The Brock Badgers see two teams ranked concurrently in the U SPORTS Top 10 rankings for the second time this season.
Men’s Basketball (13-3) – No. 10 Last Week: Not Ranked Highest Ranking: No. 10 (Jan. 27) Weeks in U SPORTS Top 10: One (Jan. 27)
An upset win over the No. 6 Queen’s Gaels has propelled the Badgers to their first national ranking since the 2022-23 season.
In that win over the Gaels on Saturday, Jan. 25, Davanté Hackett, a second-year guard, continued his strong year, finishing with a game-high 27 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Michael Matas and Nemanja Sarkanovic both finished in double-digits in points, with Matas being the catalyst for the victory with a tough layup with just one second to go in the contest.
The day prior on Friday, Jan. 24, the Badgers earned a hard-fought 75-69 win over the host Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. Hackett and fellow guard Anthony Heyes led the team with 13 points each, while Matas also finished with 11. The bench was on full display in the matchup as the Badgers outscored the Ridgebacks 41-23 in that category. They also controlled the points in the paint in a commanding 40-18 showing.
The Badgers finished at No. 8 during the 2022-23 season where they would bow out in the quarterfinals of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs.
Next up, the Badgers host the No. 9 Lakehead Thunderwolves for two home contests on Friday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m.
Laurin Ainsworth and the Brock women’s volleyball team are ranked for the seventh time this season.
This week marks the seventh time the Badgers have held a spot in the Top 10.
Brock came back from London with a weekend sweep, defeating the then No. 9 ranked Western Mustangs.
The first matchup on Saturday saw the Badgers defeat the Mustangs in a 3-0 sweep (25-18. 25-19, 25-20). Fourth-year outside hitter Emily Foest led all Badgers with 15 points off 11 kills, three service aces and one block. Sadie Dick, a fourth-year right side hitter, was also double-digit in points with 13 from eight kills and five blocks. As a team, Brock hit at a .323 clip while Western only managed a .110.
The next day, the Badgers picked up a 3-1 victory (25-17, 25-16, 20-25, 25-14). Foest was at it again, as she managed to reach double-double digits in points for the second straight contest. Her 13 points off 12 kills and one service ace led all Brock scorers. Four other Badgers (Dick, Laurin Ainsworth, Emma Baruchelli, Charlotte Ross) finished in double-digit points, while impressively as a team, the Badgers increased their hitting percentage from Friday as they registered a .331.
Up next, the Badgers head to Thunder Bay, ON for a weekend clash with the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m.