UNews - Morgan Duce

Men's basketball team solidifies roster with three additions

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 19:56:33 +0000

With the Canada West conference schedule just over two months away, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Prpnghorns men's basketball head coach Mike Hansen is pleased to announce the signing of three players.

Tyson McIntyre and Jesse Hilleary will join the ‘Horns for the 2014-15 season, while guard Kyle Peterson transfers to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria but will have to sit out the season as per CIS transfer regulations.

Returning to the program after his two-year LDS Church mission, six-foot-six inch forward Tyson McIntyre looks to build off a solid freshman year during the 2011-12 season. As a first-year player, McIntyre averaged four points and 2.6 rebounds per game coming off the bench. Prior to joining the ‘Horns, McIntyre was a standout in the Southern Alberta High School Basketball league as a SAHSBL first team all-star and averaging 18.9 points during his grade 12 season.

“It is great to have Tyson back in our program, he was heavily recruited while on his LDS mission and having him re-commit to the U of L was extremely important to the future of the program,” says Hansen. “He is one of the most athletic players ever to come out of southern Alberta. His ability to play above the rim, his length, and the tenacity with which he plays will create a lot of problems for teams in Canada West.”

Hilleary, a six-foot-four inch guard from Trinity College, a Catholic secondary school in Beenleigh, Queensland, joins the ‘Horns after a short stint with the Trinity Western Spartans in 2012. Hilleary went through the non-conference schedule with the Spartans that season before returning to Australia.

During his final high school season, Hilleary was the top scorer in the Queensland U18 State Championship, averaging 28 points and more than eight rebounds a game in the state final four. He was also named an All-City first team All-Star.

“Jesse has had a long road in trying to fulfill his dream of playing university basketball,” says Hansen. “We’re excited to have him here. He has grit, which is what we look for in all our players, and his ability to shoot the ball helps fill the void of losing Morgan Duce and Alex Fletcher.”

Edmonton product Kyle Peterson transfers to the ‘Horns after two seasons with the Victoria Vikes.

As a freshman at Victoria, the six-foot-two inch point guard started 19 of the Vikes' 22 conference games, averaging 7.5 points and 3.3 assists per game. In his second season with the Vikes, Peterson started all but two games and upped his points to an average of nine per game and finished 12th in the conference in assists with 3.1 per game.

“We’re incredibly thrilled to be welcoming Kyle into our program,” says Hansen. “With the graduation of both Fletcher and Dallon Martin at the point position, we had a huge void to fill and Kyle’s play-making ability and unselfishness are an incredible fit with our program. With two years of CIS experience and two trips to the CIS national tournament under his belt, he is going to step in and be a great leader for our program.”

The ‘Horns will open the Canada West schedule on the road, facing the Brandon Bobcats October 31 and November 1, before returning home the following week to host the Winnipeg Wesmen.

Horns hit the road for basketball playoffs

trevor.kenney — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 22:33:18 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s basketball team returns to the playoffs this weekend under first-year head coach Mike Hansen. The club heads out on the road to face the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Fraser Valley Cascades, ironically the team the Horns faced the last time they were in the playoffs, two seasons ago.

The best-of-three quarter-final series begins in Abbotsford, B.C. Thursday night, with game two Friday night and an if necessary game three on Saturday night. The start time for all three games is 8 p.m. (MST) and all three games will be streamed live on Canada West TV.

After the Horns finished the season with a 15-7 record, the most wins for the program since the 1999-2000 season, the program has drawn the hottest team in the conference in UFV. The Cascades have won 14 straight conference games, last losing November 23 in Saskatoon versus the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan Huskies. The Cascades were also 10-1 at home this season with their only loss coming against the Mount Royal Cougars.

In their only match-up this season, the Cascades beat the Horns 79-69 during the first weekend of the conference schedule in Abbotsford. Two years ago in the playoffs, the Horns lost the third and deciding game of their opening round series on a buzzer beating three pointer.

The series will be one of two contrasting styles, offence versus defence. The Horns finished the regular season with the top ranked offence in Canada West, while the Cascades bring the second ranked defensive team to the series.

The Pronghorns averaged 84.3 points per game to lead the conference and rank sixth in the country. They also lead the conference in free throw percentage (75.2%) and assists (17.8). On the other side of the ball, the Horns were the 15th ranked defensive team in Canada West, allowing 83.3 points per game during the conference schedule.

