MEN'S BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Ottawa holds off Ryerson in matchup of ranked teams

Friday, January 17

York 84 @ Algoma 77

In front of an energetic home crowd and the President of the OUA, the Algoma Thunderbirds basketball teams suffered losses at the hands of the York Lions.
 
In the men's game, the Thunderbirds opened their 13th OUA game with increased intensity. With early steals from Reynaldo Carnakie and Brett Zufelt, Algoma battled and kept it close. The Lions went 8-12 at the charity line, giving York a 5-point advantage going into the second. Algoma fought back in the second, leading York 20-19. York kept Algoma close, going shot for shot to finish the half. Going into the second half, Algoma still trailed by 5, 30-35. The momentum continued into the second half, with the Thunderbirds aggressively attacking the ball. Early in the fourth the Thunderbirds tied the game and recovered the lead after going 4-4 at the free-throw line, 62-59. With three minutes left to play, the Thunderbirds clung to a one-point advantage but a late foul gave York the lead. Trailing by 6 with 90 seconds of regulation play left, the Thunderbirds chipped into the deficit, down by only 3. Foul trouble down the stretch tipped the game in favour of the Lions.  In the end, the Lions upset the Thunderbirds 84-77.  Thunderbirds' Brett Zufelt and Terrell Campbell led with 18 points each.  Richard Headindu led the Lions with 18.  The Thunderbirds fall to 3-10 and the Lions improve to 8-5.
 
Source: Algoma Athletics
 
 
Queen’s 76 @ Laurentian 84

The Laurentian Voyageurs Men’s basketball team were looking to build off their Wednesday night win versus the Algoma Thunderbirds, and they did just that, downing the Queen’s Gaels this evening 84-76 at the Ben Avery.
 
Both teams came out fighting in a game that would have serious implications on the standings. Laurentian, sitting at fourth in the OUA East Division, needed to secure the win in order to prevent fifth placed Queen’s from moving up in the standings. The Voyageurs moved the ball in the opening minutes of the game, creating easy scoring opportunities. Several defensive breakdowns by the Voyageurs, however, allowed the Gaels to stay in the game. Playing strong defense and keeping Laurentian’s leading scorer Alex Ratte (Ottawa, ON) from netting any points, Queen’s finished the first quarter up 21-18.
 
The game remained tight in the second quarter, with both teams knocking down shots. The Voyageurs stepped up their defensive game, preventing the Gaels from going on any runs. Greg Faulkner (Kingston, ON), Queen’s leading scorer, was kept to only nine points in the half. Faulkner, averaging 16.6 points per game, was forced to make tough shots as Laurentian limited his scoring opportunities. The Voyageurs took the lead in the second quarter, heading into the halftime break with the score at 39-35.
 
The Voyageurs came out hot in the third quarter, playing with intensity to increase their lead. Laurentian forward Darcy Watt (Toronto, ON), who sat out most of the first half after picking up two early fouls, started the third quarter strong and made two quick jumpers. The Voyageurs continued to play unselfish basketball, working the ball around to find easy shots. The Gaels did their best to shut down Laurentian’s top offensive threat. Though Ratte was often double-teamed and had a difficult time finding the basket, he had no trouble finding the open man and setting his teammates up for easy buckets. At the end of the third the Voyageurs had extended their lead by a basket, going into the fourth quarter up 59-52.
 
Nelson Yengue (Yaounde, Cameroon) led the way for Laurentian heading into the final quarter of the game, having put up 18 points in the first three quarters of play. The Voyageurs transitioned well on both ends of the court, but made numerous careless passes. Unforced turnovers by Laurentian allowed the Gaels to stay close, building momentum in the final minutes of the game. A key timeout by Coach Swords with just less than two minutes remaining gave the Voyageurs a chance to gain their composure and refocus. The Voyageurs came out of the timeout and took care of business, winning the game 84-76.
 
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
 

Ryerson 68 @ Carleton 110
It was a marquee match-up on Friday night at the Ravens’ Nest as No. 1 Carleton took on the No. 4 Ryerson Rams.

The Ravens came into the game sporting an undefeated 11-0 record while the Rams were 11-1.

Both team’s records are impressive and ranked in the CIS Top Ten but in the end Carleton remains unbeaten this season as they disposed of Ryerson 110-68 to win their 12th straight OUA game.

It was an offensive explosion for the Ravens led by Philip Scrubb (Richmond, B.C) and his 28 points. Scrubb was perfect on 8 free throw attempts, hit 6 of 9 three pointers, had 7 assists and 4 rebounds.

