OUA Men's Basketball Roundup (Feb. 19)
February 14, 2018
Brock 92 Western 51
The No. 2 ranked Brock University men's basketball team improved to 21-2 in the OUA West Division as they defeated the Western Mustangs by the score of 92-51 Wednesday night on the road.
The Mustangs opened the game with three-pointer from Marko Kovac before the Badgers answered with a 29-2 run to take a 29-5 lead late in the opening quarter. The Badgers offense continued to roll as they led 50-25 at the half, on route to their 11th road win of the season.
he Badgers were led by Johneil Simpson who led all players with a game-high 27 points, including 11-for-16 from the field and 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. Dani Elgadi added 13 points and four rebounds while Kascius Small-Martin and Cassidy Ryan rounded out the Brock leaders chipping in with nine and eight points respectively.
Leading Western's scoring were Marko Kovac and Omar Shiddo who added 13 and 12 points respectively in the loss.
For the game, the Badgers shot 53.8% (35-65) from the field, 45.8% (11-for-24) three-point land and 91.7% (11-12) from the charity stripe. Western was held to just 18-63 (28.6%) from the floor, 9-25 (36.0%) from long range and 6-10 (60.0%) from the free throw line.
Source: gobadgers.ca
Waterloo 86 Guelph 100
GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team wants to finish their OUA season right. The Gryphons cranked it up offensively and also defended well in a 100-86 win over the Waterloo Warriors Wednesday night at the GGAC.
The Gryphons showed remarkable consistency on offence, scoring 24, 26, 24, and 26 in each of the game's four quarters, which allowed them to hit the 100-point mark for the first time this OUA regular season.
Daniel Dooley led Guelph's balanced attack with 15 points, while Banky Alade was a force inside, dominating the paint en route to 14 points in just 18 minutes of action. Five players had double digits, with three more scoring 9 points. Guelph shot a sizzling 55 per cent from the floor, and were on fire from beyond the arc, sinking 9 of 18 attempts.
Hitting the century mark was part of the plan.
"The guys just came out with a freedom mentally," said head coach Chris O'Rourke. "It was a mental hurdle and I thought we pushed the tempo we wanted and honestly, our goal was to score 100 points. We felt like it was within our capability and the guys just came out and played with that looseness needed and made it happen."
There was a pregame moment of silence for former All-Canadian and Gryphon Hall of Fame member Tom Heslip, who passed away recently. Heslip, who, the nation in scoring in 1980-81 season, was a longtime supporter of the U of G basketball program.
Guelph was certainly good but had to work hard to close the game out. An Alade hoop put Guelph up 74-56 to the end the third quarter. But the hosts initially began the fourth searching for that flowing offence that had been a staple all game. Waterloo seized the opportunity and a Simon Petrov layup completed a 7-0 run that cut the lead to 74-63 with about eight minutes remaining.
The Gryphons got the message and found their stroke again. Dooley knocked down a spot-up three-pointer to push the lead back up to 14 and end any hopes of a late Waterloo rally.
Guelph was sharp from the opening tip and began the game with a 9-2 run. The Gryphons then outscored Waterloo 8-0 in the final 91 seconds of the quarter, capped by a nice Jake Chaput field goal off the glass, to take a 24-15 lead after the first quarter.
Guelph maintained the momentum in the second and played a physical brand of defence to keep the Warriors at bay. Waterloo battled back but a 12-2 run helped the Gryphons build a 50-35 lead at the half.
Source: gryphons.ca
February 16, 2018
Nipissing 56 Ryerson 75
TORONTO - The Ryerson Rams needed strong quarters in the second and fourth to come away with a 75-56 victory over the visiting Nipissing Lakers on Friday night.
After claiming a tight 18-15 first quarter, the Rams defence locked down in the second quarter allowing just nine Lakers points to build a 35-24 lead at halftime.
The relatively low-scoring affair continued into the third as Nipissing hung with the Rams and found themselves down just 12 at 50-38 heading into the final quarter. From there, Ryerson's balanced scoring took over, racking up 25 points in the frame to close out the near 20-point victory.
Four Rams players finished in double digit scoring, led by 16 from Myles Charvis. Charvis also had a good night defensively, picking up four steals and five defensive rebounds.