With a quartet of players finishing with double-digits in points, the conference’s most potent offence was propelled by a balanced attack. Fifth-year guard Logan Reiter finished fifth in the conference to lead the ‘Horns in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game. Brandon Brine was 9th in Canada West with 16.2 points, while Alex Fletcher and Morgan Duce rounded out the group averaging 12.7 and 12.2 points per game respectively.

Fraser Valley is at the polar opposite of the Horns in style of play. The Cascades allowed only 66.1 points per game, which ranks them second in the conference and fourth in the CIS. They led the conference in field goal defence percentage, holding their opponents to only 36.9% from the floor. At the offensive end, the Cascades were ranked 12th in Canada West, scoring 72.3 points per contest.

The Cascades do have a foursome averaging double digits per game in points, with Kevon Parchment leading the team with 17.2 points per game. Jasper Moedt sits second on the team with 14.4 points per game but also finished second in the conference in rebounding, averaging 9.1 rebounds per game.

The winner of the series will advance to the Canada West final four, hosted by the highest ranked remaining team.

Pronghorns seeking second place

trevor.kenney — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 22:56:50 +0000

Heading into the final two-game series of the regular season, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's basketball team is still in the hunt for second place in the Division and a home playoff date, but they will have to win their final two games versus the Calgary Dinos and get some help from the Alberta Golden Bears to do so.

The home-and-home series tips off Wednesday night in Lethbridge at the 1st Choice Savings Centre, with the back half of the series going Thursday night in Calgary. Start time for both nights is scheduled for 8 p.m. and both games will be streamed live on Canada West TV.

Entering the final week of the conference schedule, the Pronghorns trail the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan Huskies by one game for second place and the Huskies will travel to Edmonton this upcoming weekend to face the CIS fourth ranked ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta Golden Bears. With the Huskies holding the tiebreaker against the Horns, the U of L will have to win second place outright and see the Bears beat the Huskies both nights.

With their two-game sweep of the Bobcats last weekend in Brandon, the Horns (14-6) earned the program's most wins in a season since the 1999-2000 season, when the program went 18-2. For Calgary (6-14), being eliminated from post-season contention two weeks ago, they will look to play spoiler this weekend versus their southern Alberta rival.

The Dinos snapped a nine-game losing streak last Friday night in Regina, beating the Cougars 77-66 before losing the next night 92-81.

The Horns remain among the conference leaders in multiple offensive categories this season. The team is ranked second offensively, averaging 83.8 points per game, while leading Canada West in free throw percentage (76.5%) and assists per game (18.4). They are also second in three-point field goal percentage (36.4%).

However, the Horns rank 15th of 16 Canada West teams defensively, allowing 82.1 points per game, but lead the conference in defensive rebounds with 30 per night.

For the Dinos, they enter the final games of the season with the sixth ranked offensive unit (76.2 ppg) in the conference and scored above their season average both games last weekend. At the other end of the floor, the Dinos sport the 13th ranked defence, allowing 80.6 points against.

Pronghorns' fifth-year seniors Logan Reiter, Morgan Duce, Alex Fletcher, Dallon Martin and Spencer Wenzel will all play their final conference game on home court Wednesday night.

Reiter moved up another spot on the conference scoring list after last weekend and sits sixth with 17.6 points per game, while Brandon Brine is second in team scoring with 15.9 points per game. Both Duce and Fletcher are averaging double digits in points per game with 12.4 and 12.2 respectively. Fletcher is also averaging 4.5 assist per game.

Dino guard Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson leads the Dinos and the conference in scoring with 20.4 points per game. He also leads the conference in free throw percentage (89.4%) and minutes played per game (36). Josh Turner and Philip Barndt are both averaging double digit point totals per game at 12.9 and 11.2 respectively.

Should the Horns finish second and host one of the Canada West quarter-finals, the schedule for the best-of-three series would be as follows:

Best-of-three Quarterfinal – Feb. 21-23
Game 1: Friday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m.
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 23, 4 p.m. (if necessary)

Horns look to cap semester on winning note

trevor.kenney — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 23:13:54 +0000

Coming off their second home sweep of the season, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s basketball team will stay on home court this weekend and host the Regina Cougars for a pair of games to close out the first semester of conference action.

The Horns, who are 5-3 in on the season, have been perfect at home, winning all four games on the 1st Choice Savings Centre floor, including wins against the UBC Okanagan Heat and Thompson Rivers WolfPack last weekend.

The Pronghorn men are a perfect 4-0 on their home court this season.

After scoring 81 and 90 points respectively last weekend, the Horns moved up to third in conference scoring averaging 80.9 points per game, but rank as the ninth best defensive team, surrendering 76.6 points per game.

