It's been a while since the Laurentian Voyageurs have strung together a month of basketball that looked much like November of 2025.
After dropping their first three regular season games in October, the L.U. men opened November with a 61-51 road win over the Carleton Ravens - the first time they had beaten the Ravens in 47 games and their first win at Carleton since 1999.
From there, there was no looking back.
Earning a split this past weekend that included an 83-74 win over the University of Toronto Blues and a 72-65 overtime loss at the hands of the Toronto Metropolitan Bold (8-2), the Laurentian lads concluded the month at 7-2, their only other setback coming against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks by a final score of 75-72.
With an overall record of 7-5, the Voyageurs trail only Carleton (9-1) in the OUA East Division, though the battle between L.U., Queen's (6-5), Ottawa (5-5) and Ontario Tech (5-6) is as tight as can be.
"I am super happy with the toughness that we've got," noted fifth year transfer guard To Randriasalama, a 24 year-old from Madagascar who spent a year with the Northeastern Huskies of the NCAA before moving to Carleton for three years.
"We were down 20 against Laurier, but there was a certain energy that was different in the third quarter," said Randriasalama of the 70-63 road win. "Brandon (coach Brandon Edwards) spoke to us at half time."
"The fact that he is so composed in every situation really helps. Whether we are up 20 or down 20, he is always composed. That is something that he brings to the team that changes the dynamics."
Change has been part of the mix since Edwards arrived from Brock University in the summer of 2023. Taking over a team that posted a 3-19 mark in 2022-2023, Edwards revamped virtually the entire roster, bringing aboard forward Ismael Konate from Mali in his very first year.
"I feel like if I am playing a "4" (power forward), I am a very rebounder, really good on the inside, with toughness," said Konate, one of three players averaging more than 10 points per game (along with Brice Philippe Fandio and To Randriasalama).
"When I was young, I would play against my older brothers and they made me tough."
For the record, Konate is the youngest of 15 children, with 13 older brothers and an older sister.
"Laurentian basketball is a good place for me," said the 6'6" talent who is studying Business Administration is his native language (French) in Sudbury. "I am working on how to make my teammates better - and to communicate more, on and off the court."
While all seven wins were special in their own way, there is no denying the magnitude of the Carleton upset that set the wheels in motion for an incredible month of basketball. Few would relish that win more than Randriasalama, even if it was after the fact.
"Before the game, I was just focused on what we had to do," he said. "We came out aggressive - and every time they made shots, every time they rebounded, we would fight back. They punch - and we punch back."
That is very much likely to be the theme for the second half of the year, a stretch of ten games that opens on January 10th with a visit to coach Edwards' old stomping grounds, facing an 8-2 Brock Badgers team that is ranked 10th in the country at the moment.
