The Waterloo Warriors ended their exhibition season with a 87–52 loss against the Concordia University Stingers at the 2014 Hawk Challenge tournament. The Hawk Challenge took place at the Wilfrid Laurier Athletic Complex featuring the UBC Thunderbirds, the Concordia Stingers, the Waterloo Warriors, and the Laurier Golden Hawks.
During the tournament, the Warriors faced two CIS teams: the UBC Thunderbirds Oct. 24, and the Concordia Stingers Oct.25. The first game was a close battle that was defined by the number of points Waterloo conceded from fouls. The Warriors were effective in containing the Thunderbirds for the first half and led 28–26 at halftime.
In the second half of the game, the Warriors were unable to catch up to the Thunderbirds, who were lethal with their three-point shots, giving them the advantage over the Warriors and securing their decisive 75–66 victory. Myles Charvis led the Warriors with 18 points, while Jaspreet Gill contributed with 17 points.
For the second game of the tournament and last game of their fall season, the Warriors faced off against the Stingers, who showed them no mercy. The Warriors went to work early in the first quarter, hitting four consecutive three-point shots that gave them a 13–7 lead during the opening minutes of the game. But the Warriors couldn’t keep up their lead, going 19–18 into the second quarter.
During most of the second quarter Waterloo struggled to score points and failed to defend their half of the court, giving Concordia the chance to build a 12-point lead, making it 31–18 at the half of the second quarter. The Stingers continued to slaughter the Warriors for the remainder of the quarter, and went into the second half with a comfortable seven-point lead, making it 35–28 at the halftime mark.
The third quarter was more fast paced and featured fierce game play from both teams. The Warriors were good at stopping and coming with a response and were close to catching up to the Stingers, hitting multiple three-pointers. Warriors forward Ali Validipak suffered from a hard fall and left the game hobbling.
For the last quarter the Warriors were unable to stop the Stingers from stacking a 20-point making it 57–37. Waterloo was held scoreless for nearly seven minutes, giving total control of the game to Concordia. The Warriors dropped their last game 87–52. The top scorer for Waterloo was Jaspreet Gill with 11 points.
The two losses leave the Warriors with a 5–5 record for the exhibition season. The team will begin their OUA season with their first game on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at the PAC against the Ryerson Rams.
