Bobcats unfazed by Cougars scoring prowess

Lodie Kenyi nearly set a Canada West scoring record two weeks ago.

Today, the Brandon University Bobcats need to shut him down to avoid extending their Canada West men’s basketball losing streak to four games.

The Bobcats (3-5) face the Regina Cougars (3-3), who just beat the defending national champion Victoria Vikes at the Healthy Living Centre at 8 p.m.

BU’s lockdown perimeter defender Youri Cange isn’t particularly worried about a repeat of Kenyi’s 58-point performance on Nov. 8. It was the second-most points scored in a Canada West game, and the most since Richard Bohne netted 64 for Calgary against UBC in 1995.

“We’re just trying to shut down every team. Lodie had a big game, yeah, but we all treat it the same,” Cange said.

“I didn’t watch the game. Everybody was telling me he’s a good scorer, he gets to his spots, so what we’re trying to do is stop him from getting to his spots.”

Kenyi took just 29 shots for his career night, going 6-for-7 from three-point range while adding nine rebounds and five assists with just one turnover. It was what the Cougars needed to earn a split against the Lethbridge Pronghorns.

The fifth-year guard, who played his first two seasons at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association level, isn’t the only one to worry about.

Calgary product Ben Kamba dropped 31 as Regina beat Victoria 81-76 last weekend.

The Bobcats are coming off their first winless weekend of the season against the Alberta Golden Bears after winning their first game and losing the second in each of the previous three weekends.

“We always start flat. That’s what we’ve been working on, starting off strong,” Cange said. “We’re trying to stay strong and be together.”

The Bobcats are suddenly down a starter after Malik Brown suffered an ankle injury in practice this week. The Portland, Ore., native is averaging 10.6 points on 31 minutes per game so far.

It potentially opens the door for rookie guard Munroop Gill to see a bump in minutes. The shifty Surrey, B.C., native is averaging 13 points in just 21 minutes while shooting over 50 per cent from the field.

The Bobcats are hoping to get Brown back for the last weekend of the semester at Saskatchewan, but are trying not to worry about it.

“We feel bad for him, that’s my brother, but we still gotta move on,” Gill said.

“The other guards, me, Darko (Karac), Trav (Travis Hamberger), we just gotta take a bigger role now.”

Offensively, BU is back to its usual way, averaging 82.6 points per game while shooting a league-leading 38.2 per cent from beyond the arc.

Regina has hit just 31 per cent from deep but has found ways to bounce back and win the second matchup all three weekends against Manitoba, Lethbridge, and Victoria.

The Bobcats lost 87-82 to the Cougars in pre-season action on Oct. 3.

“Saw them in the pre-season, obviously didn’t like the way we went,” Gill said.

“They were talking a lot of s…, so a lot of motivation going into this game.

“As a team, they all kind of play the same, they like to go inside. We gotta pack the paint — they can’t really shoot that well.”

Today’s action starts with the women’s game at 6 p.m., as one of the four remaining unbeaten teams (6-0) visits a Bobcat team (3-5) on a four-game losing skid.

On Saturday, the women play at 5 p.m., with the men following at 7 o’clock.

The Bobcat volleyball teams are on a bye week before closing the semester at home against the UBC Okanagan Heat next weekend.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

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