“It was an exciting game to play against Ryerson, the fourth ranked CIS team,” said Scrubb. “We (Carleton) were definitely ready to play. I felt good out there and made some shots during the course of the game.”

At times during the game the Ravens were an offensive juggernaut hitting a scary 19 treys in the one-sided victory.

Other Carleton players with strong games included Clinton Springer-Williams (London, ON), 15 points Kevin Churchill (Toronto, ON) 12 points Victor Raso (Hamilton, ON) 12 points and Tyson Hinz (Ottawa, ON) 11 points, 6 rebounds.

Thomas Scrubb (Richmond, B.C.) led both teams with 8 rebounds.

“We did some good things against Ryerson but they were missing a pile of guys including a couple of starters that would have made a difference,” said Dave Smart, Ravens head coach. “I expect them to be a much different team when they get those players back in the line-up.”

Source: Carleton Sports Info

 
Toronto 75 @ Ottawa 113

uOttawa put on a show on Friday night as a strong team effort allowed the Gee-Gees to dominate the Toronto Varsity Blues and score a season high 113-75. The team had a total of seven players reach double digits scoring in the contest.

“Offensively when we got in transition I think we did some pretty good things and our veterans really stepped in and had strong performances,” said head coach James Derouin. “Offensively I was happy but there are still some defensive aspects that we need some work on.”

The Gee-Gees appeared to be on a mission to put on a show for the home crowd, performing multiple dunks and alley-oops. The cause of this could possibly be attributed to the fact that the team has not played in front of their home court since November 23, 2013.

“It felt great to be on home court. We have travelled to some other gyms and played different places but it’s not the same as playing on home court. We practice here a lot so to be able to get some real game time was great and we wanted to put on a good show for the fans,” said starting point guard Mike L’Africain who shot 5-for-7 from long range and recorded 15 points.

The Gee-Gees were scorching hot in the first half, scoring 55 points in 20 minutes of play. The hot play continued in the second half as they buried the Varsity Blues, leading the game coast to coast.  They were also able to hold the country’s second best scorer, Alex Hill, to only 16 points in the game.

Another impressive feat was achieved on the night as James Derouin became the quickest head coach to reach 50 wins in Gee-Gees basketball history as he did so in only 76 games. The previous quickest was Derouin`s predecessor, David DeVeiro, who reached the mark in 95 games.

“It honestly has a lot to do with Dave DeAveiro and the team he left behind here for me when I took over which basically just allowed the program to keep going in the direction it was heading. It wasn’t a situation where I had to start from scratch and rebuild. I am just so fortunate to have taken over such a good group that was left here for me,” said Derouin.

Source: uOttawa Sports Info

 
Western 73 @ Lakehead 72

A painful 73-72 loss arrived on Friday evening for the men's basketball team against the hard-nosed Western Mustangs. It might be easier said that a victory slipped out of the 'Wolves hands, as they held an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
 
For 35 minutes the two teams exchanged hay-makers, with Henry Tan packing a lot of punch early, hitting 5 first-half three pointers to bring the Mustangs out of their 2-3 zone defense and giving the 'Wolves a 42-35 halftime lead.
 
Things stayed even through the 3rd Q, until early in the fourth when Henry Tan and Josh Bell would strike from the land beyond to give Lakehead an 11 point cushion with 8 minutes remaining. The Lakehead offense would sputter and drift towards the final buzzer, scoring only 8 points after the duo of early three pointers, while their defense gave up 21 points in the last 10 minutes of play.
 
Despite their lacklustre play, Lakehead did have a chance to win the game. With possession and 12 seconds remaining they ran a play and found Alex Robichaud on the block for a short bank shot over Mustang Peter Sholtes that missed the mark as time expired.
 
The Mustangs shot an impressive 8 of 11 from three-point range, led by Sholtes with 19 points and 4 rebounds.
 
Henry Tan finished with 26 points and 3 assists, while Igor Lebov added 12 points with 7 rebounds. Brent Wallace scored 8 points with 7 rebounds in 16 minutes of play.
 
Coach Matt Erdman:
 
"We didn't put together a complete game and Western took advantage of the way we handled ourselves in the 4th. The focus is all on tomorrow and making adjustments as well as trying to not get complacent."
 
Source: Lakehead Sports Info
 
 
Saturday, January 18

Guelph 87 @ Waterloo 77

Waterloo, Ont. (January 18, 2014) – Six Gryphons scored double digits as the men's basketball team defeated the Waterloo Warriors 87-77 on Saturday afternoon in Waterloo. The Gryphons move to 4-10 while the Warriors fall to 2-12 on the season.
 
