February 11, 2013
M-BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Mac downs Waterloo and closes in on second place
February 8 - Queen's @ Laurentian
Coming off a tough defeat at the hands of the Ryerson Rams, the Laurentian Voyageurs looked to rebound against the Queens Gaels. With many playoff implications at stake, the Voyageurs stepped up, and defeated the Gaels by a score of 95-86.
The first period saw effective shooting from both teams, with a diverse range of shooters scoring for both teams. This back and forth play saw the game remain close, with neither team gaining a stranglehold on the game. Josh Budd led the way in the early stages for Laurentian, leading the team with his shooting and ball distribution. At the end of the first, the Voyageurs held a slim 24-23 lead. The Gaels started the second quarter with an intense flair, quickly jumping out to a lead. The Gaels offense was helped by some sloppy defensive play from Laurentian, and entered the half time break with a 42-38 lead.
However, the third quarter saw a rejuvenated Voyageurs side hit the court and dominate the Gaels. The points were coming from all angles, with Josh Budd, Manny Pasquale, and Alex Ratte all going for over 20 points. Pasquale led the way with 24 points and 8 rebounds but it was the all-round performance of the Voyageur team that should take credit for an excellent third quarter. The Gaels had no answer for the offensive displayed, especially the Voyageurs efficiency from the 3-point range. Entering the final quarter, the Voyageurs held a 70-61 lead. The side played hard in the final quarter, but the Voyageurs offense was too strong, making the Gaels task next to impossible. When the final whistle blew, the Laurentian emerged as the victors by a score of 95-86.
The Voyageurs now head into their final two games with a record of 10-8, and now take on the York Lions to close out the season. All are encouraged to support your Laurentian Voyageurs in their final home game of the regular season on February 15th at 8:00pm.
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
Ryerson @ Carleton
After the games against the cross town Gee-Gees, tonight’s game at the Ravens’ Nest vs. the Ryerson Rams was one that basketball fans in Ottawa had circled on the calendar.
The Rams have shown dramatic improvement and have been in the top ten all year, looking like they could book another trip to the CIS final 8 next month here at Scotiabank Place.
A hard fought and intense game entertained the fans who were able to battle the snow to get here. A competitive game at both ends of the courts saw the Ravens open up a double digit lead at the break but the Rams were able to hang around during the third quarter. The Ravens were able to maintain a comfortable margin and finished the game with a score of 75 – 57.
Carleton got contributions from many players as once again their depth proved to wear down yet another OUA opponent.
18 from Tyson Hinz, 16 from Thomas Scrubb and 15 from Kewyn Blain were the high men for the ravens
Source: Carleton Sports Info
Toronto @ Ottawa
It didn’t take long for the Gee-Gees’ shooters to catch fire in Friday night’s game against the Toronto Varsity Blues. After building a 39-18 halftime lead, the number eight ranked Gee-Gees rode a 57 per cent field goal shooting performance to a lopsided 94-51 win.
Moe Ismail (Hamilton, Ont.) put on a show in the fourth quarter, hitting three straight baskets from downtown. The first-year wing player shot 5-for-5 from long range on the night, finishing with 16 points in just twelve minutes of action.
Other Gee-Gees freshmen had the chance to shine in front of the home crowd as well. Centre Ryan Evans picked up nine points, Caleb Agada bucketed eight, and Matt Plunkett’s highlight reel plays at the end of the game gave him nine on the night.
Ismail’s shooting performance was part of a 14-for-24 three-point display by the garnet and grey, who now lead the CIS in team three point percentage with a season average of 41.3 per cent. The Gee-Gees made six three pointers in the fourth quarter alone, outscoring Toronto 32-17 in the final frame.
Mike L’Africain, who accumulated nine assists in the game, added to the showtime atmosphere of the fourth quarter performance with a no-look dish to Plunkett on a 3-on-1 transition play. Plunkett then scored the final basket of the game with an impressive one-handed dunk in transition.
“Mike was just fantastic tonight – they were getting out in transition and playing the way they play. They played with confidence tonight, which is good to see,” said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin of his rookies.
“We’ve been in some situations this year where we’ve been ahead and ended up having a negative fourth quarter,” Derouin continued. “Tonight I thought they did what they were supposed to do – they didn’t stop playing, which is what you want as a coach for sure.”
L’Africain also drained three treys on the way to 11 points. Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue also had a solid night, registering 14 points and nine rebounds for Ottawa, while Johnny Berhanemeskel and Warren Ward also reached double digits at 14 and 10 points apiece.
Toronto’s Alex Hill netted twelve points to lead the Varsity Blues, who shot just 33 per cent as a team and were often limited to wild shot selections.
The Gee-Gees run their record to 14-4, while Toronto falls to 2-15 in OUA action.
Source: uOttawa Sports Info
Windsor @ Lakehead
The men's basketball team protected home turf on Friday evening, handing the Windsor Lancers a 70-64 loss in front of a capacity crowd in the Thunderdome, and 260+ more watching online. In a battle of the top two teams in the OUA West, Lakehead got the job done with hustle and a desire to re-assert themselves as a contender in the CIS, having the #4 ranked team in the nation on their court.
The Lancers wold not go down easily, however, battling from the tip to lead 17-15 after the first quarter. The T-Wolves closed out the first half strong to lead 36-30 at the break.
Lakehead would open up a 10-point lead in the third quarter, but Windsor refused to go away, battling back to come within 2 points of the T-Wolves in the final minutes of the 4th quarter.
In a game that saw great dunks, impressive shots and sweat poured out by the gallon, the show was stolen by the rebounding of Yoosrie Salhia, who pulled down a total of 15 boards to go with 13 points. With Lakehead clutching to a lead with under 2 minutes to go, Salhia fought off three Windsor Lancers to secure an offensive rebound, reset the shot clock, and provide a steadying force for Lakehead to close out the game.
