MEN'S BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Marauders edge Windsor 70-68 in showdown for first place
Toronto 70 @ York 85
The York University Lions men's basketball team cruised to a convincing victory Friday (Jan. 10) against their archrival, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, on home court at the Tait McKenzie Centre by a score of 85-70.
The contest was the first game at home for the Lions since returning from the holiday break, and the win has them sitting at 7-4 on the year and tied with the Laurentian Voyageurs for fourth place in the OUA East standings.
For the Lions, Nick Tufegdzich (Tecumseh, Ont.) led the team with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Daniel Tulloch (Mississauga, Ont.) followed with 15 points, five rebounds, four steals and four assists. He also had two monster dunks in the game that had the crowd on its feet.
York showed tremendous energy from the opening tip-off, exploding for 10 unanswered points, capped off by anAaron Rados (Ottawa) three-pointer to force a U of T timeout early. Rados finished with 12 points.
The Blues would try to find their footing, stringing together a couple of baskets, but the Lions continued to flex their muscles on the way to a 24-7 tally after one.
Returning in the second with the same zest in their step, the Lions continued an impressive display of dominance on the court, extending their lead to 38-12 after five minutes of play in the quarter.
York's stars seemed to be aligned all night, with Rados sending a beautiful inbound pass to Tulloch in the key for a nasty slam dunk off of the alley-oop, erupting the home crowd and bench alike. The Lions showed no signs of slowing as the halftime buzzer sounded, sitting with a 47-20 lead at the break.
As play resumed in the second half, the Lions kept pace with their earlier success. Tufegdzich and Tulloch were also stellar defensively, helping York ultimately enter the fourth and final quarter with a convincing 65-46 lead.
In no danger of losing the game, the Lions looked to relax a little in the fourth. Tulloch continued to amaze offensively as well, as he sprinted in behind U of T's defence to throw down an aggressive one-handed dunk to once again ignite the gymnasium. The inevitable final bell tolled with the Lions sitting ahead.
Source: York Sports Info
Ryerson 81 @ Queen’s 61
KINGSTON, Ont. - The Queen's Gaels (6-5) were defeated 81-61 by the No.4 ranked Ryerson Ram's (10-1) on Friday night at the Athletics and Recreation Centre.
The game opened up with back-to-back three pointers by Ryerson's Jean-Victor Mukama and Aaron Best. This quick and efficient scoring would be the story of the night for the Rams, and the pitfall for the Gaels. Queen's struggled early on to keep up with Ryerson's quick and athletic tempo. At the 5:20 mark of the first quarter, Roshane Roberts(Markham, Ont.) scored the first points for the Gaels by sinking two free-throws. By the end of the first, Queen's trailed 25-10 leaving them in a deficit that would be hard to climb back from, especially against a team as skilled as the Rams.
The Gaels managed to bring the point spread to within nine late in the third quarter, but Ryerson's consistent perimeter shooting and offensive attack by Jahmal Jones would not allow the Gaels to gain any more ground. Jones of Ryerson contributed a game high of 31 points, while his teammate Best added 15 of his own. Nikola Misljencevic(Ottawa) scored a team high of 19 points for the Gaels, followed by Sukhpreet Singh (Toronto) who scored 14.
Source: Queen’s Sports Info
Carleton 88 @ Laurentian 54
Though the Laurentian Voyageurs men’s basketball team put up a strong fight, the Carleton Ravens showed why they are the number one team in the country as they defeated the Voyageurs 88-54 in tonight’s home game.
The Ben Avery was packed as the Voyageurs looked to improve their 7-2 record in their first game of the new year. The Voyageurs kept pace with the Ravens in the first minutes of the game, at one point leading 10-9. Both teams played strong defense in the first half, but the Ravens’ experience and skill soon gave them an edge. At the end of the first quarter, the Ravens led 21-15.
The second quarter saw the Ravens expand their lead and take advantage of their size. While the Voyageurs battled hard inside the paint, Carleton’s size allowed them to dominate and draw fouls. In the first half the Ravens were perfect from the free throw line, scoring 14 points from the line. At the end of the half, the Voyageurs fell behind 42-28.