Rookie Daniel Dooley led the charge for the Gryphons with a season high 16 points for the first-year point guard from Burlington, Ont.
 
Taylor Boers, Adam Kemp and Trevor Thompson dropped 14 points for the Gryphons respectively in the victory as the men shot a strong 50.7% from the field compared to 43% from the Warriors. The Gryphons were the more dominant team on the glass as well, outrebounding the Warriors 37-24.
 
The Warriors were led by Wayne Bridge who scored a game-high 22 points while Mike Helsby netted 20 for his team in the loss.
 
The Gryphons return home to the Mitchell Centre this week for a game against the McMaster Marauders on Wednesday, January 22 at 8:00 p.m.

Source: Guelph Sports Info
 

Brock 79 @ Windsor 110

WINDSOR, Ont.- Rotimi Osuntola Jr. tallied a team-high 20 points, and the Windsor Lancers men's basketball team won its second game in a row, defeating the Brock Badgers 110-79 on Breast Cancer Awareness Day at the St. Denis Centre Saturday afternoon.
 
Windsor flexed its offensive muscle, working at a potent 56.4% efficiency from the floor and an impressive 52.2% (12-of-23) from beyond the arc. Osuntola drained three of those long-rangers and was 8-of-10 from the floor overall, adding five rebounds in the victory.
 
Lien Phillip tallied his seventh consecutive double-double, recording 13 points and a contest-high 15 rebounds for Windsor (9-5). Enrico Diloreto put together a 19-point performance, adding five rebounds and two assists for the Lancers. Khalid Abdel-Gabar and Alex Campbell rounded out Windsor's five double-digit scorers, tallying 13 and 10 respectively.
 
Dani Elgadi led the Badgers with a game-high 23 points, shooting 6-of-16 from the field on the afternoon. Brock shot 35.2% overall, and have lost four straight contests.
 
Windsor outrebounded the visitors 49-39 and outscored their bench 39-12. The men improve their record at home to 7-1, and eclipsed the century-mark for the first time this season. The last time Windsor notched 100 points or more in conference play was November 30, 2012 in Kingston, Ont. where they topped Queen's 118-82.
 
The No. 10 Lancers continue to hold down second place in the OUA West division, and will travel to London, Ont. on Wednesday evening to take on Western.
 
Windsor returns to the St. Denis Centre next Saturday afternoon to host the Waterloo Warriors. Game-time is set for 4:00 p.m. and the contest will be available live at GoLancers.TV.

Source: Windsor Sports Info
 

McMaster 87 @ Laurier 69

WATERLOO, Ont. (January 18, 2014) - The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's basketball team suffered their third loss in the past four games as they fell 87-69 to the No. 6 McMaster Marauders on Saturday afternoon.
 
On a day in which they struggled with their efficiency from the field, shooting just 32.4 percent, the Hawks trailed from start to finish as they fell to 6-8 on the season. The division-leading Marauders meanwhile improved to 11-3 on the season. 
 
Nathan McCarthy of Burlington, Ont., led the visitors with 18 points as five different players finished the came in double figures for the Marauders. Joseph Rocca of Sarnia, Ont., was also strong for McMaster, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds.
 
As for the Hawks, Matthew Chesson of Whitby, Ont., had one of his strongest games of the season, finishing with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds while Max Allin of Chatham, Ont., paced Laurier with a team-high 16 points.
 
Despite the loss, Laurier maintains their hold on third place in the division but could be caught later tonight by the Western Mustangs if they are able to edge the Lakehead Thunderwolves on the road.
 
The Hawks will hope a matchup with the Waterloo Warriors will right the ship on Wednesday as they host their crosstown rivals at the Athletic Complex. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
 
Source: Laurier Sports Info
 
 
 
Queen’s 76 @ Algoma 83
 
The Algoma Thunderbirds men's basketball team notched their fourth win of their debut OUA and CIS season against the Queen's Gaels on Saturday night in front of an energetic crowd at the GLC.
 
In men's action, the Thunderbirds got out to an early lead. Algoma earned 3 turnovers and shot an impressive 43.8 percent from the field, and led the Gaels 20-12 in the first quarter.  Algoma continued their momentum in the second, driving the ball into the post and sinking shots from beyond the arc. The Thunderbirds led the Gaels by 8 going into the second half, 35-27. Thunderbirds' Samy Mohamed went 4-8 from the three-point line in the first half. Algoma continued to battle in the second half, pulling away from Queen's, widening the gap to 14. Queen's came back late in the third, chipping into the deficit, but Algoma still led 53-45 going into the final 10 minutes.  Queen's increased their aggressiveness in the final five minutes, getting within 3 points of the Thunderbirds. The teams went shot for shot down the stretch, but 2 turnovers in favour of the Gaels put Queen's within 2 points of the Thunderbirds with 67 seconds left to play.  The Thunderbirds went 6-6 at the free-throw line with seconds left in the game, including 2 points off of a technical foul by Queen's coach Stephen Barrie, giving the Thunderbirds their fourth win of the season, 83-76.  Veterans Reynaldo Carnakie and Mohamed led the Thunderbirds with 19 and 18 points each, and Sukhpreet Singh led Queen's with 17 in their losing effort.  The Thunderbirds improved to 4-10, and the Gaels fell to 7-7.
 
"We need that same consistent play every day on the court, off the court, and in the classroom," said Head Coach Thomas Cory after the men's game.  "We need that effort and that urgency.  It's important to what we're doing."
 
Source: Algoma Athletics
 
 
York 85 @ Laurentian 86

Coming off a great team performance Friday night, the Voyageurs Men’s basketball team continued to see contributions from several players this evening at the Ben Avery. In a contest that came down to the final three seconds, the Voyageurs swept the weekend as they edged the visiting York Lions 86-85.
 
The first quarter was a back and forth affair, with the Lions and Voyageurs trading buckets. After the first ten minutes of the game, the Voyageurs held a slim lead, up 21-20 heading into the second quarter.
 
The Laurentian Voyageurs started to find their rhythm in the second quarter, led by guard Alex Ratte (Ottawa, ON). A threat every time he touched the ball, Ratte scored 24 points in the first half and assisted his teammates on several smart plays. York threw up several three point attempts in the half, but were unable to make most of them count. The Voyageurs were able to build up their lead, breaking for half time up 44-36.
 
Though the York Lions outsized Laurentian, the Voyageurs refused to be outworked. Battling hard for rebounds, Laurentian played with energy on both ends of the court in the first few minutes of the third quarter. Injuries in the quarter left Laurentian without two important big-men; Nelson Yengue (Yaounde, Cameroon) and Gherick Uneau (Ste. Rose, Guadeloupe) were both injured in the third, and would not return to the game. Near the end of the quarter the momentum began to shift in York’s favour, with full court pressure by the Lions bringing them within three points of the Voyageurs. Heading into the fourth and final quarter, the Voyageurs led 65-62.
 
The York Lions continued to press in the fourth, causing Laurentian to commit several turnovers. In the first minutes of the final quarter Laurentian looked like a completely different team, making careless passes and struggling to get back on defense. The Lions took control of the game and built a lead of ten points when the momentum again shifted, this time in Laurentian’s favour.
 
With just over three minutes remaining in the game Laurentian played strong defense and drew an offensive foul. Making their offensive possessions count the Voyageurs cut the Lions’ lead to only four points. With less than 20 seconds remaining Laurentian’s Josh Budd (Timmins, ON) hit a crucial three pointer, bringing the Voyageurs within one, the score at 84-83. Forced to play the foul game, Laurentian sent York to the line where the Lions went one for two. With the score at 85-83, the Voyageurs were out of timeouts and had only seconds remaining on the clock. Laurentian worked the ball around and found an open Ratte at the three point line. While his shot just missed its mark, Tychon Carter-Newman (Brampton, ON) managed to rip down a huge rebound, and with only three seconds remaining again found Ratte for the three. This time it was nothing but net as Ratte scored the game-winning basket, edging the Lions 86-85 at the buzzer.
 
The Voyageurs, whose record improves to 10-4 following tonight’s win, will be back in action next weekend when they visit the Ryerson Rams on January 24th.
 
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
 

Ryerson 86 @ Ottawa 90

The no. 2 ranked Gee-Gees secured a key victory in the battle for OUA East positioning, leading throughout and holding on for a 90-86 win over the no. 4 ranked Ryerson Rams in front of a packed Montpetit Hall on Saturday night.
 
Terry Thomas led all scorers with a season-high 29 points, and Caleb Agada notched a double-double for Ottawa with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the team. Ryerson got 20 points from Adam Best in the losing cause.
 
Thomas was electric at times, coming up with points at key moments to keep the Rams at bay. The game ebbed and flowed as the teams took turns heating up, with the best action reserved for the final frame.
 
Ottawa claimed a 47-37 halftime lead which was whittled down to 60-58 by the end of the third. A Jahmal Jones three-pointer at 1:20 left in the third got Ryerson within a basket at 57-55, and he finished off the frame with a tough runner in the lane.
 