The Rams defence limited Nipissing to just 34.0% from the field, including a 19% clip from three-point range, and the 56 points allowed is the second fewest by Ryerson this season.
Now riding a four-game winning streak, the Rams will turn their attention to the Laurentian Voyageurs for their final contest of the regular season. Heading into Saturday's finale, the Rams and Voyageurs are in a three-way tie for second place along with Ottawa. A win on Saturday could give the Rams a first-round playoff bye. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Source: ryersonrams.ca
Laurentian 77 Toronto 80
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team held off the No. 8 Laurentian Voyageurs 80-77 to extend their winning streak to three games on Friday night (Feb. 16) at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
Evan Shadkami nailed a career-high six three-pointers for a game-high 18 points. Reilly Reid added 15 points and a game-high seven rebounds, while Sage Usher chipped in with 14 points and game-high six assists in the victory.
Laurentian's Anthony Lacoe registered a season-high 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting in a losing effort.
The Blues record upgrades to 12-10, which clinches the fifth spot in the OUA West division thanks to an Ottawa victory over Queen's. On the other hand, the Voyageurs dip to 16-6 to create a three-way tie for second place in the same division with one regular season game remaining.
An 8-2 run helped the Blues grab a 20-18 lead after the first quarter. Usher tallied six points, two assists and two rebounds in the opening frame.
The second quarter continued to be a back and forth affair. Despite shooting just 38.5% in the first half compared to the Voyageurs 53.8%, the Blues remained in the game. Reid drained a jumper as time expired to tie the score at 39-39 at halftime
.
It was more of the same out of the locker room. Both teams got their fair share of baskets, but no one was able to take charge. Laurentian led 59-58 heading into the final quarter.
The Blues jumped out to a 9-0 run to gain an early eight point advantage, but the No. 8 team in U SPORTS responded quickly. Lacoe drained five points to start off a 10-3 run for the Voyageurs and cut the deficit to a single point. They weren't able to regain the lead though.
With Toronto up by two with less than a minute to go, Shadkami nailed a corner three to ice the contest.
Toronto caps off their season when they battle the Nipissing Lakers tomorrow night (Feb. 17). All of the action begins at 8 p.m., at Goldring Centre.
Source: varsityblues.ca
Queen’s 86 Ottawa 89
The Gee-Gees men’s basketball team earned an 89-86 win in a thrilling shootout game at Montpetit Hall against the Queen’s Gaels on Friday night.
The Gaels came out swinging to start the game, with both teams attacking each other with offence. The visitors took advantage in the first frame by a four-point 30-26 margin, reminiscent of the way they were able to take the victory in a game between the teams in January.
A better showing for the Gee-Gees defensively in the second quarter had the game tighten up within one possession. 11 points each for Brandon Robinson and Calvin Epistola paced the Gee-Gees heading into the break down 50-47.
The third quarter was not a solid showing for the Gee-Gees, only posting 15 points to the Gaels’ 19. A thunderous fourth quarter where the Gee-Gees outscored the Gaels 27-17 to wrap up the three-point win.
Robinson’s clutch shooting down the stretch went a long way in securing the win. The fourth-year guard led the team in scoring, posting 21 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Epistola continued his fantastic play as the team’s starting point guard with an impressive 19 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds to just one turnover.
“We didn’t play very well in the first half, but in the second half we did what we needed to do,” said Robinson. “We’ve been in a lot of tight games throughout the entire season and right now, it’s paying dividends.”
Other Gee-Gees in double figures included Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles’ 14, Kenny Jean-Louis’ 13, and Gage Sabean’s 11 on the night.
In the first quarter, Jean-Louis reached a milestone in his five-year U SPORTS career, scoring his 1000th point between his time with Cape Breton and Ottawa.
“Our depth is great, but it’s tough now because it’s all we’ve got,” said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin, about various players stepping up in the game.
“Obviously we’re thrilled with the development, but [Stoqua’s injury] is a tough pill to swallow because we know that this is what we were working towards. Now we can’t take full advantage of our depth with Sean being out. It’s a positive, but also frustrating.”
