MEN'S BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Lancers keep pace with an 81-75 win over McMaster
Ryerson 85 @ Algoma 65
The Algoma Thunderbirds kicked-off Cancer Awareness Weekend, proudly sponsored by the Alumni Council, tonight at the George Leach Centre, with their second meeting against the Ryerson Rams.
Ranked number 5 in the CIS, Ryerson jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and Algoma went cold until late in the first. Applying half-court pressure, the Thunderbirds chipped into the deficit, but still trailed 27-12 going into the second quarter. Algoma got into a rhythm in the second, getting within 10 points of the Rams. Shooting only 61.9 percent from the charity line, the Thunderbirds were unable to close the gap, and allowed the Rams to pull away at the close of the first half. The Rams pushed the pace in the third, gaining a 24 point advantage going into the final minutes. Unable to catch Ryerson, Algoma fell 86-55. Â The Thunderbirds fell to 4-15 and the Rams improved to 14-5.
The Thunderbirds shot 31.3 percent and was led by Carnakie with 19 points. Juwon Ogunnaike-Gran led the Rams with 17 points.
"We're looking to compete the entire game and play as a team. Â We had a few defensive stops in the first half and if we clean up our rotations we're going to see the results we want," said Head Coach Thomas Cory at the half.
Source: Algoma Sports Info
Toronto 74 @ Laurentian 103
After being on the road for two consecutive weekends, the Laurentian Voyageur Men’s basketball team was back in action at the Ben Avery this evening. Facing off against the Toronto Varsity Blues, the men were looking to bounce back after a few tough losses. The Voyageurs were able to do just that, beating the visiting team in a convincing 103-74 contest.
The men started off the game at a slow pace, and allowed the Blues to take the lead from the tip off. U of T put up 7 points before the Voyageurs responded, when fifth year Josh Budd (Timmins, ON) opened the scoring for his team with 7 consecutive points. Despite the slow start the Voyageurs were able to recover, ending the first quarter leading the Blues 26 to 19.
The Voyageurs came out strong in the second, and kept their lead for the whole quarter. Alex Ratte (Ottawa, ON) put up a few threes early in the second, extending the Voyageurs’ lead to 12. Laurentian kept up the scoring in the second, allowing for most of the team to see the floor as they headed into the half up 51-43 on the Blues.
The Voyageurs kept up their intensity from the first coming into the second half, and further extended their lead on the Blues. Laurentian dominated the offence, and provided fans with an entertaining second half. Gherick Uneau put up a great defensive block, which Ratte followed up with a huge dunk at the other end. The men kept the momentum going for the remainder of the third, and headed into the last quarter of the game with a comfortable 15 point lead on the Blues.
The intensity from the third quarter was brought on into the fourth, with the Voyageurs outscoring their opponents 28-14. Laurentian was able to make it to three digits, putting up 103 points to Toronto’s 74. Ratte had a game high 35 points for Laurentian, while Alex Hill (Toronto, ON) put up 23 for the Blues.
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
Carleton 98 @ York 59
The York University Lions men's basketball team was defeated by a score of 98-59 by the No. 1 nationally-ranked Carleton Ravens on Friday night (Feb. 7) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The high-powered Ravens were simply too much for the Lions on this night, winning all four quarters to take the big victory and extend their season-long winning streak to 19. With the loss, the Lions fell to 10-9 on the year and sit fifth in the OUA East standings.
The Ravens were dominant in the first and third quarters to blow the game wide open, while the Lions played the team tougher in the second and fourth frames, being outscored by just three in each.
The Ravens had four players in double digits in scoring. Thomas Scrubb (Richmond, B.C.) led all players with 26 points and seven rebounds. His brother, Philip, ended up with 15 points, three rebounds and five assists, while Kevin Churchill (Toronto) finished with 14 and Connor Wood (Guelph, Ont.) with 10.
York's best player on the night was rookie Nathan Culbreath (Kingston, Ont.), who led all Lions with 18 points and also had three rebounds. Nick Tufegdzich (Tecumseh, Ont.) ended up with 12 points and five rebounds, while Berkan Basmergen (Istanbul) finished with 10 points.
Source: York Sports Info
Ottawa 103 @ Queen’s 76
KINGSTON, Ont (February 7, 2014) - Deadly shooting from No. 2 Ottawa sealed the Gaels fate on Friday night at the ARC, as Queen's fell 103-76 to the Gee-Gees.