Then came three minutes of furious action to start the fourth – Thomas hit a three-pointer and followed up with a now signature one-handed transition dunk. Jones answered for Ryerson with a quick trey of his own, which was immediately answered by a Mike L’Africain trey before the point guard worked a give-and-go alley oop to Thomas, re-establishing an eight point Gee-Gees lead at 73-65 with 7:20 to play.
 
“I’m playing with a bunch of great athletes. We all have roles and we have a lot of scorers on the team – it could be anyone’s night. Luckily it was mine,” said Thomas, who shot 12-for-18 from the field and was 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
 
“We wanted our depth to wear them down, and we had energy coming out in the fourth quarter,” noted Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin.
 
Ottawa would need that early boost when the Rams hit back with a run of their own, keyed by a deep three by Jean-Victor Mukama. The Rams pulled within three at 83-80, forcing an Ottawa timeout.
 
After the Gee-Gees pulled ahead again, Mukama was back with another trey to pull within three again at 87-84. When a Jones three-pointer to tie rimmed out, Johnny Berhanemeskel was able to ice the game from the free throw line.
 
“The transition game really cost us tonight at times, despite the spectacular plays we also had a series of turnovers in the neutral zone because of poor decisions, trying to force it,” said Derouin, referring to the third quarter which saw Ryerson outscore Ottawa 21-13.
 
The Gee-Gees’ defensive ability, which prevented the Rams from running away in the third, was on display throughout the night, generating the transition chances with six steals and four blocks.
 
With the win, Ottawa moves to 12-1 in regular season play while Ryerson falls to 11-3.

Source: uOttawa Sports Info
 

Toronto 60 @ Carleton 100

The Carleton Ravens scored 100 points or more for the second straight game as they defeated the Toronto Varsity Blues 100- 60 on Saturday night.
 
One evening earlier Carleton racked up 110 points in a win over Ryerson.
 
The Ravens scoring was spread around which shows the depth of this year’s roster
 
Philip Scrubb (Richmond, B.C.) struck for 25 points. Kevin Churchill (Toronto, ON) had 18 points and 6 rebounds. Clinton Springer-Williams (London, ON) registered 11 points and 3 rebounds.
 
Guillaume Boucard (Montreal, QC.) had a strong game with 10 points, 5 rebounds and scored the 100th point of the game for the Ravens with a nifty lay-up.
 
Forward Tyson Hinz (Ottawa, ON) acknowledged that Carleton put up 100 points in both weekend games but admitted that the team wasn’t completely satisfied with their performance against Toronto.
 
“We (Carleton) were better against Ryerson, there were lots of holes in our game against the Varsity Blues,” Hinz explained.
 
“We know that we will have to be better and play a more complete game against Ottawa on Tuesday. Its’ going to be a tough match and they are going to come out strong.”
 
The No.1 Ravens (13-0) tangle with the No. 2 Ottawa Gee-Gees (12-1) on Tuesday night, January 21 in the 2014 Capital Hoops Classic. Game time at the Canadian Tire Centre is 8:00PM.

Source: Carleton Sports Info

 
Western 73 @ Lakehead 47

The men's basketball team had a forgettable outing on Saturday evening, losing 73-47 to the Western Mustangs. The loss comes as their worst at home against an un-ranked opponent in recent memory.
 
Following Friday's 1-point affair, the Mustangs came out with a fury to begin the game, leading 24-7 after the first quarter, in which the Thunderwolves' offense was hapless against an up tempo Western squad. Lakehead would rebound in the second quarter to stop the bleeding, but could do little in the second half to get back in the game.
 
Western led 42-26 at halftime.
 
The 'Wolves whittled the lead down to 13 in the 3rd quarter, but had their defense let them down routinely whenever a ray of hope appeared on the offensive end.
 
Josh Bell scored a team-high 11 points with 5 rebounds and 2 assists before leaving the game late with a lower body injury.
 
Rookie Mitchell Hearn saw the most floor time in his young Thunderwolves career, logging 21 minutes, scoring 5 points with a steal and an assist.
 
Quinn Henderson led the Mustangs with 21 points.
 
Coach Matt Erdman:
 
"Tonight's game was a tough pill to swallow, knowing that we weren't ready to play after yesterday's result. It's hard to draw many positives from this game, so we'll just look forward to next weekend and begin preparing for it."
 
The men's team plays a double header against Brock next weekend in St Catharines.

Source: Lakehead Sports Info