Foul-troubled Wedemire saves game
UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL: And women's team holds off late-charging Laurier
WATERLOO -- There's one big edge to being pinned to the bench with four fouls early in the second half.
"Fresh legs," Western men's basketball forward Andy Wedemire said with a wry smile.
So with the game on the line and no room for another infraction, the spry fourth-year Mustangs scored nine of his game-high 24 points in a 78-70 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks before 400 Saturday at the Laurier Athletic Complex.
Up two in crunch time, Wedemire made a strong move to the hole, scored and drew the extra free throw that, ironically, fouled out hot-shooting Golden Hawk veteran Matt Buckley.
"You can't change anything (with four fouls)," the 6-foot-6 Sarnia native said. "You just keep playing hard even if you don't think the calls are going your way."
Wedemire buried five straight free throws when the heat was on.
Garrett Olexiuk, a lone wolf down low while Wedemire sat, was happy for the help when he checked back in.
"That was big Andy not fouling out," the 6-foot-7 forward said. "When he's not in there, they pay more attention to me."
The Mustangs are 9-7 and the Hawks 7-9. Western gave itself some breathing room in the playoff hunt.
"We feel like we have something to prove," Wedemire said. "The way we lost (on a buzzer beater by Carleton in the national semifinal last year), we had to relive watching that play every day on TV."
That wasn't fun. Neither was a 93-64 loss to McMaster last week, especially after old mate Keenan Jeppesen torched the Stangs for 22 points and 11 boards.
"I wasn't able to play in that one, but they have to come back to our place (Feb. 10) and we're kind of licking our lips for another shot at them," Burlington native Olexiuk said. "Our goal is to get back to nationals again. There's no pressure on us -- no one expected anything from us this year."
There's no pining over the Jeppesen loss.
"There isn't any hard feelings because we all knew Keenan had to do what was best for his career . . . ," Olexiuk said.
"I didn't get to play at Mac in front of my family and friends, but who knows? Maybe we'll run into them in the playoffs."
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