Milan Jaksic was one of several strong contributors off the bench for a Griffins team that still pushed Alberta even without two key starters (Husain Dhooma photo).
Milan Jaksic was one of several strong contributors off the bench for a Griffins team that still pushed Alberta even without two key starters (Husain Dhooma photo).
November 22, 2025

Gritty Griffins show fight in cutting into deficit, but lack consistency to rally all the way back in loss to Alberta

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Jason Hills 
For MacEwan Athletics 
 
EDMONTON – The MacEwan Griffins have been trying to build consistency in their game this season, but against the Alberta Golden Bears on Friday – it was a bit too inconsistent. 

The Griffins started quick and then fell behind and tried to overcome two double-digit deficits, but they couldn't pull it out as MacEwan fell 80-69 on Friday night at the David Atkinson Gym. 

"It was a big up-and-down (game) in terms of effort from us today," said Griffins head coach David Kapinga. 

"We had a good second quarter, and a pretty good fourth quarter in terms of our offence, and we were able to get stops on them defensively, but things switched hard in the first and the third quarters. We found some easy shots, but we didn't make them." 

Diego Presingular led MacEwan with 20 points and four rebounds in the loss, while Damilola Osuma scored 12 points on five-of-seven from the field. 

Former Griffin Matthew Osunde led Alberta with 19 points, while Kyle Varner recorded 16 points and four rebounds. Osunde and Varner combined to make 8-of-13 three-pointers in the win. 

The Griffins started strong jumping out to an early 9-4 lead after Milan Jaksic hit a nice fadeaway jumper. MacEwan held the lead at 14-13, but then Osunde started to get hot from beyond the arc. 

He hit three of his five three-pointers in the first quarter, and MacEwan's small lead fell to a nine-point deficit as they trailed 24-15 after the opening 10 minutes. 

A Caden Kushnir alley-oop early in the second quarter capped off a 13-0 run for Alberta, and it looked like the Golden Bears may run away with it, but MacEwan scratched and clawed their way back. 

Presingular nailed a three-pointer to finish a 9-0 run later in the quarter by MacEwan, and a flurry of action in the final moments of the first half that led to a jumper from Hugo Alonso would get the Griffins within three after 20 minutes, trailing 40-37. 

"Basketball is always a game of runs, but it takes a lot out of you to climb back and get back to that even playing field is tough, and I'm finding lately we've been letting that happen too often," said Janda. 

"We've got to find a way to minimize those situations where we allow teams to get on extended runs. I thought tonight we showed some good fight getting back into the game, but we have to fix some things at both ends, and make sure we don't have those dry spells scoring the basketball." 

While MacEwan made a strong comeback to close out the half, they weren't able to carry that momentum into the third quarter. 

After Alonso made a nice layup to cut the lead to 49-46, Alberta was able to go on a 12-2 run to widen the lead. 

MacEwan was able to cut the deficit down to 10 points but couldn't get any closer. 

"For us, we have to get the ball rolling early. The dry spells at both ends of the ball is something we can't have," said Janda. 

"I have all the trust in our defense, but we have to capitalize and make the most of our scoring opportunities and trust one another. We did a good job of that going into the first half, but we have to have that trust throughout all four quarters." 

The Griffins were without the services of starter Marcus ISO Moore and veteran heart-and-soul defensive leader Nathanael Ntumba against Alberta, but Kapinga said he was happy with how others stepped up while given more responsibility. 

Alonso played over 22 minutes off the bench and chipped in with seven points, while Milan Jaksic entered the starting lineup and finished with nine points. 

Khushal Shukla provided a spark playing over 15 minutes, and found ways to contribute at both ends of the floor. 

"Guys were prepared and ready. For example, Khushal played 15 minutes, and he was one of our only guys in the positive in the plus-minus," said Kapinga. 

"It's important for us to make everyone understand that we're playing to win, and if you help us win, you get to play. That's something I wanted as a player, and I want our players to feel that if they do the right thing, they get a chance." 

MacEwan will wrap up their weekend series with Alberta on Saturday (5 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).