-metre dash, Tyrell Smikle won gold with a time of 6.97 seconds. He squeaked out first by three milliseconds.
Smikle and Harawa were also part of the quad who handily won the men’s 4x200m relay in a time of 1:32.08. The squad also consists along with senior Eloho Orogun and freshman Caleb Crawford. Brock held off the hosts, the Golden Eagles, by three seconds.
Senior Jeremy Mol led the way for the Badgers in the mid-distance events with gold in the men’s 800-metre in a time of 1:58.54. The second-place runner in the event finished in 2:01.40. Joseph Dick followed suit later in the day by winning the men’s 3,000-metre in a personal best time of 9:00.83.
On the women’s side, Olivia Orazietti started the day out with silver in the 60-metre dash in a time of 8.00, just 0.01 off her personal best time. Kaysen Drummond continued her impressive freshman season for the Badgers with a second place finish in the 200-metre with a time of 26.41 seconds. She was also second in the 400-metre in 1:01.27, losing out to team captain Monica Binotto who won the event with a time of 1:00.16.
Drummond and Binotto were also part of the first-place finishing 4 x 200-metre relay along with freshman Shaneil Lovell and senior Felicia Scaringi. The women bested the Brock record previously set last week in London with a new time of 1:46.18.
Lovell also set a new Brock record of her own in long jump with a jump of 5.37 metres, good for silver, while punching her ticket to the OUA Championships along the way. The previous Brock record stood at 5.18 metres and was set by Lauren Hines in 2016.
In the women’s mid-distance events, Paulina Sergnese dominated the field in the one-mile race with a winning time of 5:26.98. Second place in the event finished 10 seconds back in 5:36.21. Later in the day, Lauren Taylor won silver in the 800 with a personal best time of 2:26.81.
Up next, the Badgers travel to York University to compete in the York Open from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1.
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