In the third quarter, though the Voyageurs created several scoring opportunities, they had a difficult time getting their shots to fall. The Ravens did not share this problem, instead scoring at will and going on several runs. By the end of the quarter the Ravens had more than doubled their lead, heading into the fourth quarter up 70-41.
The Voyageurs continued to compete in the final quarter, but were unable to close the gap. Coach Swords used the final minutes of the game as a learning opportunity, giving the starters a rest and providing several young players some valuable time on the court. In the end, the Voyageurs fell 88-54, unable to defeat the nation’s top team.
The Voyageurs will look to regroup before facing the #2 CIS ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees Saturday night at 8:00 pm. Continue to follow your Voyageurs men’s basketball team at www.luvoyageurs.com and follow them on Twitter @VoyageursMBB for up-to-date news and results.
Laurentian University’s Department of Athletics is home to 18 varsity sports teams. The Voyageurs’ decorated history of pride and tradition includes 62 provincial championships as well as 10 national championships in 52 years of competition.
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
Ottawa 96 @ Algoma 92
After a month break, the Algoma basketball teams opened the second half of their debut OUA and CIS season at home with losses to two of the top teams in the country, the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
In the men's game, Algoma was in tough against the number two ranked team in Canada. The Thunderbirds jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and dominated the play early on, out-rebounding the Gee-Gees 11-4 in the first quarter. Ottawa clawed their way back, tying the game at the end of the first quarter, 20-20. The garnet and grey found their rhythm in the second, and finished the half leading 45-33. The Thunderbirds chipped away at the lead in the third, but still trailed the Gee-Gees by 10 going into the final 10 minutes. Two turnovers gave Ottawa's Terry Thomas the chance to widen the gap to 15, securing the Gee-Gees ninth win of the season, 96-82.
Terry Thomas and John Berhanemeskel let the Gee-Gees with 23 points each. Jimmy Belinga led the Thunderbirds with 20 points in their losing effort. The Gee-Gees shot 46.2 percent from the field and the Thunderbirds shot 43.3. Ottawa continues to hold strong at 9-1 in the east, second only to the Carleton Ravens. The Thunderbirds fall to 3-7.
Source: Algoma Sports Info
Waterloo 48 @ Lakehead 76
The men's basketball team got off to a rocky start, but would salvage the night's effort as they got a 76-48 win over the Waterloo Warriors.
As the game began Waterloo packed their defense into a tight 2-3 zone, denying Lakehead centre Brent Wallace any daylight in the paint, as the Lakehead offense sputtered to begin the game and would fail to get much traction at all in the first half.
Despite trailing by 10 late in the 2nd quarter, the Warriors would claw to within 4 points with some well executed plays, combined with undisciplined defense by Lakehead leading to Waterloo free throws.
The 'Wolves led 28-24 at halftime.
Lakehead would find its stride (and their touch from outside the arc) in the third quarter, out-scoring Waterloo 27-14, and would coast from there to the final buzzer.
Igor Lebov continued his consistent play, scoring a game-high 15 points before fouling out with 5 minutes remaining. Dwayne Harvey and Anthony McIntosh both had 13 points and 3 assists, while Henry Tan potted 12 points with 7 helpers.
The Warriors were led by Jaspreet Gill with 12 points and 5 rebounds.
Lakehead out-rebounded Waterloo 34-19, but committed 18 turnovers to the Warriors' 16.
Coach Matt Erdman:
"We had moments when we played the way we're capable of. I was very pleased with the way we responded after the half. Tomorrow's another day and we have to improve on some of the areas we discussed after the game."
Friday evening saw the return of Joey Nitychoruk (Winnipeg, Man.) from the injured list to the 'Wolves lineup for the first time in the regular season. His high-energy play, earning him the name 'Joey Nitro' among fans, was once again present, as he finished the game with 7 points in 7 minutes of play.