Queen's took their biggest lead of the game when Roshane Roberts (Vaughan, Ont.) hit a three-pointer to open the scoring. From there, the Gee-Gees tied the game at 5-5 and went on to show why they are the second best team in the country. Ottawa was 15/31 from beyond the arc and hit 90% of their free-throws.
The Gaels were down 51-35 at halftime, struggling from three-point land, going just 3/15.
Positives for the Gaels included balanced scoring, with four players reaching double-digits. Roberts picked up a team-high 16, as Sukhpreet Singh (Toronto) and Patrick Street (Etobicoke, Ont.) put in 12 apiece, and Nikola Misljencevic (Ottawa) broke the barrier with 10.
Ottawa's best players led the team, with Terry Thomas earning a double-double on 25 points and 11 rebounds. Johnny Berhanemeskel was the next-best Gee-Gee, potting 20 points and going 5/6 on three-point attempts.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
Lakehead 88 @ Laurier 93
WATERLOO, Ont. (February 7, 2014) - The Wilfrid Laurier men's basketball team hosted the Lakehead Thunderwolves as they continued to push for a home game in the OUA playoffs. Entering the game tied with the Western Mustangs for third in the division, the Hawks pulled off a crucial win as they beat the Thunderwolves in a 93-88 final.
Max Allin of Chatham, Ont., and Will Coulthard of Oakville, Ont., put forth a pair of dominant performances as they carried the Hawks in the win. Despite being prominent offensive threats, the Thunderwolves were unable to contain the pair as Allin earned 30 points on the night and Coulthard put up 26 points in an impressive all-around outing by the duo. Â
Lakehead was led by the efforts of Henry Tan of Hamilton, as he finished with 22 points to lead the Thunderwolves in scoring.
The Hawks led the Thunderwolves after the first and managed to hold the lead going into the half thanks to a combination of solid defensive play and effective offensive drives. Â
Tied after three quarters of play, the Hawks exchanged chances with Lakehead in a thrilling fourth quarter performance.
Coulthard dropped seven points in the final two minutes to lift the purple and gold past Lakehead in a 93-88 final.
Source: Laurier Sports Info
Saturday, February 8
McMaster 75 @ Windsor 81
In a battle of the two top teams in the OUA West Division, the #7 ranked Windsor Men's Basketball team turned in a outstanding performance as they earned an 81-75 win over the #5 ranked McMaster Marauders on Saturday afternoon at the St. Denis Centre.
Windsor got off to a hot start and controlled most of the contest as they split the season series with the Marauders on Lancer men's basketball alumni weekend at the University of Windsor. Enrico Diloreto led all scorers with 26 points and 5 rebounds while Lien Phillip dominated in the paint with 20 points and 17 rebounds for another impressive double-double.
The victory moves the #7 Lancers to 14-5 and back to within a game of first place in the OUA West Division. The Lancers and Marauders split the season series with a win apiece with the Marauders earning a tight 70-68 win at home in early January. Windsor played that evening without starters Josh Collins and Evan Matthews in Hamilton.
On Saturday afternoon, Windsor's all-time leading scorer Enrico Diloreto paced his team to an early advantage as the home team built a seven-point cushion en route to a 21-15 first quarter lead.  The Lancers led virtually the entire first half until the very end as the Marauders mounted  a late charge to tie the game up 36-36 at the break.
The second half was all Windsor as they combined tremendous outside shooting with hard work down low in the paint to build a ten-point advantage over McMaster. Rotimi Osuntola Jr. sparked the home team in the second half as he threw down a pair of huge dunks and combined that with suffocating defense on Marauder guard Joe Rocca. Rocca was held to just 4 points in the second half on 1 of 4 shooting.
The Lancers continued to push the pace at both ends of the floor in the second half as they opened up a 14-point lead, 73-59 over the Marauders. The visitors tried to make a late charge but it was too little too late as the Lancers earned the impressive 81-75 win.
In addition to Diloreto and Phillip, Windsor also got 11 points and 4 assists from senior point guard Josh Collins as well as 7 points off the bench from Rotimi Osuntola Jr.
The Lancers played terrific defense on Saturday as they forced 17 turnovers by the Marauders.
Windsor will be back in action on Tuesday night as they host the Western Mustangs as part of Seniors Night at the St. Denis Centre. Tip-off is set for 8pm. The Lancers will honour their trio of graduating seniors including Josh Collins, Enrico Diloreto and Lien Phillip.
