AROUND OUA: Late rally leads No. 7 Brock men's basketball over Voyageurs in OT
ST. CATHARINES, ON - The Brock University men's basketball team came from behind in the fourth quarter and answered in overtime to defeat the Laurentian Voyageurs by the score of 70-67 Friday night at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
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Late rally leads No. 7 Brock men's basketball over Voyageurs in OT
ST. CATHARINES, ON - The Brock University men's basketball team came from behind in the fourth quarter and answered in overtime to defeat the Laurentian Voyageurs by the score of 70-67 Friday night at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
In the opening quarter, Laurentian put together their first run of the game in the final three minutes, leading 17-11 after 10 minutes.
Midway through the second quarter, Brock brought it to within two points, 19-17. Laurentian answered with a 13-2 run, leading 32-19 with just over a minute left in the half. The Badgers trailed 35-24 after 20 minutes.
The two teams played an even third quarter, with Laurentian holding a 12-point lead, 52-40, after three quarters.
In the opening five minutes of the fourth quarter, Brock's offense came alive answering with a 13-2 run to make it a one point game in favour of Laurentian, 54-53 with 5:44 left in regulation. With less than half a minute left on the clock, the Voyageurs Anthony Iacoe drained a three-pointer to go up 61-59. Brock's Matt Marshall (Burlington, ON) scored the game tying basket with 26 seconds left to send it to overtime.
In the overtime, Brock outscored Laurentian 9-6, going 5-for-8 from the charity stripe to secure the win.
Leading the Badgers offense was Johneil Simpson (Toronto, ON) who recorded 19 points and nine rebounds. Dani Elgadi (Waterloo, ON) contributed with 15 points and 21 rebounds while moving ahead of Kelly Grace (1513) for 14th all-time in Brock career scoring.
The Voyageurs had four starters in double figures led by David Aromolaran who added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. Joseph Sykes collected 14 points while Sam Hirst and Anthony Iacoe chipped in with 11 points each in the loss.
For the game, Brock shot 30.8% (24-for-78) from the field, just 12.5% (3-for-24) from beyond the arc and 59.4% (19-for-32) from the charitry stripe. Laurentian went 24-for-70 (34.3%) from the floor, 6-for-25 (24.0%) from downtown and 13-for-17 (76.5%) from the free throw line. Matt Marshall (Burlington, ON) added the double-double finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Badgers return to action Saturday night at 8pm when they host the Nipissing Lakers.
Source: Brock Badgers
Green turns in season high in win over Lakehead
THUNDER BAY, Ont. - Ryerson Rams big man Kadeem Green (Richmond Hill, Ont.) had a season-high 19 point performance to lead the Rams to a 78-65 victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves in Thunder Bay on Friday night.
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Green added six rebounds, five blocks and three assists to his impressive stat line while Aaron Best (Scarborough, Ont.) added 15 points in the win. Off the bench, Derrick Allahyarian (Hamilton, Ont.) had a career-high ten point performance.
Known as an intimidating place to play, the Rams quieted the hometown Thunderdome crowd early as Ryerson got out to a 27-13 lead after the first quarter. The Rams continued to own the first half, outscoring Lakehead 22-16 in the second to hold a commanding 49-29 lead at the break.
The lead only grew in the third as Ryerson increased their lead to 28 points after three quarters. With the victory already very much secure, the Rams allowed the reserves to play some valuable minutes. Perhaps lacking some chemistry, Ryerson managed just seven points in the final ten minutes which allowed the Thunderwolves to narrow the gap to a respectable 78-65 final.
The Rams shot 43.3% from the field on Friday including 46.9% from three point range. Lakehead managed a 35.8% clip from the floor but couldn't keep pace from distance, connecting on just 6-of-26 for 23.1%.
Lakehead's Kache Kopec had a team-high 20 points coming off the bench and playing 24 minutes.
Ryerson improves to 15-2 on the year while Lakehead falls to 9-7. The Rams will close the regular season next weekend when they travel to Queen's and York on February 26 and 27, respectively.
Source: Ryerson Rams
Big second half powers McMaster to victory
The McMaster men's basketball team used a big third quarter to blow open a close game and roll to an 81-65 win over the visiting Nipissing Lakers on Friday night.
It was all about the defense for the Marauders over the first-two quarters, as the team struggled mightily to find its collective shooting stroke. McMaster only made 38% from the floor as a team in the first-half, which included a frigid 1 of 14 from beyond the 3-point line. Despite the offensive struggles, the men in maroon still won both of the opening quarters by playing some good defense, and carried a 34-26 lead into the intermission.
