AROUND OUA: Wolves win, complete series sweep of No. 4 Marauders
In an exemplary show of resolve and determination, the men’s basketball team erased another 10-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the McMaster Marauders, 74-72, and sweep the CIS #4 team out of the Thunderdome.
SCOREBOARD
Wolves win, complete series sweep of No. 4 Marauders
In an exemplary show of resolve and determination, the men's basketball team erased another 10-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the McMaster Marauders, 74-72, and sweep the CIS #4 team out of the Thunderdome.
"Our guys competed right to the end. We've been in these types of situations before, down 10 in the fourth quarter," explained coach Furtado in the post game media scrum. "Our guys took from those experiences. They didn't quit."
McMaster reserves Rohan Boney and Lazar Kojovic picked up the slack, Boney finishing with 18 points and Kojovic 16.
Then Bacarius Dinkins, who had been hampered by aggressive double teams all game, found a way to score through traffic twice, once going to line to complete a three-point play. He also dropped off an assist to rookie post Holelsky (Mike) Theodore, and hit another pair of free throws late.
After calling a time-out McMaster ran a lob play to 6'7″ Troy Joseph, but it was disrupted by 6'1″ Nick Burke, who displayed his vertical leap in flying above the rim and deflecting a pass to what would have been a sure lay-up.
Bacarius Dinkins scored 11 in the fourth quarter to finish with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Henry Tan also had 19 points, with 5 assists and 3 steals.
"They defended, got some big rebounds when they needed to. Some big buckets down the stretch, you know, Henry, Alex a big three, Bacarius some free throws, it was an all-around effort."
Source: Lakehead Thunderwolves
Lancers dominate visiting Warriors
The Lancer men's basketball team defeated the visiting Waterloo Warriors 86-58 on Saturday afternoon at the St. Denis Centre, as part of their alumni weekend festivities.
With the win, the Lancers improve to 7-6 on the season and are in first place in the OUA west division while the Warriors fall to 1-12 on the year and sit in last in the division.
Alex Campbell and Marko Kovac led the Lancer attack with 14 points each, while rookie Isiah Osborne contributed 12 points, Micah Kirubel had 11, and Mike Rocca had 10 points.
The Warriors were led by Mike Pereira with the games only double-double with a game high 18-points and 13 rebounds.
The Lancers opened the game strong and carried that momentum through 40 minutes to earn their seventh win of the season.
Windsor will return to the court next Friday night when they host the Laurentian Voyageurs at 8:00pm at the St. Denis Centre.
Source: Windsor Lancers
Western tops Laurier for second straight win
LONDON, Ont. – A 31-point game from Greg Morrow helped lead the Western Mustangs to a 71-60 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall.
"I think as has been the case over the last couple of weeks our defence really did it for us today," said Western head coach Brad Campbell. "Outside of probably the second half of the fourth quarter I thought our defence was outstanding. We executed the game plan very well, and outside of some defensive rebounding I think that was the difference today."
The win is the Mustangs second consecutive victory, and moves the purple and white into a tie with the Golden Hawks for second place in the OUA West with both teams sporting 6-7 records.
Morrow's 31 points led all players on Saturday, and came off of 13-22 shooting as well as going 5-6 at the free throw line. He was also one rebound away from a double-double, with Tom Filgiano topping the Western charts with 10 boards. Guard Jedson Tavernier joined Morrow in double digits with 12 points of his own, and overall eight Western players registered points in the win.
"I think [the win] is big for us," said Morrow. "I think it's a big confidence boost. We always want to get revenge on Laurier because we've lost some games in the past that mean a lot, so getting this win is great for us."
While the Mustangs got a significant amount of their offence from a single source, the Golden Hawks spread the scoring around with four players hitting double digits in the loss. Matt Chesson led the way with 15 points, followed by 13 each from Will and Owen Coulthard, and 10 from Vlad Matovic.
Neither team got off to a fast start in the opening frame, with the two sides combining for only 18 total points. With both sides struggling to connect on their shots from the floor, Western had a 20% success rate compared to 19% for Laurier, the first quarter ended with he home side up 10-8.
The Mustangs extended that slight lead throughout the majority of the second quarter, going on a 13-0 run that lasted just under seven minutes into the frame to take a 23-8 lead. Once the Golden Hawks got on the board they began to turn the tables on the purple and white, outscoring Western 11-9 for the remainder of the quarter thanks in part to strong shooting from Owen Coulthard and Matt Chesson. Despite Laurier's late push, Western led 32-19 at the half.
The third quarter was mostly a back and forth affair, with neither side able to go on a sustained scoring run before being cut off by points from their opponents. The Mustangs held a slight scoring edge at 22-19, giving the home team a 54-38 lead heading into the final quarter.
That lead proved to be one the Mustangs would never give up, as although the Golden Hawks outscored the purple and white in the final frame, the Mustangs closed things out with 71-60 win.
Next up for the Mustangs are a pair of weekend contests against Nipissing and Laurentian next Friday and Saturday at Alumni Hall. Game time on both nights is set for 8 p.m. and both games will be broadcast live on OUA.tv
Source: Western Mustangs
Toronto falls just short versus Laurentian
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team battled the Laurentian Voyageurs through four tough quarters Saturday night (Jan. 30), falling by a final score of 75-74.
After an even first half which saw the teams enter the break all squared up 40-40, Toronto came out on fire in the third quarter with strong play from rookie guards Devon Williams and Wilson Torres. The pair worked well breaking down the Laurentian defence to facilitate Blues leading scorer Devin Johnson while capitalizing on their own scoring chances when available.
However, in the fourth the Voyageurs were able to shut down the perimeter combo, holding the Varsity Blues to just 15 points in the quarter. Yet, even with the stingy defence the Varsity Blues were able to nearly escape with the victory until the final seconds.
Johnson would finish the night with 25 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Williams was second in scoring for the Blues collecting 22 points including three from behind the arc while adding seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Torres rounded out the teams strong performances with 12 points, six rebounds, and one steal.
The Voyageurs were paced by a trio of their own with Anthony Iacoe leading the way with 19 points including five three-pointers. Sam Hirst finished the night with 17 points and rookie Theo Thomas collected 16.
Following the teams northern trip, the Varsity Blues will now return home to the Goldring Centre for a three-game home stand starting next Friday, February 5 when they will be taking on the Brock Badgers. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
Rams gallop to win over Lakers
Missed opportunities were the name of the game Saturday night for the Nipissing Lakers men's basketball team.
Facing the Ryerson Rams, a team that knocked off both the Ottawa Gee Gees and Carleton Ravens in one weekend, the Lakers couldn't afford to miss their chance and in the end, it bit them.
The Lakers hung tough at times, but fell 97-68 to the sharp-shooting Rams.
In the first quarter, the Lakers were right in the game, down just five points after the opening 10 minutes.
At one point, Nipissing was down, but had numerous opportunities to climb back in the game if they were able to make a few shots and get stops on defence, but they came up short on both ends.
Ryerson extended their lead in the second quarter, adding 26 points and they took a 44-31 lead into the halftime break.
A huge third quarter for the Rams where they put up 30 points put the game away.
Nipissing managed to score 14, but the 74-45 lead was far too much to overcome against one of the top teams in Canada.
The teams each put up 23 points in the fourth quarter, but by that time, the game had been decided and the Rams cruised to the victory.
Marcus Lewis had 16 points and 9 rebounds, Jerron Rhodes had 12 points and Marvin Ngonadi added nine points for the Lakers in defeat.
The Lakers hit the road next weekend and head to face the Western Mustangs and Windsor Lancers.
Source: Nipissing Lakers
Ottawa overcomes slow start to beat Lions
The no. 2 ranked Gee-Gees men's basketball team leaned on Mike L'Africain once more in a 91-61 win over the visiting York Lions on Saturday night. The fifth-year point guard had his second straight big scoring night, providing a game-high 31 as Ottawa earned its eleventh win of the regular season.
L'African provided 15 of Ottawa's first 30 points, which was where the team sat midway through the second quarter. His pull-up three-pointer during a scoring drought for both teams put Ottawa ahead 37-34 at half time.
The Gee-Gees ran away with the third quarter, pouring in 31 points while limiting York to 13. That was fuelled by five three-pointers with two apiece from Plunkett and L'Africain. The Ottawa lead stretched to 30 midway through the fourth quarter. All this came after a messy start for the garnet and grey. The offensive setup lacked focus, leading to turnovers while Tommy Hobbs sunk a quick 10 points to help the Lions establish a 21-9 advantage. Hobbs finished with 14 points to lead the Lions.
Brody Maracle was an early answer for Ottawa, chipping away with inside baskets. Matt Plunkett also contributed a trey along with strong defensive rebounding and passing. With Hobbs on the bench Ottawa tied the game up at 23-23.
"When the starters are slow it's kind of mine and Plunkett's job to come in, provide a spark, and change the momentum," explained Maracle, who finished the game with nine points and five rebounds on 4-5 shooting. "The plan in the second half was just to stop the offensive rebounds, and I think we took care of the box outs."
Indeed, Ottawa won the overall rebounding matchup by a 39-32 margin but allowed 10 offensive rebounds in the first half. The Lions secured just three the rest of the way.
The Gee-Gees head into the MBNA Capital Hoops Classic with an 11-1 record. For a full event information, including Canadian Tire Centre policies regarding bags and intoxication, please visit the Capital Hoops Information page.
Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees
Horoon has career night as Gryphons dominate Thunderbirds
SAULT STE. MARIE, ON – Saturday afternoon in Sault Ste. Marie, the Gryphons men's basketball team won 80-60 over the Algoma Thunderbirds at the George Leach Centre on the campus of Algoma University. With the win, the Gryphons improve to 5-6 on the season while the Thunderbirds fall to 1-11.
The trip north to face Algoma is always a long one. This year's edition just happened to be even longer than usual. The Gryphons team bus left U of G Friday morning at 9am. Thanks in part to some lane closures and subsequent backups on one of the major northern highways, the Gryphons were forced to pack their patience as the bus trip took just over 11 hours with the team bus finally rolling into Algoma shortly after 9pm Friday night.
The Gryphons took a two-point lead into the locker room at the half before blowing things wide open with a dominant third quarter in which they outscored Algoma 26-10. Leading the way for the Gryphons on Saturday was fourth year forward Ahmed Haroon. The Mississauga native exploded for a career-high 28 points, surpassing his previous career-high of 26 which he set earlier this year in a win over the then-No. 8 Western Mustangs. Haroon was doing a bit of everything en route to those 28 points, going a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line while also knocking down one three pointer in the game and finishing an efficient 9-of-18 from the field. Perhaps even more impressive than his point total was his effort on the glass, where Haroon racked up a career-high 13 rebounds.
Third year guards Daniel Dooley and Jonathan Wallace were the other two Gryphons to reach double digits in scoring, with the two combining to go 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. All 12 Gryphons who made the trip north saw the floor, including Guelph native Tommy Yanchus who knocked down the first three pointer of his OUA career in this his rookie season with the Gryphons.
The Gryphons were able to pull away in the second half in large part due to their play on the defensive end of the court. Leading the way defensively were Andrew Grant and Drew Walford who combined to shut down Algoma's scoring options from the perimeter.
The Gryphons, who will arrive home around 3am Sunday morning, will now start to prepare for yet another tough road trip. On Friday and Saturday (February 5 & 6) the Gryphons will travel to Kingston to face Queen's on the Friday before traveling to Toronto to face York on Saturday. The Gryphons are currently 1-1 on a six-game road trip.
Source: Guelph Gryphons
Ravens withstand Queen's comeback
(OTTAWA, ON) — The winning streak continues. Carleton (10-2) extended its unbeaten run over Queen's (7-5) to 39 games on Saturday night by holding off a feisty Gaels team and an outstanding 39-point performance from guard Sukhpreet Singh for a nerve-racking 99-81 victory.
A third quarter comeback from the Gaels nearly cost the Ravens a win, but the solid play of forward Ryan Ejim (Toronto, ON), who finished with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks, helped Carleton avoid a disastrous result.
Carleton built an early 17-1 lead in the first quarter as the team found little resistance from the Gaels. Connor Wood (Guelph, ON) and Guillaume Payen-Boucard (Montreal, QC) both made contributions in the first put the Ravens in the driver's seat. However, Queen's answered back with a 16-7 run of its own to get back into the contest. The Gaels trailed the Ravens 24-16 after one.
The Ravens relied upon the scoring touch of fourth-year transfer Ryan Ejim in the second, as the power forward bullied his way to 9 points in quarter to give the Ravens a 44-29 halftime lead. Carleton shot an impressive 19 for 37 (51.4%) in the first half to enjoy a 15-point advantage.
Facing a deficit heading into the third, the Gaels suddenly woke up and played with urgency on both ends of the floor as they looked to shock the reigning national champs on their home floor. Queen's guard Sukhpreet Singh exploded for 20 points in the quarter, and Graham Tanner and Mark Paclibar combined for 5 three-pointers as part of a dominant 38-point third which brought the Gaels back into the game.
Trailing by just two points, Queen's leveled the score at 69-69 just seconds into the fourth. With a nervous energy in the gym, Carleton managed to regain its focus in the nick of time. Queen's fiery comeback was extinguished as the Ravens were able to come up with some big stops on the defensive end of the floor combined with some timely scoring in the game's final minutes.
Carleton's Kaza Kajami-Keane (Ajax, ON) continued his tremendous first season as a Raven with a 20 point, 10 assist, 8 rebound effort against the Gaels, nearly giving him a triple-double. Connor Wood finished with 19 points and 6 rebounds, while Guillaume Payen-Boucard added 18 points and 8 rebounds. Ravens sophomore Mitch Wood, who made his second consecutive start, had a solid contribution of 10 points and 7 boards.
Queen's player Sukhpreet Singh set a new career-high with 39 points in the loss.
The last time Carleton lost to the Gaels was on January 30, 1998 – exactly 18 years ago.