Source: geegees.ca
York 57 Carleton 87
OTTAWA, ON – The Ravens’ bench showed exactly why they’re regarded as one of the best second units in Canada, outscoring the Lions’ reserves 43-20 to help Carleton defeat York 87-57 on Friday night at the Ravens’ Nest.
Third-year guard Yasiin Joseph (Ottawa, ON) turned in an efficient 17-point performance on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, while also distributing four assists, snagging two steals and blocking a shot in 21 minutes.
GAME FLOW:
York traded punches with Carleton in the game’s early moments and built an 8-6 lead after Gianmarco Luciani converted a layup in traffic. Third-year guard Marcus Anderson (Brampton, ON) put Carleton on top by answering with a three-pointer, which Joseph followed with a long-range strike 30 seconds later. Two free throws by Gene Spagnuolo late in the first quarter kept York close at 20-15 heading into the second.
Carleton doled out its decisive blow in the second quarter. The Ravens outscored the Lions 24-8 thanks to a concerted effort from Joseph, who scored six of Carleton’s first seven points in the frame by darting between York’s defenders on successive possessions and finishing in the paint through contact. A four-point spurt by fourth-year guard Mitch Wood (Guelph, ON) padded a 44-23 lead at the half.
The third quarter transformed the Ravens’ Nest into a highlight factory. Sophomore forward Eddie Ekiyor put Ricky Hudson on a poster by dunking over the swingman and earning the foul in the process. Ekiyor calmly hit the free throw, despite the Ravens’ Nest faithful still cheering from the rim rattling throw down. Swingman TJ Lall(Cambridge, ON) made up for a missed three in the quarter’s closing moments by sprinting back on defence and emphatically swatting aside a layup attempt by Prince Kamunga to ensure that Carleton entered the fourth ahead 63-39.
Carleton’s bench nursed the substantial lead for the game’s final 10 minutes. Guard Troy Reid-Knight (Vaughan, ON) hit a three early in the quarter, while second-year forward William Kohler (Winnipeg, MB) added six points in four minutes of action. The bench’s contributions were crucial in what proved to be an eventual 87-57 win.
Source: goravens.ca
Algoma 76 McMaster 78
Solidifying their final position in the OUA West ahead of the conference playoffs, the Marauders reeled off their fifth straight win in fine style Friday at home.
McMaster downed the Algoma Thunderbirds 85-65 at Burridge Gym to improve to 9-14 with one game remaining to be played in the regular season.
The Marauders will finish fifth in the division and travel to Wilfrid Laurier for a first round playoff matchup against the Golden Hawks on Wednesday, February 21.
McMaster finished the game with five players enjoying double-digit scoring performances. Third-year man Kareem Collins (Hamilton, Ont.) led the Marauders with 17 points on the night. Collins finished the game shooting 47 per cent on seven of 15 from the field.
Marauder Matt Quiring (Cambridge, Ont.) followed up his 23-point performance last weekend with a double double against Algoma. The six-foot-eight forward finished the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Brandon Dwyer (Markham, Ont.) was able to muster up a 15-point performance for the Thunderbirds, a season high for the second year guard.
The first quarter barely got a chance to get underway before Algoma's head coach Thomas Cory called a timeout after the Marauders got out to an early 6-0 lead.
Leaning on the quick transitional offence of Collins, the Marauders continued to add to their lead in the opening quarter, finishing the first ten minutes with a 32-12 lead. Collins finished the first quarter with 12 points.
At the end of the first half, the Marauders maintained their 20-point cushion with a 45-25 lead over the Thunderbirds.
A strong defence underlined the offensive explosion for the Marauders in the first half, as they tallied three blocked shots and four steals, while pushing the ball up court and capitalizing off of Algoma's slow transition defence.
Both teams were close in total shot attempts, but McMaster had the upper-hand, shooting 47.4 per cent from the field compared to Algoma's 27.8 per cent.
In the second the half, Algoma continued to allow McMaster to have their way in transition, while the Marauders built upon their strong defensive outing with six blocks and nine steals.
Source: marauders.ca
Laurier 89 Lakehead 72
THUNDER BAY, Ont. (February 17, 2018) – The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s basketball team was dominant on the offensive end of the floor on Friday night as four players scored in double figures in an 89-72 victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse in Thunder Bay.
