The Quest University Kermodes' opening season games couldn't have been any different for the men's and women's basketball teams.
On the women's side, it was a decisive start-to-finish victory as Quest led after each quarter of play against the Capilano Blues in an eventual 61-51 win.
Second-year transfer Mariam Baumann led the way for the Kermodes with 18 points on an efficient seven-of-nine shooting, while fifth-year leader Courtney Harpur and Aimee Johnston both chipped in eight points.
But it was former Pacwest rookie of the year Katrin Sandbichler who set the tone for the Kermodes with her defensive presence, picking up a game-high 14 rebounds and four steals to go along with six points.
The disparity on the glass was the main difference, as the Kermodes collected an incredible 29 offensive rebounds to the Blues' nine and 54 rebounds to Capilano's 36 rebounds overall.
"A lot of shots weren't falling for us this game, so we had to win with a defensive mindset and by rebounding," Sandbichler said. "We got it done."
It was a different story for the Quest men's squad, who were defeated 85-76 in front of a boisterous Capilano home crowd.
The game was never close as the Blues dominated from the opening tip and led by as much as 26 points at one point.
Tony Rowe set the pace for the Blues as he collected a team-high 30 points.
For the Kermodes, Cartiea French-Toney was the lone bright spot as he recorded a game-high 42 points on 15-of-23 shooting. The point total was one point shy of the school single-game record.
He said he would much prefer the win instead of the personal accolades.
"It means nothing in a loss," he said. "I was just trying to be aggressive but honestly, I feel like my 42 [points] were negated by my 12 turnovers. I'm a point guard, my team needs me to run the show and take care of the ball."
Quest guard Denzel Laguerta said the key to the Kermodes' success is consistency.
"The struggle is figuring out how we can play to our potential and then playing at that level consistently," said guard Denzel Laguerta "It starts with our preparation in practice. I don't think our effort this weekend is indicative of the potential our team possesses."
Both teams will now return home for the home openers, with Douglas College coming to town on Friday (Nov. 8) and Langara College on Saturday (Nov. 9). The women's games tip off at 6 p.m., while the men get under way at 8 p.m.
Jose Colorado is a Quest University student and men's team player who will provide road game reports for The Chief for the 2013-'14 season.