Nearing the mid-point of the season the Horns are one of the most balanced teams offensively in Canada West, placing four players in the top 24 in conference scoring. Coming off a 30-point performance last Saturday, Logan Reiter leads the Horns in scoring averaging 15.5 points per game. Newcomers Brandon Brine and Jared Baker are averaging 14 and 13.3 points per game, while Morgan Duce rounds out the quartet with 12.9 points per game.

For the Cougars, while they won their last game, beating the UNBC Timberwolves, they were losers of their previous six games and sit at 2-6 on the season, good for sixth place in the Mountain Prairie Division. The 13th ranked offensive team in the conference, averaging only 69 points per game, the Cougars only have two players that average double digits in points with Brandon Tull leading the way, averaging 13 points per game. Brenden Hebert is the other Cougar to do so at 10.5 points per game.

Tip-off for Friday and Saturday night’s games are scheduled for 8 and 7 p.m. respectively and both games will be streamed live on http://canadawest.tv.

Women's Basketball

For the second week in a row, the Pronghorns women’s basketball team will play at the friendly confines of the 1st Choice Savings Centre and will face a strong test, hosting the CIS fifth ranked Regina Cougars.

The Horns are tied for sixth in the Prairie Division at 3-5 and are coming off a weekend split where they beat the UBC Okanagan Heat before losing a two-point game to the Thompson Rivers Heat, 66-64.

Ranked ninth defensively in the conference, the Horns held the Heat to just seven first half points on Friday night and average 62.2 points against per night.

At the other end of the floor, the Horns have struggled offensively thus far only scoring 54.8 points per game, but they showed some life last weekend, scoring a season high 77 points Friday and 64 points Saturday. A big reason for the Horns' offensive resurgence was the return of 2012-13 leading scoring Ali Cameron, who had missed the previous six games due to injury. In her first two games back she scored 12 and 24 points.

A bright spot this season for the Horns has been the play of fourth-year forward Kim Veldman. In seven games this year, Veldman has recorded five double-doubles and sits second in conference scoring, averaging 20.3 points per game. She is also second in conference rebounding, averaging 11.7 rebounds per game.

Tip-off for Friday and Saturday night’s games are scheduled for 6 and 5 p.m. respectively.

Men's Hockey

The Pronghorns men’s hockey team (1-12-1) will close out the first semester of conference action this weekend hosting the UBC Thunderbirds (3-10-1) in a pair of games at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

Puck drops both Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. and both games will be streamed live on http://canadawest.tv.

For the Horns, the first half of the season has been a difficult one and they enter the weekend winless in their last seven games. The Horns are hoping to build off of Saturday night’s shootout loss to the Mount Royal Cougars, a game that saw the Pronghorns battle back from a 5-2 deficit to force overtime before falling in the shootout.

Women's Hockey

On the heels of their first four-point weekend of the season, the Pronghorns women’s hockey team travels to Vancouver to face the defending Canada West and conference leading UBC Thunderbirds in both teams’ final games of the first semester.

This weekend’s match up will be the second meeting of the year. On the opening weekend of the season, the Horns and Thunderbirds split their series in Lethbridge but the Horns earned an extra point in a 5-4 shootout loss before beating UBC 3-2 the next night.

The Horns put an end to a four-game losing streak last weekend in a big way, sweeping the Mount Royal Cougars in a home-and-home series. The pair of wins put the Horns right back into the playoff picture and they currently sit one point back of the Calgary Dinos for the final post-season position.

Horns basketball opens Canada West campaign

trevor.kenney — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 21:41:48 +0000

The Mike Hansen era begins this weekend for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's basketball program.

The ‘Horns will open the 2013-14 conference schedule on the road against the Fraser Valley Cascades and Trinity Western Spartans.

Tip-offs for the weekend are set at 8 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night respectively, with both games streamed online at http://canadawest.tv.

In addition to the leadership change, the roster received a complete overhaul with only five players from last season’s roster returning. A quartet of guards and reserve post remain with the program and will be led by seniors Morgan Duce, Logan Reiter and Alex Fletcher.

Reiter and Duce both averaged double digit points per game last season and will be counted on heavily to increase their scoring totals after the departure of the top two scorers from last season in Derek Waldner and Julian Spear Chief-Morris.

Among the nine newcomers to the program, Australian Brandon Brine, as well as ACAC all-stars Rob Olsen and Jared Baker, are expected to make a significant impact in their first season with the program. Post Brent Watkins could be a wildcard contributor for the Horns after transferring from Citrus College in California. Watkins, who did not play high school basketball, comes to the Horns with raw talent and will be relied on to be a presence in the paint. In his second season with Citrus last year, Watkins averaged 9.2 points and 7 rebounds per game while hitting nearly 75% of his shots from the field.

For a full weekend preview, visit gohorns.ca.

Pronghorn Women

Despite missing the playoffs for the third season in a row, there were a lot of positives to take away from the 2012-13 season.

In her first season at the helm of the Pronghorns women’s basketball program, Erin McAleenan led the Horns to their first double digit win total since the 1994-95 season, but a duplication of the 2012-13 season will be a tough task for the Pronghorns in the always tough Canada West conference.

The Horns will open the 2013-14 conference schedule this weekend on the road traveling to British Columbia to face the Fraser Valley Cascades and Trinity Western Spartans.

Gone from last season are post Erin Skippon, forward Steph Inman and utility guard Kara Henry. While Skippon was only with the program for one season, her leadership and post presence will be dearly missed.

While the voids left will be hard to fill, the Pronghorns return their top two scorers from last season in Ali Cameron and post Kim Veldman. Cameron, a pure scorer, returns for her fourth season and will look to build off her career best 15 points per game average last season.

Veldman, who averaged nearly a double-double last season, will be leaned on heavily at both ends of the floor, while senior guard Katlyn Olsen will also be counted on to help lead the young squad. With six true freshmen cracking the Pronghorns roster, there will be some growing pains along the way.

Southern Alberta product Mariah Miller has had a nice start to her collegiate career, recording a double-double in only her third preseason game.

Guards Erin James, Sara Simovic and Kendra Lee will all see significant time as freshmen and will need to make significant contributions if the Horns are going to duplicate last season’s record.

Tip-off for Friday’s game versus the Cascades is set for 6 p.m. PST, while Saturday’s game versus the Spartans will go at 5 p.m.. Both games will be streamed live on http://canadawest.tv

For more, visit gohorns.ca.

Williams, Duce earn Horns awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:22:46 +0000

Erica Williams and Morgan Duce were named Subway Pronghorns Athletes of the Week after strong efforts over the weekend as Canada West play resumed on a variety of fronts.

Williams, who plays for the Horns women's hockey team, kickstarted a Pronghorn rally that salvaged a point against ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan. With the 'Horns down 3-0 heading into the third period Saturday night, the second-year forward helped to force overtime by scoring two goals. The 'Horns went on to drop a 4-3 decision in overtime but earned a valuable point in the tight Canada West standings.

On the season, Williams has already surpassed her freshman totals from last year and is sixth on the 'Horns in scoring with 3 goals and 4 assists.

In men's basketball play, college transfer Morgan Duce kicked off the second half of the season in style. Duce scored a combined 33 points over the 'Horns' two-game swing in BC and scored well over his season average in both contests.

Friday night, Duce scored 16 points in the 'Horns' loss to the Trinity Western Spartans. He was tied for the team high with Daryl Cooper and hit on 5-of-9 shots from the field.

The next night, in the 'Horns' victory over the CIS 9th ranked Fraser Valley Cascades, Duce scored 17 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. He was again 5-of-9 from the field and 4-of-7 from behind the three point line.

On the season, Duce sits third on the 'Horns scoring list, averaging 9.8 points per game.

Horns men's basketball adds point guard

trevor.kenney — Fri, 20 May 2011 21:21:51 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's basketball team continues to add talent to its roster for the 2010-11 Canada West basketball season. On Friday, the club announced it will welcome six-foot-one point guard Daryl Cooper to the program.

Cooper comes to the Horns from City College of San Francisco, where he held a prominent role for the CCSF Rams as they won the California Junior College Championship last season.

"He is a great leader and his eye popping 2.95 to 1 assist to turnover ratio will immediately address our deficiencies last season in this area," says Horns head coach Dave Adams. "We are absolutely thrilled to have a quality person and player in Daryl don the blue and gold next season."

Cooper is a San Francisco native and has led championship teams at both the high school and junior college level. Before joining CCSF, he started at point guard during his senior season at Sacred Heart Cathedral High School, leading them to a California State Championship.

Cooper will be joining the already announced signed recruiting class of Logan Reiter, Dallon Martin, Morgan Duce and Dom Coward. The Horns are also expected to announce another signing later next week.

UNews - Morgan Duce

Men's basketball team solidifies roster with three additions

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