Diloreto became the new all-time Lancer men's basketball career points leader last week moving past Trevor Boose (1,408) with a 17-point performance against the Guelph Gryphons. The London, Ont. native now has 1,449 points for his career. Fellow senior guard Collins also became the program's new career assists leader last week with 525, a title previous held by standout Ryan Steer (521). The Toronto product is sixth in the CIS with 85 total assists and fifth in the nation with 39 steals. Phillip, orginally from St. Mark's Grenada and hailing from Toronto, Ontario is the Lancer all-time leader in career rebounds with 1,086. Phillip leads the nation in rebounding this season with 13.0 rebounds per game.
Be sure to join us on Tuesday night for what should be a very memorable Seniors Night at the St. Denis Centre.
Source: Windsor Sports Info
Western 80 @ Waterloo 81
The Warriors once again got a complete team effort with all of their starters hitting double digits in their thrilling 81-80 overtime win over the Western Mustangs on Saturday at the PAC. Â The win fell on Fantastic Alumni Day with many former Warriors in attendance to rekindle old memories and take in some exciting varsity action.
Wayne Bridge (North York/Eastern Commerce) scored eight of his 18 points in the overtime quarter including back-to-back three's which played a big part in Waterloo's triumph. Â Bridge also had five rebounds and three assists in the win.
The two combatants battled toe-to-toe from the opening tip-off with Waterloo earning the edge in the later half of the third quarter. Â The Mustangs continued to respond with buckets sending the game to overtime but were unable to hit shots from the line when it counted.
Mike Helsby (Waterloo) added to the attack with 15 points with eight rebounds while Myles Charvis (Mississagua) and Mike Glibota had 13 and 11 points respectively. Â Completing the attack for the black and gold was Jaspreet Gill (Oliver) who had 10 points.
For Western, forward Gregory Morrow led all players with 20 points while Quinn Henderson had 17. Peter Scholtes also found himself in double digits with 13 points but it would not be enough for the purple squad.
Waterloo will be back in action on Wednesday for their senior night when they take on the Windsor Lancers at 8pm in the PAC.
Source: Waterloo Sports Info
Guelph 85 @ Brock 90
ST CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University men's basketball team (3-17 OUA) fought their way to a 90-85 overtime win in the Bob Davis Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon in a tightly contested battle with the Guelph Gryphons (6-14 OUA).
The Gryphons held control of most of the play in the first quarter to grab an early 19-13 advantage through 10 minutes.
Brock managed to battle back to outscore Guelph 21-19 in the second quarter but continued to trail 38-34 at the half.
In the third, the Badgers were able to grab their first lead since being up 5-4 in the first quarter. The Gryphons, however, kept a two point lead (60-58) heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter went back and forth between the teams with both having an opportunity to put the game away in the dying seconds. Neither team could take advantage, thus sending the game into overtime tied at 76 points apiece.
The Badgers persevered in the overtime to outscore Guelph 14-9, taking the 90-85 overtime victory.
Freshman Dani Elgadi and senior Tshing Kasamba continued to prove their dominance on the floor recording 29 and 28 points respectively. Elgadi led all players with 13 rebounds to give him 15 double double overall in his rookie campaign. Elgadi also reached the 500 point mark and surpassed Clint Holtz (323) 1994-95, Ken Murray (325) 1974-75, and Kevin Stienstra (328) 2003-04 for single season rebs. Sophomores Brandon John and Issack Egueh rounded out the Badger scorers in double digits with both registering 12 points apiece.
Taylor Boers (23), Andrew Grant (18), Zachary Angus (16), and Daniel Dooley (10) all finished with double figures in points. Boers scored the majority of his points from beyond the arc (five for six).
The Badgers will host the Western Mustangs (8-11 OUA West) on Wednesday, February 12th inside the Bob Davis Gymnasium at 8pm.
Source: Brock Sports Info
Ryerson 69 @ Laurentian 82
The Laurentian Voyageurs men’s basketball team had an important game this evening at the Ben Avery against the CIS sixth ranked Ryerson Rams. In a game with heavy playoff implications, the Voyageurs rose to the occasion, downing the Rams 82-69.
Voyageur veterans Alex Ratte (Ottawa, ON) and Josh Budd (Timmins, ON) were presented with their jerseys before the game got underway. When Laurentian faced off against the Rams earlier this season, they suffered a disappointing 81-55 loss on the road. Coming off a strong performance Friday night, the Voyageurs carried the momentum into tonight’s game, taking an early lead. Ratte, who put up 35 points in Friday’s win against the University of Toronto, continued to dominate offensively, hitting three pointer after three pointer. At the end of the first quarter, the Voyageurs held a slim lead, up 23-19.