The T’Wolves (2-21) got off to a hot start, especially from the three-point line in the first quarter, perhaps catching the Hawks (11-12) off-guard coming out of the blocks.
Trailing for most of the first half, the purple and gold showed some diversity in their offensive strategy by going down low to Vlad Matovic (Kitchener, Ont.) and Ben Stevens(Halifax, N.S.). Both big men were very effective in the first half, combining for 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the field.
Closing Lakehead down of defence late in the second quarter, the Hawks made a late run to head into halftime with a 37-32 lead.
This momentum carried over into the third quarter, where it was time for the offence to go to work. Led by 14 from Ali Sow (Ottawa, Ont.) and 12 from Tevaun Kokko (Markham, Ont.), the Hawks shredded the Lakehead defence for 28 in the third quarter and another 24 in the fourth, building up a lead as large as 27 in the process.
To give an idea of how effective the Laurier offence was in the second half, they shot 67 percent from three while dishing out 11 assists.
While the T’Wolves managed 28 points in the fourth quarter, the damage had already been done as the Hawks were never threatened.
Kokko and Sow would both finish the night with a team-high 18 points to lead the way for Laurier. Kokko's performance moved him into third on Laurier's single-season scoring list with 421 points, trailing only Max Allin (441 - 2012-13) and Kale Harrison (466 - 2010-11).
Despite the victory, Laurier will be unable to catch the Windsor Lancers (12-11) in the OUA West division standings as the Lancers win Friday night over the Waterloo Warriors (8-16) locked up the third seed, leaving the Hawks in fourth heading into a first round playoff matchup with the McMaster Marauders (9-14) next week.
Source: laurierathletic.com
Waterloo 81 Windsor 91
The Windsor Lancers took their home court for one of their last games of the regular season, hosting the Waterloo Warriors. The Lancers are third in the OUA West and were looking to tune up before their pending playoff game. The Lancers struggled to establish a lead, however, they were able to pull away when it counted and won 91-81.
GAME STATS
Mike Rocca had quite the day. Playing in his second last regular season game on his home floor, the 5'10 senior went off for 24-points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and six steals, as well as going a perfect 9 for 9 from the free throw line.
Rocca was not the only player to record a double-double, Nedim Hodzic paired his 16 -rebounds for 16-points for the Warriors.
Despite the win, the Lancers were heavily outgunned on the glass. Losing the battle on the boards 51-36.
GAME FLOW
The Lancers, much like their women counterparts, came out of the gates lacking urgency. The Lancers fell behind early as they struggled to produce any offense. The Blue & Gold got a boost from Lukas Wood who did some heavy lifting and got the Lancers in position to take the lead.
The Lancers battled their way to a first quarter lead. The Warriors, however, owned the second quarter and fought back erasing the deficit. At halftime it was the Warriors who found themselves on the right side of a 38-37 score.
The two teams remained locked in a back and forth battle throughout the third quarter as neither team gained much of a lead. When it was all said and done, both teams had scored 23-points and the Lancers went into the fourth down one after Simon Petrov nailed a three-point buzzer beater to close the quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Lancers began to separate behind some sharp shooting from the Blue and Gold. Led by Rocca and his 24-points, the Lancers pulled away and won, 91-81.
Source: golancers.ca
February 17, 2018
Western 97 Guelph 56
GUELPH, Ont. – A game-high 20 points from Marko Kovac helped the Western Mustangs to a 97-56 win over the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday afternoon at the Gryphons Athletic Centre.
With the win the Mustangs finish the regular season with a 15-9 record and in second place in the OUA West standings, while Guelph moves to 6-18 on the year.
Kovac led the Mustangs in both points and on the glass, grabbing eight rebounds in the win. Three other Western players hit double digits on Saturday, with Henry Tan scoring 16 points, followed by 15 from Christopher Clegg and 14 from Jedson Tavernier.
Jonathan Wallace led the Gryphons attack with 12 points on Saturday, while Tommy Yanchus added 11 points and Daniel Dooley scored 10. Kieran Naus led the Gryphons rebounding efforts with eight boards.
It was a low scoring start to the contest, with Western holding a slight 9-7 advantage midway through the opening frame. After Guelph tied things up at 14-14 on a three pointer from Wallace, the Mustangs took control, closing out the quarter on a 13-3 run to take a 27-17 lead after 10 minutes.