The third quarter started off much better for Mac, as it scored the first eight points to go up by 16. Nipissing made a small run of its own to get back to within nine points, but the Marauders started to heat up from long range, and the treys started falling. Five different players connected from long-range and McMaster won the quarter 31-14 to take 64-40 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
In the final stanza the lead grew to as much as 30 at 71-41 before McMaster cleared the bench with almost six minutes remaining. The Lakers won the last quarter against the Mac bench 25-16 but never seriously challenged the big Marauder lead.
Troy Joseph was the top shooter for Mac with 13, and keyed the third quarter burst by scoring 10 in the period. Aaron Redpath and Leon Alexander each chipped in 12, and David McCulloch hit double figures for the second straight game with 11. Nipissing got a game-high 22 from Kalil Langston.
The Marauders now prepare to face the Laurentian Voyageurs on Saturday night with an 8-PM start time. It will be Seniors Night, as the team honours the senior players on this year's team in a pre-game ceremony.
Source: McMaster Marauders
Thunderbirds fall short at the buzzer
In their second last home game of the season, the Algoma Thunderbirds took on the York Lions. Failing to sink their buzzer beater, the Tbirds fell 68-67.
The teams battled hard, keeping it close. Key steals gave the Lions a 7-point advantage. Algoma clawed their way back, pulling ahead 19-18 at the buzzer on the hands of Andre Barber.
The teams exchanged buckets in the second with both teams trying to edge out the decision. Algoma struggled defensively and York failed to make connections. The Tbirds went 2-2 from the long range to give them their biggest cushion, 39-31, going into the second half.
York opened hot, tying the game at 40-all. Both red and white teams kept it tight with consistent effort in both the defensive and offensive ends. Algoma got into a rhythm pulling ahead by 5, but York continued to hang on, 55-52 going into the final 10 minutes.
York found themselves in command of the game for the first time since the first quarter 57-55. Algoma retaliated with a 4-point run to recover the lead. York went 2-2 from the charity stripe to give them a one-point advantage. A huge slam dunk from Reng Gum and an offensive block tipped the game in favour of the home team with 6 seconds left. With 3 second left, Algoma was down 1 point. Algoma failed to sink their final shot, losing the hard fought match, 68-67.
Sean Clendinning led both squads with 25 points and 3 boards. Andre Barber had 11. Gene Spagnuolo of York had 20 points.
Source: Algoma Thunderbirds
Carleton sails past Laurier for 13th win of season
(OTTAWA, ON) — Following an inspirational road performance by the men's basketball team last weekend – one that saw them knock off two CIS ranked opponents – it now appears that the Ravens are starting to rediscover some of that magic that has guided them to thirteen straight CIS championship tournament appearances.
Laurier found that out the hard way on Friday night as Carleton (13-3) leveraged a dominant first-half display to run away with a 97-60 win over the Golden Hawks (7-11) at the Ravens' Nest.
Cam Smythe (Vancouver, BC) set a new career-high as he finished with 23 points on 11-for-14 shooting while adding 7 rebounds to the cause.
"I was rebounding the ball well tonight and I gained some confidence from that," said a humble Smythe post-game as he reflected on his standout evening. "I still have plenty to work on over the next few weeks."
The Ravens owned the boards in the first half – and through the majority of the game – as the team came out feasting on missed shots and unclaimed basketballs. Carleton built a sturdy 34-23 lead after one, but its defensive commitment really pushed the Ravens into a favourable position heading into halftime.
The five-time defending Final 8 champions secured a 29-7 ownership of rebounds, including 18 defensive boards, to build an imposing 57-29 lead after twenty minutes. Smythe buried 14 points, while team co-captains, Gavin Resch (Ottawa, ON) and Guillaume Payen Boucard (Montreal, QC), each poured in 10 points before intermission.
With the Ravens' outside shooting failing to pay dividends, Carleton continued to work the ball inside in the second half, exposing Laurier's size disadvantage. Forward Mitch Jackson (Regina, SK) got in on the action as he scored 11 points to lead Carleton's second-half barrage.
The Ravens were having a hard time missing shots, as the team finished with a season-high 61.8% (42-68 FG) from the floor. By comparison, Laurier scored nearly 20 points less than it was averaging per game (79.1 PPG) entering tonight, making just over half (22) the number of field goals produced by Carleton in the game.
"[Cam] changed the game with how he rebounded and he showed some good composure on offence," praised head coach Rob Smart. "If we can get a group effort and team rebounding like tonight, we'll be a tough out."
Laurier had its fewest number of rebounds in a game this season as the Golden Hawks only finished with 20 boards on the night. Carleton took advantage of its strength on the glass with 20 second-chance points.
Forward Matt Chesson led the Hawks with 14 points, while leading scorer Will Coulthard was shut down as he finished with just 8 points on a 2-for-13 shooting line.