In the second quarter the Voyageurs continued to outwork their opponents, playing tough, physical basketball. Though Ryerson’s leading scorer, Jahmal Jones (Mississauga, ON) began to find his offensive rhythm, scoring 12 points in the first half, Laurentian managed to extend their lead, heading into the halftime break up 41-33.
Ryerson was first to score in the third quarter, with Jones hitting back-to-back threes to put his team within two points. By tightening up their defense on the crafty guard, Laurentian was able to regain control of the game. Regaining their composure, the Voyageurs once again extended their lead, heading into the final quarter of play up seven points, 59-52.
Though the Ryerson Rams refused to roll over, the final quarter was all Laurentian as the Voyageurs continued to make shots from all over the court. The Ryerson Rams tried to press in the final minutes of the game, but the Voyageurs remained calm and collected, walking away with an 82-69 win.
The Voyageurs head to Ottawa next weekend for their final regular season games. The men’s basketball team will faceoff against the University of Ottawa February 14th at 8:00 pm.
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
Toronto 69 @ Algoma 74
The Algoma Thunderbirds basketball teams donned new pink jerseys tonight at the George Leach Centre in the annual CIS Shoot for a Cure, part of the Algoma University's Cancer Awareness Weekend, proudly sponsored by the Alumni Council. The men's basketball team came out ahead of the Toronto Varsity Blues, winning their fifth game of the season by a score of 74-69.
In front of an energetic crowd, the men battled hard, exchanging baskets in a wide open first quarter that ended 18-16. Â The pace quickened in the second quarter and Algoma widened the gap to 5 after Andre Barber went 2-2 from the free-throw line. With key steals from the Thunderbirds, Algoma began to pull away from the Varsity Blues, and were leading at half-time, 45-27. The Varsity Blues began to claw their way back in the third on the back of Dylan Churchill's three-point shooting. The Varsity Blues continued to chip into the deficit, trailing by just 11 going into the fourth quarter. Algoma tried to hold their own but Toronto got within one point with only 5 minutes left to play. Â The Thunderbirds battled back, edging ahead of the Varsity Blues by 4. Â Thunderbird Reynaldo Carnakie's 2 free-throws gave the Thunderbirds their fifth win of their debut OUA and CIS season. The Thunderbirds improve to 5-15 and the Varsity Blues drop to 4-16 in the East.
The Thunderbirds shot 39.4 percent from the field and 69 percent from the charity line. Â Reynaldo Carnakie led the Thunderbirds with 26 points followed by Brett Zufelt with 18. Â Churchill had 24 for Toronto in their losing effort.
"It was a good team win," said Head Coach Thomas Cory after the game.
At half-time Varsity Sports Coordinator Rachel Johnson cut and donated her hair to Locks of Love. Â The event raised well over $3,500 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Source: Algoma Sports Info
Ottawa 110 @ York 92
A strong third quarter effort almost had them within striking distance, but the York University Lions men's basketball team dropped a challenging contest Saturday (Feb. 8), losing a 110-92 contest to the visiting No. 2 Ottawa Gee-Gees on home court at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The loss drops the Lions record to 10-10 on the year, placing them in fifth place in the OUA East.
Ottawa had five different players in double digits for scoring, but forward Terry Thomas (Dartmouth, N.S.) was on another level, scoring a stellar 44 points, with seven rebounds, an assist, and one steal. The mark set a new all-time single game record for the Gee-Gees basketball program.
The Gee-Gees came out firing in the first, with Vikas Gill (Stittsville, Ont.) opening scoring off of a long three-point basket. But York's Richard Iheadindu (Brampton, Ont.) would answer right back, draining one of his own as the teams exchanged early buckets towards an 11-6 tally in Ottawa's favour.
By the midway point of the first, the Gee-Gee's began winning the transition battle and converted most of their opportunities on the rush, while York struggled from the paint. And when the Lions switched to protect the basket, Ottawa switched to more perimeter shooting to counter. The result was a convincing routing in the frame. Nidun Chandrakumar (North York, Ont.) closed out the first on a positive note for York however, draining a three point shot just before the buzzer to give the Lions hope, down 36-17 after one.
Chandrakumar opened the second with another statement, draining his second basket from beyond the arc to challenge his teammates. Beginning to match pace, the Lions were still unable to gain ground, and they found themselves down 45-27 with five minutes left until halftime.
First year guard Zach Shaban (Markham, Ont.) launched another three pointer for York in response, and a big Nick Tufegdzich (Tecumseh, Ont) block before the halftime buzzer ignited the crowd, but Ottawa was still out front, 62-40 after the first half.