Although Western ended the first quarter on a sustained scoring run, things settled down in the second frame with neither team being able to build up a sizable advantage. Both sides traded baskets throughout the quarter, with the Gryphons capping things off with a half-court buzzer beater from Taylor Boers to cut Western's lead to 42-35 at halftime.
The Mustangs returned to the court with a vengeance, dominating the opening of the third quarter and going on a 20-5 run over the first five minutes of the frame. Although Western's rapid scoring pace slowed down a bit for the remainder of the period, the purple and white defence continued to cause problems for the Gryphons, giving up only seven points over the final five minutes to give Western a 73-47 lead through three quarters.
Western continued to increase their lead throughout the fourth, with the Mustangs taking a 97-56 win.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Brock 83 Windsor 96
On Mike Rocca Day, the Lancer men's basketball team came out on fire and stunned the No. 2 Brock Badgers 96-83.
With third place in the OUA west standings on the line, the Lancers fell behind early in the first quarter but battled hard and were able to send out senior captain Mike Rocca with a hard-fought and memorable win.
GAME STATS
Rocca completed his final regular season game leading all scorers with 27 points on 58 per cent shooting. The Badgers were led by Johneil Simpson and his 22 points on 46 per cent shooting.
Both Lancer guards Rocca and Marcus Jones led all players in assists five a piece. The Lancers were out rebounded for the second consecutive night, losing the battle on the glass 36-28.
GAME FLOW
Things didn't start great for the Lancers as they fell behind 9-0 early and struggled to close the gap once they finally started scoring. After 10 minutes of action, the Lancers were down 10 as they trailed the Badgers 22-12.
Windsor, however, came alive in the second half, moving the ball and storming back to take a lead mid-way through the second quarter. The Lancers used a medley of assists and three pointers to leave the second ranked team in Canada shaking as they tried to figure out why they were down 50-39 at halftime.
The Lancers didn't need to change much at halftime, but whatever tweaks head coach Chris Oliver made during the halftime worked. The Lancers kept their foot on the gas, scoring at a very efficient 45.9 per cent from the field. Appropriately, the Lancers were led by senior captain Mike Rocca and his 27 points as the clock ticked away on the Badgers' 12-game win streak.
Source: golancers.ca
Laurier 74 Lakehead 55
THUNDER BAY, Ont. (February 18, 2018) – The final weekend of the regular season provided nothing but positives for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s basketball team as they closed out the regular season with a 74-55 victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Saturday night at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse.
The win was the Hawks second straight near 20-point win over Lakehead and third straight overall, helping the purple and gold post their best single-season record since the 2011-2012 campaign at 12-12.
Early on, the purple and gold overcame another relatively slow start to take a three-point lead over the T’Wolves (2-22) after one.
A strong defensive evening, holding Lakehead to 30 percent shooting, allowed the Hawks to continue stretching their lead through the second and third quarters.
Ali Sow (Ottawa, Ont.) had one of his finest games of the season, scoring 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting to break teammate Tevaun Kokko’s (Markham, Ont.) rookie single-season scoring record, finishing the year with 393 points. Kokko had set a new mark just last season when he finished with 383 points.
Sow finished the season averaging 16.5 points per game, good for 13th in the entire OUA.
Physically dominant on defence and on the glass, the Hawks had built an insurmountable lead by the start of the fourth quarter. Ntore Habimana (Mississauga, Ont.) led Laurier on the boards, pulling down 12 in just 21 minutes of action.
With Windsor’s upset victory against the U SPORTS No. 2 Brock Badgers on Saturday, the Hawks will remain as the OUA West No. 4 seed heading into the playoffs. They will have their hands full when they host the No. 5 seed McMaster Marauders (10-14) in the first round. The Marauders are one of the hottest teams in the OUA right now, having won eight of their final nine games of the season.
Source: laurierathletics.com
Laurentian 74 Ryerson 76
TORONTO - On the heels of an 18-point fourth quarter performance from Rams guard Manny Diressa, the men's basketball team came from behind to defeat the Laurentian Voyageurs 76-74 on Saturday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Diressa scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the final ten minutes to turn a six-point deficit to start the fourth quarter into a Ryerson victory. The all-star guard scored 18 of the team's 26 fourth quarter points.