Top scorer for Lakehead was Ryan Thomson with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Ben Johnson added 11, including a clutch floater in the lane in crunch time.
For Windsor, Lien Philip had 13 points to go with 7 rebounds. Ismar Seferagic had 9 points.
Lakehead out-rebounded Windsor 43-35.
The two teams will rematch tomorrow at 8pm in a game that will determine who will take top spot in the OUA West. It will also be Seniors Night, as the Thunderwolves will see 6 players in their final regular season home game - Yoosrie Salhia, Greg Carter, Matt Schmidt, Brendan King, Joseph Jones and Ben Johnson.
Source: Lakehead Sports Info
Brock @ Guelph
GUELPH, Ont. - The Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team dropped an 84-78 final today (Feb. 9) against the visiting Brock Badgers at the W.F. Mitchell Centre. The Gryphons have struggled of late, dropping seven straight and fall to 5-14 on the season.
Leading the Gryphons was rookie forward Adam Kemp (St. Catharine's, ON) with a season-high 20 points. Jack Beatty (Woodstock, ON) trailed closely behind with 18 points after going 4-5 from three to contribute to the Gryphon drive.
Brock’s Jameson Tipping (Orangeville, ON) led all scorers with 25 points and 14 rebounds to bring home the double double. Mike Luby (Kenora, ON) finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
After an explosive opening frame, both offensive units fell into a slump as the defensive efforts rallied. Combined with Kemp's tenacious 8-point effort in the first, the Gryphons were able to push into the second ahead 20-17.
Building off Kemp's momentum, the Gryphons opened the second with six unanswered to extend their lead to nine. However, the Badgers continued to pester the Gryphon defence and matched their attack from three to close the gap at 39-37. After a couple costly fouls from the Gryphons, Mike Luby found himself at the line twice to shoot 4-4 to tie the game up at 41. Combined with Tripping's efforts, the Badgers were able to pull ahead 44-41 to end the half.
Brock continued to build on their momentum in the third to extend their newfound lead by five. Michel Clark (Burlington, ON) and Jack Beatty rallied the Gryphon offence with 3-point shots but were unable to check the Brock offence as they continued to outshoot the Gryphons 24-16 to end the quarter ahead by 11.
The Gryphons came into the final frame in stride following a deep three from Daniel McCarthy (Guelph, ON) to open the quarter. Guelph continued to cycle the ball smoothly within the Badger zone to out-shoot them 8-2 in the opening stages of the fourth. McCarthy carried this momentum into the 5-minute mark with the tying basket to bring the game to 70. But as the clock continued to wind down, the Badgers picked up their rhythm to push ahead 81-72 with 1:33 left. Despite a final offensive burst, the Gryphons fell short 84-78.
The Gryphons look to break a seven-game losing streak as they host the Laurier Golden Hawks this Wednesday (Feb. 13). Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm.
Source: Guelph Sports Info
Laurier @ Western
LONDON, Ont. — Amidst the final games of their season, the Western Mustangs men’s basketball team looked to grab a win against the Laurier Golden Hawks. The Mustangs, who have developed significantly throughout the season, were full of energy and challenged Laurier on the both ends of the court. After a hard fought game, the Laurier Golden Hawks grabbed the win with the final score 92-78 in their favour.
The first quarter started out with great hustle from both teams. Peter Scholtes fought hard for loose balls and cleaned up on the inside. Elliot Dooley, who has consistently led the team throughout this season in terms of defensive performance, had another strong game. Greg Morrow was excellent in the first quarter in terms of hustling for loose balls. Laurier struggled to initiate a set offense in the beginning of the game and relied primarily on their speed to capitalize off of the fast break. The first quarter ended with the score 17-15 in favour of the Mustangs.
In the second quarter, Laurier initiated a run by finding success from beyond the arc. Western attempted to deny ball rotation, but unfortunately was not able to contain the Laurier shooters. Scholtes halted the run with a nice three-pointer off of the assist from Ryan Higgins. Western continued to apply tight pressure to the Laurier guards throughout the second quarter in an attempt to fluster their offense. The first half ended with Laurier leading 34-31.
The second half started out with a great tip from Western’s Morrow. After suffering a minor injury, though, he was forced to leave the game and was replaced by rookie Jack Daneyko. Daneyko played well on the defensive end and helped keep the team alive. Laurier began to apply tough full court pressure, which Western struggled to break, leading to a number of Western turnovers. A great three-pointer from Dooley sparked energy into the Mustangs, but unfortunately the third quarter ended with the Golden Hawks up 60-54.
In the fourth quarter, Laurier initiated a run that allowed them to build a lead as high as 21 points. Toward the end of the game, Western was unable to control the outside shooting ability of Laurier, and the home team struggled to get anything going on the offensive end. With only minutes left in the game, George Johnson stepped it up and carried his team on his back in an attempt to make a comeback, but unfortunately Laurier’s lead was too significant to recover from. The Golden Hawks took the win with the final score 92-78.
Scholtes led the Mustangs in scoring with 19 points while Maxwell Allin led the Golden Hawks with 24 points.
Despite another loss, the Mustangs battled until the final buzzer. It’s evident that even though they are young, they are a team full of spirit and fight. The Mustangs will play next on Wednesday February 13 against Windsor University. Tip off is at 8:00 p.m.
Source: Western Sports Info
Waterloo @ McMaster
The Marauder men’s basketball team used a balanced attack and some stifling defense to subdue the Waterloo Warriors 81-56 on Saturday afternoon at the Burridge Gym. The win was the fifth straight for the men in Maroon.
