Juniata men's basketball heading to Canada for pair of exhibition game

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College men's basketball will get an early start on its 2011-12 season this weekend as the Eagles head to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, for a pair of exhibition games against Canadian schools.

Juniata will face the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College on the two-game swing that begins Thursday, Oct. 13, through Sunday, Oct. 16.

"The trip is a great opportunity for us to get in the gym a little earlier than our competition and the chance for an early test against two outstanding opponents," said Greg Curley, Juniata's head men's basketball coach. "I'm not sure we'll face any teams the caliber of Ottawa or Algonquin all year. Throw in the chance for our guys to travel to a different country and a beautiful city, and it should be a fantastic experience for everyone involved - one that we expect to make us a better team moving forward."

Juniata will play its first game on Friday, Oct. 14, when it faces the University of Ottawa at 6:00 p.m. at Montpetit Hall. Ottawa reached the "final four" of the 2011 Ontario University Athletics men's basketball tournament, and posted an 11-11 record a year ago. 

The Gee-Gees already have four exhibition games against U.S. universities under their belt this season, having faced LaSalle University, the University at Albany, St. Louis University, and UC-Santa Barbara earlier this fall.

The Eagles will play their second game on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 2:00 p.m. when they face Algonquin College at the Algonquin Gym.

Algonquin finished atop the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association East Region standings last season with a 19-1 regular season record.

Juniata is coming off a 12-13 campaign in 2010-11, with a 5-9 mark in the Landmark Conference. The Eagles will be led by senior guard Dan Sekulski (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone Area), who averaged 13.8 points and 3.4 rebounds last season, and junior guard Alex Raymond (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Altoona Area) who logged 11.2 points and 3.4 assists in 2010-11.

The Eagles will open their regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 15, when they host Carnegie Mellon University at 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center.

-30-