To start the second half, Ottawa attempted to reapply some early pressure by dominating the offensive rebound battle. But with the Gee-Gees committing an extra man down low, it opened up a few fast break opportunities for York the other way. Taking advantage, Nathan Culbreath (Kingston, Ont.) converted back-to-back contested lay-ups while drawing a foul to reawaken the home crowd.
Feeling rejuvenated, Tufegdzich and Culbreath continued to impress in the final minutes of the third quarter, feeding off of the newfound energy and converting a pair of three pointers to close the gap, 76-64. Not finished, Tufegdzich muscled another couple of jump shots, along with a nice Iheadindu lay-up at the buzzer, to reduce York's deficit to only five points at the start of the final quarter.
The Gee-Gees came out stronger in the fourth however, disappointed by their third quarter performance. A couple quick baskets re-extended their advantage, and the Lions were once again playing with a double digit shortage.
With the game slipping away, York watched as the Gee-Gees sprinted towards the finish line. A solid effort late had the Lions fighting until the end, but Ottawa claimed the 110-92 final.
Tufegdzich finished the game with a stellar 36 points, as well as a staggering 20 rebounds, three blocked shots, a steal, and one assist. Culbreath finished second on the team with 16 points.
The Lions will close out their season with two road trips on Friday (Feb. 14) and Saturday (Feb. 15) when they face both the No. 6 Ryerson Rams, and University of Toronto Varsity Blues, in a battle of Toronto. Both games are scheduled for an 8pm start time.
Source: York Sports Info
Carleton 91 @ Queen’s 59
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 8, 2014) - The Queen's men's basketball team (9-11) lost 91-59 to the No.1-ranked Carleton Ravens (20-0) on Saturday night at the Athletics and Recreation Centre.
Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net in the first half of the game in front of a packed Queen's crowd. The Gaels aggressive defense kept the Carleton Ravens from running up the score, but they were unable to convert on the offensive end. Mackenzie Simpson (Ottawa) and Roshane Roberts (Vaughan, Ont.) kept Queen's in it by taking it to the hoop, rather than settling for outside shots. Despite an uncharacteristic poor shooting performance by Carleton, the Ravens still led the Gaels 39-24 at the half.
In the second half, the offensive precision by Carleton picked up and so did the point differential. By the beginning of the fourth, Queen's trailed 69-44. The Gaels didn't let the score dictate their effort, keeping on their tough defensive pressure for the full 40 minutes. This helped lead to some easy buckets and also kept the home crowd in the game.
Simpson led all scorers for the night, dropping 18 points in the last home game of his Queen's career. Tyson Hinz led Carleton with 17 points, despite sitting for the fourth quarter.
The Gaels are on the road next weekend to face the Ryerson Rams and the Toronto Varsity Blues.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
Lakehead 76 @ Laurier 73
WATERLOO, Ont. (February 8, 2014) - Despite overcoming an 11-point fourth quarter deficit, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's basketball team could not complete the comeback as they lost 76-73 to the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Saturday night.
Trailing 62-51 entering the final 10 minutes of play, Laurier rallied on the strength of their veterans and held a 72-67 advantage with under two minutes to play. However, Henry Tan of Vaughn, Ont., scored five of Lakehead's final nine points to pull his team ahead and the Thunderwolves survived a last-second three-point attempt from Max Allin of Chatham, Ont., to pull out the win.
Dwayne Harvey of Hamilton, led Lakehead in the contest as he finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Four other Thunderwolves managed to hit double figures including Anthony McIntosh of Ottawa, Alexandre Robichaud of Thunder Bay, Ont., and Justin Bell of Mississauga, Ont.
As for the Golden Hawks, despite missing the final shot, Allin once again was a force all over the court for Laurier in his last regular season home game. The fifth year guard finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists as he moved into seventh all-time on the OUAs career scoring list, passing Brock's Brad Rootes.
Fellow graduating senior Jamar Forde of Mississauga, Ont., also had a strong game with 12 points and seven rebounds while Will Coulthard of Oakville, Ont., finished with a game-high 18 points.
With the loss, Laurier's bid to return to .500 in the standings came up short as they see their record fall to 9-11 on the season. The Hawks remain in third place in the OUA West division with two games remaining in the regular season.
As for Lakehead, they improve to 7-13 on the year and book their ticket to the playoffs.
The Hawks will close out their regular season next week on the road with a pair of games. First up is a meeting with the No. 5 McMaster Marauders on Wednesday, February 12. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at Burridge Gymnasium.
Source: Laurier Sports Info