Crucial down the stretch was the Rams free throw shooting which on the whole was a measly 65.6% on the night, but was the source of Ryerson's final seven points to secure the victory.
Laurentian put together a solid first half, leading 16-15 after ten minutes and 39-35 at halftime. The strength of their play was their efficiency shooting the basketball as well as their ability to collect offensive rebounds and create second chance opportunities.
The Rams were able to clean up the glass better in the second half to narrow the rebound margin to a 45-40 edge for the Voyageurs at the final whistle.
Ryerson struggled to contain Laurentian foward Nelson Yengue who flirted with a triple-double with 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Yengue played all 40 minutes in this one but his play wasn't enough to give the Voyageurs a win in the regular season finale.
With the victory the Rams move ahead of the Voyageurs for third place in the OUA east standings, which means Ryerson will host the sixth-seeded Queen's Gaels in the opening round of the playoffs. That game is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21st.
Source: ryersonrams.ca
Nipissing 80 Toronto 92
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team took down the Nipissing Lakers 92-80 to extend their winning streak to four games on Saturday night (Feb. 17) at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
The graduating players put on a show in their last home game. Reilly Reid and Sage Usher combined for 42 points with 24 and 19, respectfully, while fellow senior Chase Ruttenberg registered six points in the victory.
Daniel Johansson recorded a season first double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Christopher Barrett added 14 points and three assists as well.
Reid got things started early in the first quarter with two three-pointers and two assists. Rookie Evan Shadkami capped off the frame by nailing three of his 11 points at the buzzer to hand Toronto the 22-14 lead after the opening 10 minutes.
The Lakers fought back to cut the deficit to just one late in the second quarter, but the Blues responded. They went on a 9-2 run, which was enough to gain a four-point separation at 40-36 heading into the locker room.
Toronto was up by 10 points in the third, but allowed Nipissing to fight back to tie the score at 55-55 heading into the final frame.
Usher and Reid assisted in U of T going on a 12-3 run to regain a 10-point advantage and it was enough to hold off Nipissing the rest of the way.
Toronto will travel north to battle the No. 8 Laurentian Voyageurs in their first playoff matchup on Wednesday night. The two squads just played one another last night, with the Blues recording the 80-77 upset win. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Source: varsityblues.ca
Algoma 76 McMaster 78
What seemed like a comfortable season-closing win for McMaster, as they looked ahead to Wednesday's playoff opener, suddenly turned anxious Saturday.
After a nail-biting final few moments of the fourth quarter, the Marauders pulled out a 78-76 victory to sweep the season series over the Algoma Thunderbirds and wrap up their regular season on a six-game winning streak.
McMaster completed the OUA schedule at 10-14, putting the finishing touches on an incredible second-semester turnaround that saw the Marauders rebound from a 1-9 showing in the fall to reel off a 9-5 record in divisional play and snag a playoff spot in the OUA West.
Having secured the fifth seed in the division, the Marauders will now travel to Waterloo to battle the fourth-seeded Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks on Wednesday, February 21. That game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 p.m. and can be seen live and on demand on OUA.tv.
David McCulloch (Hamilton, ON) led the Marauders with a 21-point outing Saturday, finishing the game at 40 per cent from beyond the arc.
McMaster's big man, Matt Quiring (Cambridge, ON) registered his second consecutive double double, scoring 13 points while posting a matching total of 13 rebounds.
Nathan Riley and Cailum White matched each other in points, scoring 18 each for the Thunderbirds in a losing effort, and combining to shoot 46 per cent from the field. Riley also added 12 rebounds.
Not to be defined by their performance from the night before, Algoma kept pace with the Marauders in the opening quarter. McMaster finished the quarter with a 21-17 lead following a deep three by McCulloch as time expired.
The Thunderbirds looked to play a similar style to McMaster's, in launching consistently from the three-point line. In the first half, Algoma matched their game total (five) of three-pointers from their Friday night matchup against the Marauders, shooting 33.3 per cent from beyond the arc, while the Marauders hit 35.3 per cent of their three-point attempts.
McMaster pushed the scoring in the third quarter, eventually creating themselves a 10-point cushion by capitalizing off of turnovers and fouls by the Thunderbirds.
Early in the fourth quarter, Mac's Kareem Collins (Hamilton, ON) fouled out after committing his fifth foul of the game.
Algoma, pushing for the comeback, forced Marauders' head coach Patrick Tatham to call a timeout with three minutes remaining in the final quarter.
The Thunderbirds kept the pressure on the Marauders as they narrowed the gap to a single point late in the fourth quarter.
Source: marauders.ca
York 54 Ottawa 82
The Gee-Gees men’s basketball team took care of its final piece of regular season business on Saturday night at Montpetit Hall, dispatching the York Lions in a lopsided 82-54 win. The victory gives Ottawa second place in the OUA East regular season standings and a bye to the OUA quarterfinals.
Ottawa will host the winner of a Wednesday first round playoff game between Queen's and Ryerson in the quarterfinal at Montpetit Hall on Saturday, February 24.
Against York, Brody Maracle backed down his defender for the game’s opening two baskets, followed by a pair of shifty buckets at the rim by Calvin Epistola which set the tone for the game.
Maracle would continue to dominate both the glass and the blocks with solid positioning and strength, accumulating a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds in just 20 minutes of floor time. He was also 9-for-11 from the field, finishing the season as the most efficient shooter in U SPORTS at 62.8 per cent.
“We did a really good job in the paint tonight and Brody got us started. The paint was so dominant it was enough for us to win,” said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin.
Brandon Robinson showed off his ball distribution skills, with one notable find resulting in a transition three-pointer by Gage Sabean.
Ottawa found little resistance inside or outside, draining threes and finishing inside to build a 33-14 lead early in the second quarter.
York was not able to make a dent in the third quarter; the Gee-Gees defence held firm while the shots continued to fall at the other end. Ottawa stretched its lead out to thirty points midway through the stanza.
The Gee-Gees celebrated the senior members of the team, Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles and Kenny Jean-Louiswho both made impacts on the game as well. Pierre-Charles finished with 13 points and eight rebounds while Jean-Louis added six points and five assists.
“We’re thrilled to have Wednesday off and a home game next Saturday,” added Derouin. “We came into the season trying to get to this point. I thought it was going to take a 20-3 season to get there but a 17-6 record with a tie-breaker being enough shows you how competitive and how close this division is.”
Source: geegees.ca
Queen’s 52 Carleton 97
OTTAWA, ON – The Ravens were dialed in from field goal range and beyond the three-point arc as an efficient shooting performance provided more than enough offence for a 97-52 victory over the Queen’s Gaels.
Third-year guard Stanley Mayambo (Fredericton, NB) continued his strong play by scoring 11 points on 4-of-7 from the field, including three three-pointers. Mayambo also hauled in seven rebounds and dished out two assists in 27 minutes of floor time.
GAME FLOW:
Mike Shoveller was integral in what proved to be a strong start for the Gaels, scoring six of their first 10 points to support a slim 10-9 lead halfway through the first quarter. The Ravens responded by going on a 14-5 run that included timely threes from third-year guards Marcus Anderson (Brampton, ON) and Yasiin Joseph (Ottawa, ON).
The second quarter began with Carleton ahead 23-15. Sophomore forward Eddie Ekiyor finished through contact with a left-handed layup in traffic and completed the and one at the free throw line to give the Ravens a 28-17 lead two minutes into the second. Joseph scored six of his game-high 13 points in the second quarter to help build a 45-26 lead by halftime.
With the lead approaching north of 20, the Ravens continued to apply pressure in the second half. A corner three-pointer by Mayambo brought the score to 62-33 midway through the quarter. Mayambo added two more threes by quarter’s end to pad a comfortable 76-42 lead heading into the final quarter.
Forward William Kohler (Winnipeg, MB) and guard Troy Reid-Knight (Vaughan, ON) played big minutes in the fourth quarter and flashed their offensive versatility. Both were perfect from the field as Kohler bruised his way to seven points in 10 minutes of action thanks to some active play in the post, while Reid-Knight showed off his deadeye accuracy by converting on all three of his three-point attempts. When the final buzzer sounded, Carleton walked away with a 97-52 victory to conclude regular season play.
Source: goravens.ca