Boasting a size advantage over the Warriors, McMaster looked to go inside early in the game and that strategy worked out as Mac jumped into a 23-12 lead before Waterloo made two late buckets to close the gap to 23-17.
The second quarter saw the Marauders turn up the “D” as they allowed Waterloo few good looks at the basket and no second-chance opportunities. McMaster built the lead up to 35-17, and it wasn’t until there was 1:40 left in the period that Waterloo scored its first points. The Marauders went over eight minutes off the game clock without allowing a score. Waterloo’s Jaspreet Gill made two late three’s to get back some, but at halftime the Maroon held a 40-26 advantage.
Coming out for the third quarter, the Marauders went on another scoring run behind the play of Joe Rocca, who scored the first nine points of the period to boost the lead up to 23. The Marauders kept the pressure on and by the end of the third, the lead had grown to 66-38.
Able to use the bench in the final stanza, McMaster spread the ball around and got solid production across the roster. With all 12 players seeing court time, the Marauders brought home the 25-point win.
The BIG Mac player of the game was Joe Rocca, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double effort. Other double digit contributors were Aaron Redpath with 16, Nathan McCarthy with 13, Taylor Black with 11 and Rohan Boney with 10. Waterloo was led by Jaspreet Gill and Wayne Bridge, who each scored 14.
McMaster absolutely dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Warriors 46-21.
McMaster improves to 12 and 7 in the OUA West, and will next face the powerful Lakehead Thunderwolves on February 15 and 16 at the Burridge Gym. The two game set will have significant bearing on the standings in the division.
Tip-off both nights is at 8 p.m.
Source: McMaster Sports Info
Queen's @ York
The York University Lions men's basketball team was victorious on Saturday night (Feb. 9), downing the Queen's Gaels by a final score of 90-84 at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
Lions fifth-year point guard David Tyndale (Mississauga, Ont.) turned in a complete performance on his senior night, scoring 21 points and dishing out 11 assists for a massive double-double to lead his team to the win.
The first quarter saw both teams eager to get up and down the court and after just three minutes of play the Gaels owned a 14-10 lead. However, shortly thereafter a difficult fade away three by Tyndale gave York a 15-14 lead.
The game continued to be played at a frenetic pace and a careless turnover off an inbounds play by the Lions gave Queen's a wide-open three, restoring their lead. The Gaels would be the more efficient club from the field as the quarter wound down and they held a 29-23 lead heading into the second frame.
The Lions used a quick 6-0 run to tie the game at 29 just a minute into the second quarter. The Gaels countered by switching to a full court press in hopes of turning the Lions over, and they were successful as they regained their lead. Both teams continued to run the floor and take shots early in the clock, but the jumpers weren't falling with the same consistency as they were in first quarter.
However, the Lions would find their stroke at the midway point of the frame, going on a 7-0 run to give them a 40-35 lead. Unfortunately, the Gaels would respond with a 13-5 run to close out the quarter, and they held a 48-45 lead heading into the locker room.
Defence continued to be at a premium in the second half as both teams found themselves getting easy buckets in the early stages. Tyndale started to heat up as he drained a three and then made a nice pass on the next possession to give power forward Nick Tufegdzich (Tecumseh, Ont.) an easy lay-up. The Lions tightened up their defence from there and they held a slim 68-67 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The final frame saw both teams continue to play with extreme energy as the pace continued to elevate. After the game was tied at 74, the Lions used a 7-0 run to give them their biggest lead of the game with five minutes to play.
Both teams struggled to find their offence down the stretch with the half court defence intensifying, and with two minutes left the Lions held an 83-78 lead. The Lions held strong on the defensive end while making key free throws down the stretch and they walked away with a hard fought six-point victory.
In addition to Tyndale, four other Lions reached double digits in scoring. Akeem Isaac (Toronto) recorded 16 points, with 12 of them coming from the free throw line, while Raheem Isaac (Brampton, Ont.) and Matt Ziobrowski (Thornhill, Ont.) poured in 12 each and Tufegdzich added 10.
The Gaels were paced by forward Nikola Misljencevic (Ottawa), who scored a game-high 28 points and led all Queen's players with eight rebounds.
The Lions improved to 7-11 on the season but remain sixth in the OUA East. The Gaels fell to 10-10 with the loss in their final regular-season game.
The Lions will wrap up their season with a home-and-home against the Laurentian Voyageurs. They will play the first game at the Tait McKenzie Centre in a rare Wednesday night (Feb. 13) affair before travelling to Sudbury, Ont., on Friday night (Feb. 15) for their regular season finale. Tip off is scheduled for 8pm in both contests.
Source: York Sports Info
Ryerson @ Ottawa
A seemingly impossible three-point bomb from Johnny Berhanemeskel with 0.3 seconds remaining in the game gave the no. 8 Gee-Gees a much needed seven point victory over the no. 6 Ryerson Rams on Saturday night.
As the Gee-Gees previously lost to the Rams by five points earlier this season, they needed to defeat Ryerson by six or more points in order to move ahead in the standings.
“It’s a great feeling to get this win for our program and for the guys who did so much for our program twenty years ago. They did so much for this team’s culture and history,” said Berhanemeskel on a night where the program honoured the 1992-93 Gee-Gees squad which won the Wilson Cup twenty years ago.
“I had a great feeling about tonight’s game. Our defence was the key for us, we did a great job of containing their transition and protecting the paint,” said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin. “We have had a lot of tough losses in this building in the past couple years so this win is huge for our players and for the entire program.”
It was an entertaining first half between the two high-scoring teams as they exchanged shots from long range. Johnny Berhanemeskel was hot from start-to-finish for the Gee-Gees as he shot 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in the first half. However, the Rams were also playing well as they took a three point lead into the half-time break.
The Gee-Gees came out of the break flying as Berhanemeskel stole the ball on defence which resulted in a break-away one-handed slam from the hands of Warren Ward at the other end of the court.
Berhanemeskel started the second half with two assist, two steals and a three pointer in only 2:30 minutes. As a result, the Gee-Gees were able to jump ahead to a 45-37 lead with 7:00 minutes remaining in the third frame. Ryerson wasted no time in responding as they continued to hit their shots from beyond the arc and ultimately brought the game to within six points at the end of the third quarter.
Ryerson pushed hard at the start of the fourth, twice narrowing the gap to two points. The turning point in the game came in the final three minutes when Vikas Gill hit an important shot from three point range, followed by a tough bucket in the paint from Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue which restored a seven point Ottawa advantage.
However, Ryerson allowed the clock to run down to 4.6 seconds before starting their final possession and Jordon Gauthier responded by hitting a turn-around trey, which narrowed the gap to four points.
After a timeout called by Derouin with 0.3 seconds remaining in the game, Berhanemeskel was able to hit the three-pointer which gave the Gee-Gees the seven point victory.
“Everything is just a blur right now, it happened so fast, but it’s a play I’ll never forget,” Berhanemeskel said after the game. “Right now we are really clicking and it couldn’t come at a better time of the year. The most important thing is going into March playing our best basketball.”
Berhanemeskel led all Gee-Gees in scoring with 23 points, four assists and six rebounds. Star forward Warren Ward also had an outstanding performance for Ottawa as he posted 18 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Ryerson was led by Jahmal Jones and Gauthier, who netted 15 points each in the loss.
The Gee-Gees will return to Monpetit Hall next Saturday night as they look for their revenge versus Phillip Scrubb and the Carleton Ravens.
Source: uOttawa Sports Info
Toronto @ Carleton
The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team put on one final show for fans inside the Ravens Nest on Friday night, as they bounced back from a slow start to dominate the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 83-43.
The game was the final home date on the schedule for the Ravens this season, and also signaled the last home game for forwards Dan Penner and Kyle Smendziuk – the two men will be graduating come season’s end.
Despite the commanding scoreline, Ravens head coach Dave Smart was not entirely pleased with his team’s performance, as the Varsity Blues came charging out of the gate and started the contest with a 9-0 run.
“We didn’t come out very focused,” Smart said after the game. “They played hard, they got after it and they competed. They did a lot of things to take us out of what we wanted to do and we didn’t do enough to make it tough on them in the first half.”
Carleton did eventually manage to bounce back from the rough opening, as they tightened things up on the defensive end of the floor and began to find a rhythm at the other end.
With the dynamic duo of Tyson Hinz and Philip Scrubb leading the way – the 6’6” forward finished with a game-high 17 points, while the Richmond, B.C., native added 16 of his own – Carleton just had too much for the overmatched Varsity Blues, who came into the contest stuck in the basement of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East division.
Despite tying a seasonal best by holding their opponents to only 43 points – 16 of which were scored by guard Arun Kumar – Smart said his team still “has to get better defensively.”
“We’re a very poor defensive team,” he said. “We just have to do some better things on that end and if we do those things we have a chance, but if we don’t then we’re going to have a hard time when all is said and done.”
While the Ravens did play only 24 hours earlier against the Ryerson University Rams, Smart was very quick to shoot down any notion of fatigue being an issue.
“It’s just a preparation thing,” he said. “It’s only 24 hours, they’re not 45 years old.”
His team proved that in the second half, picking up their game as the contest went along, outscoring the Varsity Blues 42-16 in the final 20 minutes to secure the impressive scoreline.
Prior to the opening tip-off, Smart and the Ravens honoured Penner and Smendziuk during a touching ceremony.
Their commitment to the team and incredible toughness are the attributes that Smart was quick to point out during his pre-game speech – following the game, he reiterated that point, calling both men “team guys.”
“They’ve both sacrificed because they would have had bigger roles at other places,” Smart said after the game.
Prior to tip-off, the fiery coach revealed a softer side, telling inspiring stories of both men fighting through injuries – Penner recovering from a brutal gash to his head that saw him lose what Smart jokingly called “half the blood in his body,” while Smendziuk continued practicing after having one of his lungs punctured in a heavy collision with a teammate.
“You can’t replace that kind of toughness,” Smart said after the game.
The two fifth-year players will play their final regular season game as members of the team when they travel across the city to take on the University of Ottawa Gee-Gee’s next week.
Source: Carleton Sports Info
Windsor @ Lakehead
The men's basketball team struggled to find their shooting touch against a hard-nosed Windsor defense, losing 64-56 on Saturday evening.
Windsor fought hard from the get go to avenge their loss the previous evening, holding a 20-18 edge after 10 minutes of play. In the second quarter, the T-Wolves' offensive output was severely limited, scoring only 8 points to the Lancers 16.
Halftime score was 36-26 Lancers.
In the third, Lakehead got their offense running again, with a string of plays including a Ryan Thomson 3, followed by a Yoosria Salhia blocked shot and Greg Carter transition lay-up to close the gap to 38-33. That momentum would be snuffed out by the Lancers, but not responded to on the offensive end as Lakehead out-scored the Lancers 10-7 in the 3rd Q.
In the final quarter the Lancers would hit clutch three pointers, courtesy of Enrico Diloreto and Michael Petrella, the second of which came with under 2 minutes to play to give the Lancers a 63-56 lead and effectively terminating any Lakehead comeback.
Lakehead was led by Yoosrie Salhia with 16 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Matt Schmidt with 14, who shot a perfect 4-4 from downtown and grabbed 7 rebounds. Ryan Thomson added 10 points in the loss.
Top scorer for the Lancers was Diloreto with 22, while Lien Phillip scored 8 points with 11 rebounds.
Source: Lakehead Sports Info
Coming off a tough defeat at the hands of the Ryerson Rams, the Laurentian Voyageurs looked to rebound against the Queens Gaels. With many playoff implications at stake, the Voyageurs stepped up, and defeated the Gaels by a score of 95-86.
The first period saw effective shooting from both teams, with a diverse range of shooters scoring for both teams. This back and forth play saw the game remain close, with neither team gaining a stranglehold on the game. Josh Budd led the way in the early stages for Laurentian, leading the team with his shooting and ball distribution. At the end of the first, the Voyageurs held a slim 24-23 lead. The Gaels started the second quarter with an intense flair, quickly jumping out to a lead. The Gaels offense was helped by some sloppy defensive play from Laurentian, and entered the half time break with a 42-38 lead.
However, the third quarter saw a rejuvenated Voyageurs side hit the court and dominate the Gaels. The points were coming from all angles, with Josh Budd, Manny Pasquale, and Alex Ratte all going for over 20 points. Pasquale led the way with 24 points and 8 rebounds but it was the all-round performance of the Voyageur team that should take credit for an excellent third quarter. The Gaels had no answer for the offensive displayed, especially the Voyageurs efficiency from the 3-point range. Entering the final quarter, the Voyageurs held a 70-61 lead. The side played hard in the final quarter, but the Voyageurs offense was too strong, making the Gaels task next to impossible. When the final whistle blew, the Laurentian emerged as the victors by a score of 95-86.
The Voyageurs now head into their final two games with a record of 10-8, and now take on the York Lions to close out the season. All are encouraged to support your Laurentian Voyageurs in their final home game of the regular season on February 15th at 8:00pm.
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
Ryerson @ Carleton
After the games against the cross town Gee-Gees, tonight’s game at the Ravens’ Nest vs. the Ryerson Rams was one that basketball fans in Ottawa had circled on the calendar.
The Rams have shown dramatic improvement and have been in the top ten all year, looking like they could book another trip to the CIS final 8 next month here at Scotiabank Place.
A hard fought and intense game entertained the fans who were able to battle the snow to get here. A competitive game at both ends of the courts saw the Ravens open up a double digit lead at the break but the Rams were able to hang around during the third quarter. The Ravens were able to maintain a comfortable margin and finished the game with a score of 75 – 57.
Carleton got contributions from many players as once again their depth proved to wear down yet another OUA opponent.
18 from Tyson Hinz, 16 from Thomas Scrubb and 15 from Kewyn Blain were the high men for the ravens
Source: Carleton Sports Info
Toronto @ Ottawa
It didn’t take long for the Gee-Gees’ shooters to catch fire in Friday night’s game against the Toronto Varsity Blues. After building a 39-18 halftime lead, the number eight ranked Gee-Gees rode a 57 per cent field goal shooting performance to a lopsided 94-51 win.
Moe Ismail (Hamilton, Ont.) put on a show in the fourth quarter, hitting three straight baskets from downtown. The first-year wing player shot 5-for-5 from long range on the night, finishing with 16 points in just twelve minutes of action.
Other Gee-Gees freshmen had the chance to shine in front of the home crowd as well. Centre Ryan Evans picked up nine points, Caleb Agada bucketed eight, and Matt Plunkett’s highlight reel plays at the end of the game gave him nine on the night.
Ismail’s shooting performance was part of a 14-for-24 three-point display by the garnet and grey, who now lead the CIS in team three point percentage with a season average of 41.3 per cent. The Gee-Gees made six three pointers in the fourth quarter alone, outscoring Toronto 32-17 in the final frame.
Mike L’Africain, who accumulated nine assists in the game, added to the showtime atmosphere of the fourth quarter performance with a no-look dish to Plunkett on a 3-on-1 transition play. Plunkett then scored the final basket of the game with an impressive one-handed dunk in transition.
“Mike was just fantastic tonight – they were getting out in transition and playing the way they play. They played with confidence tonight, which is good to see,” said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin of his rookies.
“We’ve been in some situations this year where we’ve been ahead and ended up having a negative fourth quarter,” Derouin continued. “Tonight I thought they did what they were supposed to do – they didn’t stop playing, which is what you want as a coach for sure.”
L’Africain also drained three treys on the way to 11 points. Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue also had a solid night, registering 14 points and nine rebounds for Ottawa, while Johnny Berhanemeskel and Warren Ward also reached double digits at 14 and 10 points apiece.
Toronto’s Alex Hill netted twelve points to lead the Varsity Blues, who shot just 33 per cent as a team and were often limited to wild shot selections.
The Gee-Gees run their record to 14-4, while Toronto falls to 2-15 in OUA action.
Source: uOttawa Sports Info
Windsor @ Lakehead
The men's basketball team protected home turf on Friday evening, handing the Windsor Lancers a 70-64 loss in front of a capacity crowd in the Thunderdome, and 260+ more watching online. In a battle of the top two teams in the OUA West, Lakehead got the job done with hustle and a desire to re-assert themselves as a contender in the CIS, having the #4 ranked team in the nation on their court.
The Lancers wold not go down easily, however, battling from the tip to lead 17-15 after the first quarter. The T-Wolves closed out the first half strong to lead 36-30 at the break.
Lakehead would open up a 10-point lead in the third quarter, but Windsor refused to go away, battling back to come within 2 points of the T-Wolves in the final minutes of the 4th quarter.
In a game that saw great dunks, impressive shots and sweat poured out by the gallon, the show was stolen by the rebounding of Yoosrie Salhia, who pulled down a total of 15 boards to go with 13 points. With Lakehead clutching to a lead with under 2 minutes to go, Salhia fought off three Windsor Lancers to secure an offensive rebound, reset the shot clock, and provide a steadying force for Lakehead to close out the game.
Top scorer for Lakehead was Ryan Thomson with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Ben Johnson added 11, including a clutch floater in the lane in crunch time.
For Windsor, Lien Philip had 13 points to go with 7 rebounds. Ismar Seferagic had 9 points.
Lakehead out-rebounded Windsor 43-35.
The two teams will rematch tomorrow at 8pm in a game that will determine who will take top spot in the OUA West. It will also be Seniors Night, as the Thunderwolves will see 6 players in their final regular season home game - Yoosrie Salhia, Greg Carter, Matt Schmidt, Brendan King, Joseph Jones and Ben Johnson.
Source: Lakehead Sports Info
Brock @ Guelph
GUELPH, Ont. - The Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team dropped an 84-78 final today (Feb. 9) against the visiting Brock Badgers at the W.F. Mitchell Centre. The Gryphons have struggled of late, dropping seven straight and fall to 5-14 on the season.
Leading the Gryphons was rookie forward Adam Kemp (St. Catharine's, ON) with a season-high 20 points. Jack Beatty (Woodstock, ON) trailed closely behind with 18 points after going 4-5 from three to contribute to the Gryphon drive.
Brock’s Jameson Tipping (Orangeville, ON) led all scorers with 25 points and 14 rebounds to bring home the double double. Mike Luby (Kenora, ON) finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
After an explosive opening frame, both offensive units fell into a slump as the defensive efforts rallied. Combined with Kemp's tenacious 8-point effort in the first, the Gryphons were able to push into the second ahead 20-17.
Building off Kemp's momentum, the Gryphons opened the second with six unanswered to extend their lead to nine. However, the Badgers continued to pester the Gryphon defence and matched their attack from three to close the gap at 39-37. After a couple costly fouls from the Gryphons, Mike Luby found himself at the line twice to shoot 4-4 to tie the game up at 41. Combined with Tripping's efforts, the Badgers were able to pull ahead 44-41 to end the half.
Brock continued to build on their momentum in the third to extend their newfound lead by five. Michel Clark (Burlington, ON) and Jack Beatty rallied the Gryphon offence with 3-point shots but were unable to check the Brock offence as they continued to outshoot the Gryphons 24-16 to end the quarter ahead by 11.
The Gryphons came into the final frame in stride following a deep three from Daniel McCarthy (Guelph, ON) to open the quarter. Guelph continued to cycle the ball smoothly within the Badger zone to out-shoot them 8-2 in the opening stages of the fourth. McCarthy carried this momentum into the 5-minute mark with the tying basket to bring the game to 70. But as the clock continued to wind down, the Badgers picked up their rhythm to push ahead 81-72 with 1:33 left. Despite a final offensive burst, the Gryphons fell short 84-78.
The Gryphons look to break a seven-game losing streak as they host the Laurier Golden Hawks this Wednesday (Feb. 13). Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm.
Source: Guelph Sports Info
Laurier @ Western
LONDON, Ont. — Amidst the final games of their season, the Western Mustangs men’s basketball team looked to grab a win against the Laurier Golden Hawks. The Mustangs, who have developed significantly throughout the season, were full of energy and challenged Laurier on the both ends of the court. After a hard fought game, the Laurier Golden Hawks grabbed the win with the final score 92-78 in their favour.
The first quarter started out with great hustle from both teams. Peter Scholtes fought hard for loose balls and cleaned up on the inside. Elliot Dooley, who has consistently led the team throughout this season in terms of defensive performance, had another strong game. Greg Morrow was excellent in the first quarter in terms of hustling for loose balls. Laurier struggled to initiate a set offense in the beginning of the game and relied primarily on their speed to capitalize off of the fast break. The first quarter ended with the score 17-15 in favour of the Mustangs.
In the second quarter, Laurier initiated a run by finding success from beyond the arc. Western attempted to deny ball rotation, but unfortunately was not able to contain the Laurier shooters. Scholtes halted the run with a nice three-pointer off of the assist from Ryan Higgins. Western continued to apply tight pressure to the Laurier guards throughout the second quarter in an attempt to fluster their offense. The first half ended with Laurier leading 34-31.
The second half started out with a great tip from Western’s Morrow. After suffering a minor injury, though, he was forced to leave the game and was replaced by rookie Jack Daneyko. Daneyko played well on the defensive end and helped keep the team alive. Laurier began to apply tough full court pressure, which Western struggled to break, leading to a number of Western turnovers. A great three-pointer from Dooley sparked energy into the Mustangs, but unfortunately the third quarter ended with the Golden Hawks up 60-54.
In the fourth quarter, Laurier initiated a run that allowed them to build a lead as high as 21 points. Toward the end of the game, Western was unable to control the outside shooting ability of Laurier, and the home team struggled to get anything going on the offensive end. With only minutes left in the game, George Johnson stepped it up and carried his team on his back in an attempt to make a comeback, but unfortunately Laurier’s lead was too significant to recover from. The Golden Hawks took the win with the final score 92-78.
Scholtes led the Mustangs in scoring with 19 points while Maxwell Allin led the Golden Hawks with 24 points.
Despite another loss, the Mustangs battled until the final buzzer. It’s evident that even though they are young, they are a team full of spirit and fight. The Mustangs will play next on Wednesday February 13 against Windsor University. Tip off is at 8:00 p.m.
Source: Western Sports Info
Waterloo @ McMaster
The Marauder men’s basketball team used a balanced attack and some stifling defense to subdue the Waterloo Warriors 81-56 on Saturday afternoon at the Burridge Gym. The win was the fifth straight for the men in Maroon.
Boasting a size advantage over the Warriors, McMaster looked to go inside early in the game and that strategy worked out as Mac jumped into a 23-12 lead before Waterloo made two late buckets to close the gap to 23-17.
The second quarter saw the Marauders turn up the “D” as they allowed Waterloo few good looks at the basket and no second-chance opportunities. McMaster built the lead up to 35-17, and it wasn’t until there was 1:40 left in the period that Waterloo scored its first points. The Marauders went over eight minutes off the game clock without allowing a score. Waterloo’s Jaspreet Gill made two late three’s to get back some, but at halftime the Maroon held a 40-26 advantage.
Coming out for the third quarter, the Marauders went on another scoring run behind the play of Joe Rocca, who scored the first nine points of the period to boost the lead up to 23. The Marauders kept the pressure on and by the end of the third, the lead had grown to 66-38.
Able to use the bench in the final stanza, McMaster spread the ball around and got solid production across the roster. With all 12 players seeing court time, the Marauders brought home the 25-point win.
The BIG Mac player of the game was Joe Rocca, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double effort. Other double digit contributors were Aaron Redpath with 16, Nathan McCarthy with 13, Taylor Black with 11 and Rohan Boney with 10. Waterloo was led by Jaspreet Gill and Wayne Bridge, who each scored 14.
McMaster absolutely dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Warriors 46-21.
McMaster improves to 12 and 7 in the OUA West, and will next face the powerful Lakehead Thunderwolves on February 15 and 16 at the Burridge Gym. The two game set will have significant bearing on the standings in the division.
Tip-off both nights is at 8 p.m.
Source: McMaster Sports Info
Queen's @ York
The York University Lions men's basketball team was victorious on Saturday night (Feb. 9), downing the Queen's Gaels by a final score of 90-84 at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
Lions fifth-year point guard David Tyndale (Mississauga, Ont.) turned in a complete performance on his senior night, scoring 21 points and dishing out 11 assists for a massive double-double to lead his team to the win.
The first quarter saw both teams eager to get up and down the court and after just three minutes of play the Gaels owned a 14-10 lead. However, shortly thereafter a difficult fade away three by Tyndale gave York a 15-14 lead.
The game continued to be played at a frenetic pace and a careless turnover off an inbounds play by the Lions gave Queen's a wide-open three, restoring their lead. The Gaels would be the more efficient club from the field as the quarter wound down and they held a 29-23 lead heading into the second frame.
The Lions used a quick 6-0 run to tie the game at 29 just a minute into the second quarter. The Gaels countered by switching to a full court press in hopes of turning the Lions over, and they were successful as they regained their lead. Both teams continued to run the floor and take shots early in the clock, but the jumpers weren't falling with the same consistency as they were in first quarter.
However, the Lions would find their stroke at the midway point of the frame, going on a 7-0 run to give them a 40-35 lead. Unfortunately, the Gaels would respond with a 13-5 run to close out the quarter, and they held a 48-45 lead heading into the locker room.
Defence continued to be at a premium in the second half as both teams found themselves getting easy buckets in the early stages. Tyndale started to heat up as he drained a three and then made a nice pass on the next possession to give power forward Nick Tufegdzich (Tecumseh, Ont.) an easy lay-up. The Lions tightened up their defence from there and they held a slim 68-67 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The final frame saw both teams continue to play with extreme energy as the pace continued to elevate. After the game was tied at 74, the Lions used a 7-0 run to give them their biggest lead of the game with five minutes to play.
Both teams struggled to find their offence down the stretch with the half court defence intensifying, and with two minutes left the Lions held an 83-78 lead. The Lions held strong on the defensive end while making key free throws down the stretch and they walked away with a hard fought six-point victory.
In addition to Tyndale, four other Lions reached double digits in scoring. Akeem Isaac (Toronto) recorded 16 points, with 12 of them coming from the free throw line, while Raheem Isaac (Brampton, Ont.) and Matt Ziobrowski (Thornhill, Ont.) poured in 12 each and Tufegdzich added 10.
The Gaels were paced by forward Nikola Misljencevic (Ottawa), who scored a game-high 28 points and led all Queen's players with eight rebounds.
The Lions improved to 7-11 on the season but remain sixth in the OUA East. The Gaels fell to 10-10 with the loss in their final regular-season game.
The Lions will wrap up their season with a home-and-home against the Laurentian Voyageurs. They will play the first game at the Tait McKenzie Centre in a rare Wednesday night (Feb. 13) affair before travelling to Sudbury, Ont., on Friday night (Feb. 15) for their regular season finale. Tip off is scheduled for 8pm in both contests.
Source: York Sports Info
Ryerson @ Ottawa
A seemingly impossible three-point bomb from Johnny Berhanemeskel with 0.3 seconds remaining in the game gave the no. 8 Gee-Gees a much needed seven point victory over the no. 6 Ryerson Rams on Saturday night.
As the Gee-Gees previously lost to the Rams by five points earlier this season, they needed to defeat Ryerson by six or more points in order to move ahead in the standings.
“It’s a great feeling to get this win for our program and for the guys who did so much for our program twenty years ago. They did so much for this team’s culture and history,” said Berhanemeskel on a night where the program honoured the 1992-93 Gee-Gees squad which won the Wilson Cup twenty years ago.
“I had a great feeling about tonight’s game. Our defence was the key for us, we did a great job of containing their transition and protecting the paint,” said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin. “We have had a lot of tough losses in this building in the past couple years so this win is huge for our players and for the entire program.”
It was an entertaining first half between the two high-scoring teams as they exchanged shots from long range. Johnny Berhanemeskel was hot from start-to-finish for the Gee-Gees as he shot 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in the first half. However, the Rams were also playing well as they took a three point lead into the half-time break.
The Gee-Gees came out of the break flying as Berhanemeskel stole the ball on defence which resulted in a break-away one-handed slam from the hands of Warren Ward at the other end of the court.
Berhanemeskel started the second half with two assist, two steals and a three pointer in only 2:30 minutes. As a result, the Gee-Gees were able to jump ahead to a 45-37 lead with 7:00 minutes remaining in the third frame. Ryerson wasted no time in responding as they continued to hit their shots from beyond the arc and ultimately brought the game to within six points at the end of the third quarter.
Ryerson pushed hard at the start of the fourth, twice narrowing the gap to two points. The turning point in the game came in the final three minutes when Vikas Gill hit an important shot from three point range, followed by a tough bucket in the paint from Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue which restored a seven point Ottawa advantage.
However, Ryerson allowed the clock to run down to 4.6 seconds before starting their final possession and Jordon Gauthier responded by hitting a turn-around trey, which narrowed the gap to four points.
After a timeout called by Derouin with 0.3 seconds remaining in the game, Berhanemeskel was able to hit the three-pointer which gave the Gee-Gees the seven point victory.
“Everything is just a blur right now, it happened so fast, but it’s a play I’ll never forget,” Berhanemeskel said after the game. “Right now we are really clicking and it couldn’t come at a better time of the year. The most important thing is going into March playing our best basketball.”
Berhanemeskel led all Gee-Gees in scoring with 23 points, four assists and six rebounds. Star forward Warren Ward also had an outstanding performance for Ottawa as he posted 18 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Ryerson was led by Jahmal Jones and Gauthier, who netted 15 points each in the loss.
The Gee-Gees will return to Monpetit Hall next Saturday night as they look for their revenge versus Phillip Scrubb and the Carleton Ravens.
Source: uOttawa Sports Info
Toronto @ Carleton
The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team put on one final show for fans inside the Ravens Nest on Friday night, as they bounced back from a slow start to dominate the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 83-43.
The game was the final home date on the schedule for the Ravens this season, and also signaled the last home game for forwards Dan Penner and Kyle Smendziuk – the two men will be graduating come season’s end.
Despite the commanding scoreline, Ravens head coach Dave Smart was not entirely pleased with his team’s performance, as the Varsity Blues came charging out of the gate and started the contest with a 9-0 run.
“We didn’t come out very focused,” Smart said after the game. “They played hard, they got after it and they competed. They did a lot of things to take us out of what we wanted to do and we didn’t do enough to make it tough on them in the first half.”
Carleton did eventually manage to bounce back from the rough opening, as they tightened things up on the defensive end of the floor and began to find a rhythm at the other end.
With the dynamic duo of Tyson Hinz and Philip Scrubb leading the way – the 6’6” forward finished with a game-high 17 points, while the Richmond, B.C., native added 16 of his own – Carleton just had too much for the overmatched Varsity Blues, who came into the contest stuck in the basement of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East division.
Despite tying a seasonal best by holding their opponents to only 43 points – 16 of which were scored by guard Arun Kumar – Smart said his team still “has to get better defensively.”
“We’re a very poor defensive team,” he said. “We just have to do some better things on that end and if we do those things we have a chance, but if we don’t then we’re going to have a hard time when all is said and done.”
While the Ravens did play only 24 hours earlier against the Ryerson University Rams, Smart was very quick to shoot down any notion of fatigue being an issue.
“It’s just a preparation thing,” he said. “It’s only 24 hours, they’re not 45 years old.”
His team proved that in the second half, picking up their game as the contest went along, outscoring the Varsity Blues 42-16 in the final 20 minutes to secure the impressive scoreline.
Prior to the opening tip-off, Smart and the Ravens honoured Penner and Smendziuk during a touching ceremony.
Their commitment to the team and incredible toughness are the attributes that Smart was quick to point out during his pre-game speech – following the game, he reiterated that point, calling both men “team guys.”
“They’ve both sacrificed because they would have had bigger roles at other places,” Smart said after the game.
Prior to tip-off, the fiery coach revealed a softer side, telling inspiring stories of both men fighting through injuries – Penner recovering from a brutal gash to his head that saw him lose what Smart jokingly called “half the blood in his body,” while Smendziuk continued practicing after having one of his lungs punctured in a heavy collision with a teammate.
“You can’t replace that kind of toughness,” Smart said after the game.
The two fifth-year players will play their final regular season game as members of the team when they travel across the city to take on the University of Ottawa Gee-Gee’s next week.
Source: Carleton Sports Info
Windsor @ Lakehead
The men's basketball team struggled to find their shooting touch against a hard-nosed Windsor defense, losing 64-56 on Saturday evening.
Windsor fought hard from the get go to avenge their loss the previous evening, holding a 20-18 edge after 10 minutes of play. In the second quarter, the T-Wolves' offensive output was severely limited, scoring only 8 points to the Lancers 16.
Halftime score was 36-26 Lancers.
In the third, Lakehead got their offense running again, with a string of plays including a Ryan Thomson 3, followed by a Yoosria Salhia blocked shot and Greg Carter transition lay-up to close the gap to 38-33. That momentum would be snuffed out by the Lancers, but not responded to on the offensive end as Lakehead out-scored the Lancers 10-7 in the 3rd Q.
In the final quarter the Lancers would hit clutch three pointers, courtesy of Enrico Diloreto and Michael Petrella, the second of which came with under 2 minutes to play to give the Lancers a 63-56 lead and effectively terminating any Lakehead comeback.
Lakehead was led by Yoosrie Salhia with 16 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Matt Schmidt with 14, who shot a perfect 4-4 from downtown and grabbed 7 rebounds. Ryan Thomson added 10 points in the loss.
Top scorer for the Lancers was Diloreto with 22, while Lien Phillip scored 8 points with 11 rebounds.
Source: Lakehead Sports Info