Josh Bell (Mississauga, Ont.) also returned to the lineup after several weeks off due to injury.
Source: Lakehead Sports Info
Saturday, January 11
Western 81 @ Laurier 69
WATERLOO, Ont. - The Wilfrid Laurier men's basketball team hosted the Western Mustangs in their first meeting of the season as they looked to rebound from a loss to Windsor. The Hawks found themselves trailing by 15 going into the second half and were unable to climb back, falling 81-69 to the Mustangs.
Peter Scholtes of London, Ont. and Gregory Morrow of London, Ont. led the Mustangs offensive arsenal scoring 26 and 24 points each. Morrow also finished with a game-high 11 rebounds to record a double-double.
The Golden Hawks received a strong offensive performance from Will Coulthard of Oakville, Ont., and Max Allin of Chatham, Ont., with 22 and 17 points, respectively.Â
Tied after the first quarter, the Mustangs took over in the second to claim a 15-point lead going into the half.
Despite an improved second half performance, the Golden Hawks were unable to overcome the early deficit despite outscoring the Mustangs over the final 20 minutes.
The Hawks (5-7-0) will travel to St. Catharines in hopes of snapping a two game skid against a struggling Brock Badgers (2-10-0) squad. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. on January 15th.
NOTE: The game was delayed during halftime due to a leak onto the main court of the Athletic Complex gym...the second half of the game was played on the far side court
Brock 84 @ Guelph 99
Guelph, Ont. - The Guelph Gryphon's men's basketball team defeated the visiting Brock Badgers 99-84 on Saturday afternoon at the W.F. Mitchell Centre. The win improves the Gryphon's record to 3-9 on the season.
Guelph had six players score in the double digits, including 16 points and eight rebounds from Trevor Thompson and a double-double from Michel Clark 15 points and 12 rebounds. The other Gryphon scorers in the double digits were Zachary Angus (13pts), Taylor Boers (11pts), Andrew Grant (15 pts), and Jack Beatty (13pts).
Brock's Dani Elgadi led all scorers with 31 points and 21 rebounds.
Guelph's Andrew Grant opened the quarter with two quick baskets and an athletic assist to Colin Corrigan to give Guelph the early lead. Taylor Boers nailed a 3-ball shortly thereafter to cap off an opening 12-4 run for the Gryphon's. Guelph dominated the game early, dictating the pace of play. This was especially exemplified on one particular play where Michel Clark scooped up the rebound off his own 3-point miss and dished it down low to Trevor Thompson for the basket. Brock found their offensive stroke later in the quarter, converting on late possessions to make it close. The first quarter ended with the Gryphon's on top of the Badgers 25-21.
Andrew Grant continued his strong play in the second quarter with a big block on the defensive side of the court and a steal, his third of the game, which led to a Brock defender fouling him. Grant, usually one of the more athletic players on the court, was able to convert his athleticism into important and impactful plays for the Gryphon's. Meanwhile, it was Dani Elgadi doing the damage for the Badgers squad, as he managed to earn a double-double after just two quarters of play with 16 points and 12 boards. Despite the back and forth play throughout the quarter, Brock managed to cut into Guelph's lead, making it a 43-42 game going into the half.
Heading into the third quarter it was anybody's game. Brock opened with a jumper on their first possession but Guelph answered right back with a 3-pointer from Taylor Boers to maintain their slight edge. After Brock evened up the match at 48, Boers hit another three and Angus laid in one more on their next possession to give the Gryphon's a 5-point lead, forcing Brock to take a timeout. The back and forth play continued throughout the third, with Guelph always managing to provide a response to Brock's attack. Back-to-back baskets from Trevor Thompson fired up the Guelph bench and made it a 58-52 game. Brock came back down the court with an and-one play, but Michel Clark answered with a corner three. In the dying seconds of the third quarter Zach Angus nailed a shot clock beating basket to give the Gryphon's a 67-60 lead heading into the final quarter.
Up by seven, Guelph needed to maintain their strong play into the fourth quarter in order to put Brock away for good. Brock wanted to push the pace in the final frame, hoping to chip away at the Guelph lead, but once again the Gryphon's always seemed to provide an answer. Zach Angus nailed an important and-one play to push Guelph's lead to nine with just under six minutes to play. The pace picked up with the Badgers needing to close the gap. Andrew Grant again came up huge for the Gryphon's with two important baskets in the closing minutes of the game to maintain Guelph's lead. Trevor Thompson converted both his free throws with exactly two minutes left on the clock to give Guelph a commanding 13-point advantage. With a 7-point lead heading into the fourth, closing out the game and finishing off the Badgers provided a good learning opportunity for the young Gryphon team. They did just that, putting up 32 points in the fourth, and held Brock to 24, to defeat the Badgers 99-84.
Guelph hits the court again on the road Wednesday against the Windsor Lancer's at 8:00 pm.
Source: Guelph Sports Info
Windsor 68 @ McMaster 70
Like two heavyweights exchanging punches, the McMaster men's basketball team outlasted the Windsor Lancers 70-68 and gained some space in the race for first place in the OUA West division.
The Lancers entered play missing two starters from the line-up but had a chance to pull even with McMaster in the standings with a win. McMaster knew a victory would give them a two-game bulge on Windsor.
It was the Marauders that jumped out to a quick 13-5 lead, but an early Windsor timeout seemed to settle down the Lancers and by the end of the opening quarter, the Maroon lead was 20-18.
The second-quarter saw points become very scarce as both teams played some intense defense. The Marauders got some good inside work from Nathan McCarthy and bumped the margin to 28-20. Windsor responded with some long distance shooting, led by guard Enrico Diloreto and grabbed a 31-29 lead. Playing for the last shot of the half, Adam Presutti found Aaron Redpath for a nifty lay-up at the buzzer and the teams entered the intermission tied 31-31.
McMaster grabbed a 49-43 lead in the third-quarter, but a strong finish by Windsor saw the Lancers score the last eight points of the period to lead 51-49 heading to the final stanza.
Two quick hoops to start the fourth-quarter put the Lancers up by six and forced a timeout by McMaster. It was the Marauders' turn to respond and they tied the game at 55-55 with about six minutes left. The home stretch saw both teams fight for advantage and each was able to respond when it looked like they were on their last legs.
A three by Diloreto gave Windsor a 66-63 lead with under 90 second left, but the Marauders got some clutch hoops from Taylor Black and Redpath to go up 69-66. Needing a three to tie the game, Diloreto missed for Windsor and the Lancers were forced to foul. Black made one of two free throws to make it a two possession game and Lien Phillip's basket with 1.1-seconds left could only get the Lancers within two points as McMaster closed out the win.
Top Marauder shooters were Redpath and Black, who each scored 19 with Black getting the BIG MAC Player of the Game recognition for his strong fourth-quarter play. Nathan McCarthy had a strong double-double effort of 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Maroon.
Windsor got a 26-point performance from Diloreto, who was the Lancer BIG MAC player of the game.
To illustrate how close the entire game was, the score was tied nine times and there were 10 lead changes. The battle of the boards went to McMaster by a narrow 42-41 margin.
McMaster now goes to 9 and 3 in the OUA West, while Windsor falls to 7 and 5 in second place.
The Marauders now start a series of three straight road games by playing at Waterloo on Wednesday, January 15th.
Ryerson 75 @ York 73
The York University Lions men's basketball team came within one basket of an upset victory over the No. 4 nationally-ranked Ryerson Rams, ultimately falling 75-73 at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Saturday night (Jan. 11).
The Lions tied the contest at 73-all after Richard Iheadindu (Brampton, Ont.) made both free throws after getting fouled attempting a lay-up. On Ryerson's ensuing possession, Jean-Victor Mukama (Hamilton, Ont.) scored on a put-back with 10 seconds remaining to give the Rams the lead once again, and Daniel Tulloch (Mississauga, Ont.) missed on a long three at the buzzer to give the Rams the win.
The Rams improved to 11-1 with the win and remain tied for first place in the OUA East standings with the top-ranked Carleton Ravens. Despite the loss, the Lions moved into a tie for fourth place with Laurentian following its loss to Ottawa.
The thrilling end to the contest capped a tremendous fourth quarter in which the Lions came back from five points down – 56-51 – to tie the game on three separate occasions. Iheadindu scored on a fast break after a pass fromPhillip Cunningham-Gillen (Hamilton, Ont.) to tie the game 58-58 early in the frame, and Tulloch nailed a lay-up minutes later to make the score 63-63. But each time the Lions scored the Rams were able to counter at the other end of the floor, never once falling behind the Lions after the opening minutes.
The Lions scored the game's first two baskets and led 9-4 early, but five straight points by the Rams gave them their first lead of the game at 12-11. Ryan Ejim (Brampton, Ont.) put an exclamation mark on the first quarter with a big dunk, but the Rams went on a 9-0 run to end the frame and lead 24-16 after one.
The two squads traded threes throughout the second quarter as Iheadindu opened the frame with one as the shot clock expired, and then Aaron Rados (Ottawa) got hot, nailing four straight threes and a dunk to score 14 points in the quarter and help the Lions close the gap to 44-38 at the half.
Play tightened in the third as both teams came out cold from the break, and the Lions edged the Rams 13-12 in the frame to continue chipping away at the advantage. They carried that momentum into the fourth but came up just short.
Rados and Nick Tufegdzich (Tecumseh, Ont.) led the Lions in scoring with 18 points each. Rados went 4-of-7 from behind the arc and also added five rebounds, two steals and one assist, while Tufegdzich tallied five rebounds and two assists.
Tulloch tallied 14 points, three rebounds and two steals.
At the other end of the floor, Ryerson's top scorer was Juwon Ogunnaike-Grannum (Mississauga, Ont.), who finished with 23 points and five rebounds. Also scoring in double digits were Jahmal Jones (Mississauga, Ont.) with 18 points and Mukama with 16.
The Lions will be on the road for their next four contests, beginning with a road trip north next weekend that will take them to Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., to face the Algoma Thunderbirds on Friday night (Jan. 17) and then to Sudbury, Ont., to face the Voyageurs on Saturday. Both games will begin at 8pm.
Source: York Sports Info
Toronto 64 @ Queen’s 84
KINGSTON, Ont. (January 11, 2014) - The Queen's men's basketball team (7-5) defeated the Toronto Varsity Blues (5-8) 84-64 on Saturday in front of a loud and excited home crowd at the Athletics and Recreation Centre.
The story of the night was the shooting precision by Greg Faulkner (Kingston, Ont.) who finished with a game high of 37 points, going 17 for 22 from the floor. Whether it was a step-back three, a transition reverse lay up or a base-line fade-away pull-up, Faulkner was not missing anything.
Roshane Roberts (Markham, Ont.) was the spark that ignited the Gael's offense at the beginning of the game, hitting back to back three-pointers early in the first quarter. The rest of his team was not far behind as the team hit a collective 12 of 32 three pointers in the 20 point victory.
The offensive woes for the Varsity Blues kept them from climbing back into the game. Queen's was relentless in their defensive pressure on Toronto's best player (the OUA leading scorer) Alex Hill, causing him to only go eight of 18 from the floor with five turnovers. Despite this, he still finished the night with a team high 23 points, followed by Denis Ankrah who added 14 of his own.
Queen's is back in action next week against Laurentian in Sudbury.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
Carleton 77 @ Algoma 43
The Algoma Thunderbirds continued their double-header weekend at home Saturday night against top OUA East competitor, the Carleton Ravens.
In the men's action, the three consecutive time reigning CIS Champions jumped out to an early lead, 6-0. The Ravens denied the Thunderbirds any chance to penetrate the paint and get on the boards. Shooting a dismal 7.6 percent from the field, Algoma trailed 22-6 going into the second. Only able to score from the charity line, the Ravens continued to apply pressure, widening the gap to 41-14 at half. The Ravens shot 56.5 percent from the field in the first half and out-rebounded the Thunderbirds 25-8. In the second half, the Ravens continued their momentum, stifling the Thunderbirds offensively and defensively. The Ravens overpowered the Thunderbirds 77-43.
Philip Scrubb led the Ravens with 15 points and Clinton Springer-Will chipped in 14. Jimmy Belinga led the Thunderbirds with 15. The Ravens improved to 11-0, and remain number one in the CIS and OUA East. The Ravens continue their pursuit for their record-setting tenth CIS championship title. Algoma falls to 3-8 in the East.
Source: Algoma Sports Info
Ottawa 93 @ Laurentian 72
The Laurentian Voyageurs Men’s basketball team were looking for a victory on their Saturday night contest against the Ottawa GeeGees. The Voyageurs were coming off a tough loss against the Ravens on Friday and were looking for redemption in their second game of the weekend. While the Voyageurs had a strong first and third quarter, they were unable to match the pace of the Ottawa squad throughout the entire game. In the end, the Voyageurs fell 72-93 to the 2nd ranked GeeGees.
Both teams came out strong from the gate, and demonstrated their scoring ability in an incredibly fast paced game. The Voyageurs were able to keep up with the GeeGees’ scoring, and ended the first quarter down by 6 on the Gees’ 30 points.
The second quarter proved to be a difficult one for the Voyageurs. With Alex Ratte on the bench for foul trouble, they lacked an offensive presence. They were able to create scoring chances but couldn’t put up the points. The GeeGees raced ahead, scoring 21 points to Laurentian’s 9. This gave them a comfortable lead heading into halftime, up 51 to 33 after the first two quarters.
After the halftime break the Voyageurs came out ready to play. The men put out a great effort, and managed 27 points in the quarter. While the Voyageurs outscored the GeeGees 27-22 in the third, they still had a 13 point gap between themselves and Ottawa heading into the final quarter.
The Voyageurs were looking to catch the GeeGees in the fourth quarter, however their opponent had other plans. The Ottawa squad played a strong defensive game, and limited Laurentian’s scoring to 12 points in the fourth quarter. The GeeGees, lead by Johnny Berhanemeskel with a game high 29 points, scored 20 points in the fourth, and ended the game with an impressive 93 points.
The game ended 93-72 in favour of the GeeGees. Laurentian’s Alex Ratte scored 22 points, and was supported by Ryan Bennett with 15.
The men will be looking to regroup as they will facing off against the Algoma Thunderbirds this Wednesday in Sault Ste Marie.
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
Waterloo 77 @ Lakehead 71
The men's basketball team came up against a much improved Waterloo Warriors team on Saturday evening, dropping a 77-71 decision.
It was clear from the tip that Waterloo was playing with renewed purpose, jumping out to lead 19-15 after the first quarter and 38-26 at the half. Waterloo would stretch their lead to 19 early in the 3rd quarter.
Once again Waterloo's zone defense caused fits for Lakehead's offense, which struggled to get going until the third quarter, as they scored 20 to narrow Waterloo's lead to 6 with 10 minutes to play.
With the game on the line late in the fourth quarter Waterloo shooters were on point, led by Jaspreet Gill who scored a game-high 27 points (6-of-10 3FG). By contrast the entire Lakehead roster hit only 5 long range shots on 23 attempts.
Three of those three-pointers came from Jamar Coke, who led the Wolves with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Reserve post Justin Bell had an efficient 11 points while Igor Lebov put in 13 of his own with 7 rebounds.
Three other Warriors hit double figures, including veteran Wayne Bridge with 19 points.
Coach Matt Erdman:
"We weren't ready to play tonight but credit to Waterloo for playing the way they did. Even though we went down 19, we still had a chance to win the game. I know our guys are disappointed with our effort but all we we can do now is learn from this and have a great 4 days of practice."
The men's team is at home again next weekend to take on the Western Mustangs.