Carleton will look to put on an excellent showing tomorrow against Waterloo (8 p.m.) on Senior Night at the Ravens' Nest.
Source: Carleton Ravens
Gryphons push win streak to three with victory over Toronto
GUELPH ON – Scoring has not been an issue for the Gryphons men's basketball team this season. But on Friday night, it was the defence that locked things down in the second half and pushed their win streak to three thanks to an 84-79 victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues at the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre. With the win, the Gryphons improve to 9-8 on the season and now sit a half game back of Lakehead for the third and final playoff spot in the OUA Central division. The Varsity Blues meanwhile fall to 5-11 on the season and sit in third in the OUA East.
With 13 seconds remaining in regulation, Toronto had the ball and a chance to win the game. Gryphons fourth year forward Ahmed Haroon picked a great time to come up with his biggest defensive play of the season. Haroon was able to poke the ball away from U of T guard Sage Usher at the top of the three point line, corral the loose ball and find teammate Daniel Dooley who was fouled on the ensuing layup attempt. Dooley went 4-for-4 on free throws during a pair of trips to the charity stripe late in the game as the Gryphons were able to hold off U of T late and pick up yet another vital two points to remain in the thick of a hunt for a playoff spot with now just two games remaining on their regular season schedule.
After allowing the Varsity Blues to shoot just over 57% the first half, the Gryphs stepped up defensively holding the visitors to just under 36% shooting over the final two quarters, forcing 7 turnovers and limiting Toronto to just 34 points in the second half. "That was a big focus coming into the game. We talked about defence, defence. Offence will always come if we play our defence right," said Gryphons third year forward Colin Corrigan after the game. The biggest challenge defensively for the Gryphons was finding a way to slow down Toronto's fourth year star forward Devin Johnson. Johnson came into the game as one of the top scorers in the country, averaging just over 23 points per game. Friday night in Guelph, the U of T standout exploded for 33 points off the bench, marking the third time this season he's surpassed the 30-point mark on the road after having also pulled off the feat at Windsor and McMaster. Despite Johnson's 33-point effort, the Varsity Blues still found themselves trailing late as they struggled themselves on the defensive end against what was a balanced Guelph attack. In the second half, the Gryphons shot 50% from the floor as a team and were 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Three of those five trifectas came from Haroon who was one of five Gryphons to score in double figures in the game. Haroon finished with a team-high 21 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting.
The Gryphons outscored Toronto by 12 over the final two quarters and held on for a five-point win. The Gryphons (9-8) have now won seven of their last 10 games overall. The only team in the OUA with a better record over their last 10 games is the No. 1-ranked Ryerson Rams, who have gone 9-1 during that stretch, with their only loss coming at Guelph on Wednesday night.
The Gryphons are currently tied with Lakehead with 18 points on the season, but the Thunderwolves have a game-in-hand as the two teams battle it out down the stretch for the final playoff spot in the OUA Central Division.
Guelph's final two games of the regular season both come on home court against the No. 5 and No. 7 ranked teams in the country. On Friday, February 26 the Gryphons host the No. 5-ranked McMaster Marauders (11-5) followed by a Saturday night clash with the No. 7-ranked Brock Badgers (11-5). Both teams currently sit above the Gryphons in the OUA Central, with the Saturday night contest against Brock marking the final varsity basketball game ever to be played at the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre.
Source: Guelph Gryphons
Ottawa offence overpowers Waterloo
The no. 3 ranked Gee-Gees men's basketball team made use of its cozy home surroundings, settling in to record an 85-60 win over the Waterloo Warriors on Friday night. The win brings Ottawa's regular season record to 15-2, while Waterloo drops to 1-17.
Leading 40-29 at halftime, Ottawa's offence put up 27 points in the third quarter to ensure the victory. Mike L'Africian notched a game high of 24 points with five assists, with 15 of his points coming in the third stanza.
Caleb Agada was back on form for the garnet and grey, adding a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He and L'Africain teamed for a spectacular alley-oop dunk during the third quarter, which was followed by a pair of dunks by Ottawa' second-year Mackenzie Morrison.
Nathan McCarthy also had a standout effort for Ottawa, recording 10 points, six rebounds, and four blocks in his 26 minutes of work.
Waterloo relied heavily upon senior guard Jon Ravenhorst, who logged 37 minutes en route to a 19 point night. The fourth-year Warrior netted 5-of-9 three-point attempts, with his team shooting 12-28 overall from beyond the arc.
"We gave up a lot of penetration – our rotations were there but it still opens up the threes. We'll have to clean that up," noted Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin.
The Gee-Gees will look to close out the regular season with an undefeated record at Montpetit Hall, hosting the Laurier Golden Hawks at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees
