AROUND OUA: U of T picks up crucial mid-season win over Gaels

SCOREBOARD

Toronto 75 @ Queen's 71

Windsor 65 @ Western 90

Algoma 77 @ Waterloo 68

Ryerson 69 @ York 52

Laurentian 52 @ Carleton 99

Brock 71 @ Lakehead 69

McMaster 73 @ Guelph 72

Nipissing 56 @ Ottawa 72

U of T picks up crucial mid-season win over Gaels

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team took a big step towards the postseason with a crucial 75-71 road win over OUA East rival Queen's Gaels on Saturday night (Jan. 14).

With the win the Varsity Blues improve to 9-4 on the season, placing them six points clear of the Gaels for second place in the OUA East standings.

U of T came out on fire in the opening quarter, shooting over 50 percent from the field, including a 4-for-7 line from behind the arc.

Fifth-year forward Manny Sahota highlighted the first quarter play for the Blues, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from the field for seven of his team-high 16 in the frame.

Queen's chipped away at the Toronto lead over the next two quarters, including a stretch in the third where they were able to surpass the Blues and build a 10 point advantage thanks to the strong play of leading scorer Sukhpreet Singh, who finished the night with a game-high 21.

However, another consistent run from the Blues in the fourth, including another seven-point quarter from Sahota, combined with clutch free throws down the stretch sealed the impressive victory for U of T.

Toronto ended the night with all five starters scoring double-digit points while behind Singh, Gaels forward Tanner Graham picked up a strong stat line of 14 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks.

The Varsity Blues will look to keep rolling as they travel to Waterloo, Ontario next Saturday, January 21 to take on the Laurier Golden Hawks. Tip off is set for 3 p.m. with the game being streamed live on OUA.tv.

Source: Toronto Varsity Blues

Strong shooting leads Western over Windsor

LONDON, Ont. – Double-digit point totals from four different Mustangs and a 31-point second quarter helped power Western to a 90-65 win over the Windsor Lancers on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall.

"We thought we could win today, but obviously to do it in that fashion, make a bunch of three's, and that point spread, I don't think we expected that" said head coach Brad Campbell. "Overall we had great contributions from a lot of guys. We had multiple guys make multiple threes. We had a good team effort with guys contributing in different ways."

"We played great. I think it was our best basketball of the season," said Omar Shiddo. "We know what we're capable of. It's just about being consistent and being true to ourselves."

The win improves the Mustangs record to 3-9 on the year, moving them into sole possession of third place in the OUA West standings. Windsor remains in first place in the West, with the loss moving them to 7-5 on the year.  

Four Mustangs recorded double-digits in their second contest of the week against Windsor, with Cam Morris on top with 16 including going 4-4 at the three-point line. He was followed by Omar Shiddo who recorded 15 points, while Eriq Jenkins and Jedson Tavernier contributed 14 points apiece. Morris and Jenkins grabbed seven rebounds apiece while Ian Smart and Nikola Farkic assisted with six rebounds each in the game.

Mike Rocca led the Lancers with a game-high 22 points, while teammate Mitch Farell followed with 11 points. Randy Oriakhi and Micqueel Martin recorded six rebounds each to lead the Lancers on the boards.  

"You saw tonight a glimpse of what we can do. We have done that at times in games but nowhere near in a full game or we have lapses that cost us that," said Campbell on the team's young roster. "What we need to keep doing is clean up the things we need to work on and continue to try and maintain those things and focus that we do well."

The Mustangs started strong defensively, with Farkic and Smart grabbing four rebounds to maintain the purple and white lead in the first. Tavernier recorded the teams seven points in the last two minutes, and totaling nine overall in the first 10 minutes. The Mustangs led 20-11 to finish the frame.

Shiddo impressed in the second quarter, recording 13 points in the frame, including three baskets from beyond the arc. Western's tight defence prevented the Lancers from reaching the bottom of the basket allowing the Mustangs lead to extend to as high as 29 points. Connecting on 63.2 percent of their shots in the second frame, the Mustangs led the Lancers 51-24 at halftime.

The third quarter proved to be a much closer affair, with Windsor holding a slight 28-25 edge thanks to 20 points from Rocca, including 12 from long distance. Despite outscoring their opponents, the Lancers trailed at the end of the third 76-52.

Similar to the third, the fourth was close on the scoreboard, but the Mustangs early lead proved too much for the Lancers to overcome, with Western taking a 90-65 win.

The Mustangs take next week off before returning to Alumni Court to face the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday, January 27. Tip-off is at 2p.m. and can be watched live on OUA.tv.

Source: Western Mustangs

Thunderbirds earn first win of 2017

The Algoma Thunderbirds men's basketball team earned their first win of 2017 over the Waterloo Warriors this evening. Turnovers plagued Waterloo in the third quarter, allowing Algoma to run up the score, defeating the Warriors 77-68.
 
Adam Benrabah led the Thunderbirds in the win with 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. Damian Okungbowa chipped in with 14 points and 2 rebounds.
 
Algoma's field goal percentage was 31.7% and they shot 38.9% from outside.
 
Nedim Hodzic had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors.
 
Algoma continues their 2016-17 season at home against the Windsor Lancers on Friday at 8:00pm in their Bell Let's Talk Day game.

Source: Algoma Thunderbirds

Rams overcome slow start to defeat Lions

TORONTO - The No. 4 nationally ranked Ryerson Rams men's basketball team overcame a sluggish first half to defeat the host York Lions 69-52 and remain undefeated in OUA conference play.

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Adika Peter-McNeilly led the Rams with a game-high 29 points, while Manny Diressa and Juwon Grannum added 12 points each.

The 69 points is the lowest total this season for the Rams, who are averaging 92 points per game. It was a tough night shooting the ball for Ryerson as the Rams shot just 36.6 percent from the field, 28.6 from behind the arc and 63.6 from the charity stripe, all well below the team's season averages.

The 52 York points were also the fewest allowed by the Rams this season.

After Ryerson jumped out to a 21-11 lead after the first quarter, the Lions held the Rams to just seven points in the second to take a 29-28 lead into the half.

The Rams opened the third quarter with a quick 8-0 run to steal the momentum before going on to out score York 27-10 in the quarter.

Jayden Frederick led the Lions (3-7) with 10 points and six rebounds.

The Rams (11-0) will visit the Waterloo Warriors (2-9) on Saturday, January 21 for their only game next week.

Source: Ryerson Rams

Ravens remain undefeated with resounding defeat of Voyageurs

OTTAWA, ON — Carleton extended its unbeaten run to nine straight games to start the 2016-17 season with a decisive 99-52 thrashing of the Laurentian Voyageurs Saturday at the Ravens' Nest. The win marked the Ravens' thirty-second consecutive victory over the Voyageurs in a streak that dates back to January 31, 2003.

BOX SCORE

For a second game in a row, Carleton received a generous contribution from its bench, as fifth-year senior Joe Rocca (Sarnia, ON) posted a game-high 23 points for his highest scoring output in a Ravens uniform. Fourth-year forward Cam Smythe (Vancouver, BC) also made an impact coming off the pine with a 14-point, 5-rebound effort against the Voyageurs.

It did not take Carleton long to find its groove in the first, as the Ravens went off for a 29-10 opening quarter that left the Voyageurs dejected and trailing by double digits after ten minutes of play. First-year diaper dandy Eddie Ekiyor (Ottawa, ON) bullied Laurentian inside the paint, as the 6-foot-9 rookie scored six of his 10 points in the frame. Senior guard Connor Wood (Guelph, ON) had an impressive start to the contest as well, with the Ravens co-captain notching nine of 21 points at the outset.

The second quarter was much of the same, as Carleton dominated possession and converted looks at a very efficient rate of 69.4% in the half. Wood continued to terrorize his defenders by knocking down one jumper after another, finishing the second quarter with another nine points for a total of 18 at halftime. Cam Smythe also went to work ahead of the intermission, pouring in eight points in a matter of minutes as Carleton led 58-22 at the break. Defensively, the Ravens made it a priority to limit the effectiveness of Laurentian's Kadre Gray – the OUA's leading scorer –  who was held scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting in the first half.

Despite trailing by a large deficit, Nipissing managed to put together a respectable third by matching the Ravens basket-for-basket. Laurentian's Gray along with former Raven-commit Anthony Iacoe each tallied five points, but Joe Rocca began to warm up near the conclusion of the quarter with six straight points for Carleton to end the period.

With a 36-point lead after three and a win in sight, Carleton closed out the divisional matchup with a 23-12 finish in the fourth. Rocca torched the V's defence with three three-point baskets early in the frame as the Ravens would move their record to 9-0 in conference play.

Following another big scoring burst, Carleton moved its per-game scoring average to 92.4 points a contest, trailing only Calgary – last year's CIS Final 8 finalist – for the nation's most prolific offence. For a second game running, the Ravens established a new season-high for field goal efficiency by connecting on 57.1% (40-70 FG) of their attempts against the Voyageurs.

After four consecutive blowout victories, the Ravens will finally meet their match as the U Sports basketball nation turns its attention to a January 17 meeting with the Ottawa Gee-Gees at Montpetit Hall. With both teams remaining undefeated in regular season play, the country's No.1 ranking will be up for grabs in what should be a scintillating and explosive Battle of Bytown.

Source: Carleton Ravens

No. 7 Brock erases 23-point deficit in 71-69 win over Lakehead

THUNDER BAY, ON - The No. 7 ranked Brock University Men's Basketball team defeated the Lakehead Thunderwolves 71-69 on Saturday night at the Thunderdome.

Coming off the loss on Friday night, the Badgers were looking to rebound and earn the weekend split against the Thunderwolves on the road.

After getting outscored in each of the first 2 quarters, the Badgers faced a seemingly insurmountable 47-23 deficit at halftime. However, the Badgers came out red-hot in the second half, outscoring their opponents 48-22 in the second half en route to completing the comeback.

The game came down to the dying seconds, as Michael Asemoto scored both free throws with 16 seconds remaining in the game to give the Badgers the 2-point lead that hey would never relinquish.

Johneil Simpson, who registered a game-high 18 points, led the Badgers' offensive attack. Dani Elgadi chipped in with a double-double (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Daniel Cayer added 13 in the victory.

For Lakehead, Mor Menashe led his team with 17 points, while going 3-3 from long-range in the game. Darnell Curtain and Bacarius Dinkins added 16 points and 12 points respectively.

The Badgers shot 40.9% from the floor (27-66) including 38.9% from 3-point range (7-18). The Thunderwolves shot 38.3% (23-60) from the floor while going 25.5% from long range (11-31).

The Badgers return home to face the Queen's Gaels on January 20th at Bob Davis Gymnasium. Game time is 8 pm.

Source: Brock Badgers

Mac edges Gryphons 73-72

On a night when the team's two leading scorers struggled most of the game, McMaster showed how good they are as a team, defeating the Guelph Gryphons 73-72 on a last-second free throw by David McCulloch.
 
Both teams came out strong on the defensive end of the court. Guelph played smothering interior defence in an attempt to keep McMaster out of the paint, and by the end of the first  quarter McMaster was held to just 13 points and trailed by three 16-13.
 
The strong defence continued in the second quarter for both teams. Mac did a great job of defending the perimeter, holding the Gryphons to just one three-pointer in the half.  Marauders Connor Gilmore and Rohan Boney combined for just six first-half points on 1-12 from the field, but the Marauders were able to push forward and go into the break up 29-28 after David McCulloch nailed a buzzer-beater.
 
Mac began to find their scoring in the second half. A balanced offensive attack allowed the Marauders to pull away, outscoring Guelph by eight in the quarter to take a 53-44 lead going into the fourth.
 
Guelph wasn't willing to give up though and a strong effort allowed them to tie the game at 56-56 with just under six minutes left in the game. Connor Gilmore was put back into the game and found his stride, taking over after a slow start by scoring 10 in the quarter.
 
McMaster couldn't seem to pull away as back-to-back threes by Guelph tied the game again at 70 with under a minute left. Gilmore put the Marauders up by two after a put-back on a missed shot by Boney, but Daniel Dooley responded, promptly knotting the game up again 72-72 with 17 seconds left in the game, forcing McMaster to call a timeout.
 
Mac was prepared to take the final shot as McCulloch ran the clock down. He missed his shot, but got his own rebound and put the ball back up right away and getting fouled.   He stepped to the charity stripe with the score tied at 72 with one second left.  McCulloch knocked down the first free-throw to seal the victory, and intentionally missed the second, allowing time to expire.
 
Gilmore led the team in scoring with 20 after going 6-8 from the field in the second half. David McCulloch scored 13 points, including two clutch plays at the end of each half that allowed McMaster to secure the win.
 
Mac will next host York on Friday, January 20 with an 8-pm tip, as part of Marauder Weekend.
 
The game can be streamed online on oua.tv and is on radio at CFMU 93.3FM.

Source: McMaster Marauders

Undefeated Gee-Gees clamp down on Lakers

The Gee-Gees men's basketball team slogged through a tough home game with the Nipissing Lakers and earned a 72-56 victory on Saturday night to run its regular season record to 9-0. The Ottawa defence remains tops in U Sports, allowing just 60.2 points per game.

Ottawa, ranked no. 2 in the national Top Ten poll, will now turn its attention to its Tuesday head-to-head with no. 1 ranked Carleton, also 9-0. The game is set for 8 p.m. at Montpetit Hall and tickets are on sale online.

Caleb Agada led the Ottawa offence on the night, netting 18 points while post men Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles and Brody Maracle added 12 apiece. Ottawa native Justin Shaver led all scorers with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers.

"Defensively I think we did some really good things but offensively we were out of sync: everything seemed like a struggle," said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin. "It was sloppy, slow, and sluggish. I trust my guys so we kept putting them out there and they turned it around at the end."

The Gee-Gees held a 21-12 lead after the first quarter and stretched it to 36-22 at half time.

Ismael Kaba's three-pointers gave Nipissing a late boost and helped close the gap to 63-54 midway through the fourth quarter. In response it was Agada and Pierre-Charles converting on the offensive end while Nipissing had to settle for a pair of bad looks. Agada grabbed a steal in traffic, Pierre-Charles stood tall inside, and the Lakers were scoreless on five straight trips.  

"We cleaned up the glass finally," noted Derouin. "Nipissing was scrappy, athletic and long. They gave us trouble tonight. Hopefully it's a good tape to watch and we can move forward for Tuesday."

Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees