OUA Men's Basketball Roundup (Feb. 5)
January 31, 2018
Brock 73 Laurier 69
The No. 2 ranked Brock University men's basketball team overcame a first half deficit to defeat the Laurier Golden Hawks by the score of 73-69 Wednesday night on the road.
Fifth year head coach Charles Kissi reached a career milestone recording his 100th career victory at Brock.
The Badgers trailed 37-28 at the half before putting together a 22-11 run in the third quarter to take a 50-48 lead after 30 minutes. With just under three minutes left in regulation, Brock extended their lead to 10 points, 70-60. Laurier answered back with a 7-0 run to make it 70-67 with 23 seconds on the clock. The Badgers would close out the game knocking down 3-of-4 free throws for their conference leading 17th victory of the season.
Brock had three players in double figures led by Dani Elgadi who registered 24 points and seven rebounds while also moving into fifth all-time in Brock career scoring with 2642 career points surpassing Ryan Dudley (2625). Daniel Cayer contributed with 21 points, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and Cassidy Ryanadded 11 points and six rebounds in the victory.
Laurier's Ali Sow recorded a career-high 31 points in the loss.
For the game, Brock shot 35.3% (24-68) from the field, 15.8% (3-19) from three-point land and 71.0% (22-31) from the charity stripe. Laurier went 26-60 (43.3%) from the floor, 4-23 (17.4%) from beyond the arc and 13-17 (76.5%) from the free throw line.
Source: gobadgers.ca
Waterloo 84 Western 97
LONDON, Ont. – Marko Kovac and Omar Shiddocontinued their strong offensive performances this evening, combining for 58 points to lead the Mustangs to a 97-84 win over the Waterloo Warriors at Alumni Hall on Wednesday night.
"[Kovac and Shiddo] have been pretty hot, and have been shooting the ball well, and our guys have done a nice job of finding them," said head coach Brad Campbell on the recent performances of the two players. "They've been a bit of a catalyst for us on offence, definitely being able to score the ball, and 29 from both of them is big."
With the win, the Mustangs' record improves to 12-7 on the year, further cementing their second place standing in the OUA West. The loss updates the Warrior's record to 7-12, remaining locked in fifth place in the same division.
Shiddo and Kovac led the Mustangs offence with 29 points apiece, while Kovac also led the team with eight rebounds.
"It feels good man, I'm knocking down open shots," says Kovac on his offensive performance. "I've got to give credit to the other guys. They're penetrating very well, finding me open shots, and making my life much easier."
Waterloo's Nedim Hodzic led both teams in both points and rebounds, scoring 33 points and pulling down 15 off the boards to finish off the double-double. His total was followed by Simon Petrov, who recorded 27 points of his own.
"They put him in some unique situations," said Campbell of Hodzic's performance. "They'll throw him in the high post and he gets a lot of isolations. He's good at spinning and he's crafty."
Western began with a tight defence, forcing several turnovers and causing trouble for the Warriors. The persistent defence kept the purple and white tightly contested with Waterloo as both teams traded buckets for much of the quarter.
A pair of Warrior free-throws concluded the first 10 minutes of play, with the Mustangs leading 23-21.
Western came out of the gates firing in the second quarter to start off the frame with a quick 8-0 run. This set the tone for the purple and white, allowing them to settle into a rapid-fire offence and build up a healthy lead.
Kovac and Shiddo continued on their offensive tear, combining for 19 points in the frame. This shooting barrage – hitting 68% from the field– combined with a proactive defence helped Western expand the gap to 55-32, with a buzzer beater from Alex Coote to cap off the quarter.
A monster dunk by Kovac in the third quarter can be considered representative of the entire Mustang offence, who were constantly punching holes through the Warrior defence. Unfortunately, the strong performance wasn't the reflected on the defensive end as Western fell flat.
Waterloo took advantage of the opportunity, pouring in quick buckets to rapidly close the gap, and eventually brought the game within single digits, trailing 68-57 heading into the final quarter.
The final frame began with a back-and-forth exchange, with neither team making much headway on the gap. However, a 10-0 run helped reignite the Western offence, and allowed the Mustangs to come away with the 97-84 win.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Laurentian 82 Nipissing 72
For their first matchup of the season against their northern rivals the Nipissing University Lakers, it was a close one. After a competitive 30 minutes of gameplay Laurentian was leading their opponent by a single point going into the final quarter. Looking to capture their 16th win of the season the Voyageurs came into the fourth with energy, winning the quarter 25-16 and thus ultimately coming away with the victory with a final score of 82-72.
Though the Voyageur's field goal percentage was for the most part average, it was considerably less than the home team's who shot 60.4% compared to Laurentian's 46.7%. As a result of this major difference the Vees found their success in volume, putting up 22 more shots than the Lakers during the game.
Top performer for the Voyageurs was second year guard Kadre Gray who earned a double-double in his 40 minutes of play with 25 points and 10 assists. Fifth year forward Nelson Yengue likewise contributed notably with 18 points and 5 rebounds.
Top scorer for the Lakers was Jaaden Lewis with 22 points.
Source: luvoyageurs.com
February 2, 2018
Carleton 67 Ottawa 56
Second-year forward Eddie Ekiyor (Ottawa, ON) was an efficient contributor off the bench, pouring in 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field to go along with 10 rebounds, a block and two steals in 27 minutes of action.
“We just wanted to stick to fundamentals, both offensively and defensively. We practice that every day and it was just a matter of translating it into the game tonight. I’m glad we pulled out the win,” said third-year guard Munis Tutu (Windsor, ON).
GAME FLOW:
Thousands of fans on hand at the Canadian Tire Centre were treated to high-octane action to begin the second leg of the Capital Hoops Classic. The Gee-Gees were able to dictate play early courtesy a barrage of three-pointers. Ottawa shot 5-of-7 from distance in the first ten minutes as Brandon Robinson dropped a quick eight points, including two threes. A lay-in by Ekiyor kept the Ravens close early at 14-12, but Ottawa closed out the quarter up 18-12 following a late free throw from Chase Tynes.
The Ravens began to chip away at Ottawa’s lead early in the second quarter behind the gritty play of fourth-year forward Mitch Jackson (Regina, SK), who scored Carleton’s first four points of the frame with a nice hook shot on the inside and a pair of free throws a minute later. Jackson’s energetic play sparked the Ravens as guard Yasiin Joseph (Ottawa, ON) nailed a three-pointer to swing the lead in Carleton’s favour at 23-22 with 6:42 left in the second. Both teams traded baskets momentarily before Carleton went to work on the inside and took advantage of Ottawa’s lack of a presence in the post. Ekiyor, Joseph and fifth-year center Cam Smythe (Vancouver, BC) showed off their full arsenal throughout the latter half of the second with an array of drives that opened up space for easy scores in the paint. The Ravens outscored the Gee-Gees 23-12 in the second, including a buzzer beating pull-up from Tutu that closed out the half 35-30.
The game intensified in the third quarter as Carleton tried to break away, while Ottawa resisted the Ravens’ best attempts to push the lead to double digits. A three by Tutu brought the lead to 42-32, but the Gee-Gees edged back following yet another three from Robinson. Ottawa wasn’t done yet as Calvin Epistola picked off a pass by Joseph and took it all the way himself to trim the lead to two before Gage Sabean hit a three in transition to give Ottawa a 48-47 lead with 1:49 left in the third quarter. Fourth-year guard Mitch Wood (Guelph, ON) rallied for the Ravens by calmly hitting two straight jump shots to bolster a 51-48 Ravens lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Carleton entered the final frame clinging to a narrow lead. Joseph took matters into his own hands early, scoring six of Carleton’s first seven points in the fourth to cushion a seven-point margin. Third-year guard Stanley Mayambo (Fredericton, NB) added to the lead with a timely three with 4:40 left to play. Ekiyor followed suit by bruising his way into the lane for another two points. Ultimately, it was the Ravens’ defence that sealed the Gee-Gees’ fate in front of a crowd of 8,579 roaring fans. Carleton outscored Ottawa 16-8 in the fourth to put its stamp on a 67-56 victory.
“The atmosphere was great. I love these kinds of big games where everyone in Ottawa can come out and enjoy some good basketball. It was good for the city,” Tutu added.
Source: goravens.ca
Algoma 72 Guelph 77
GUELPH – Time is running out for those teams in the OUA West dreaming of post-season basketball. The Guelph Gryphons men got the message. Guelph battled its way to a critical 77-72 win over the Algoma Thunderbirds Friday night at the GGAC to keep their chances alive.
The Gryphons overcame an inconsistent first half and played their best basketball in the decisive fourth quarter. Down by a point at 63-62, Guelph manufactured a clutch 12-2 run, capped by a Banky Alade field goal that stretched the lead to 74-65 with 1:49 left on the clock.
The Thunderbirds made a late run of their own and trailed by just four after Brandon Dwyer hit a one-handed runner from the free throw line with just over a minute left. At 75-72, Algoma produced a much-needed steal and had a final possession to tie the game but the visitors rushed a two-point attempt. And with two seconds left on the clock, Daniel Dooley slammed the door, draining two clutch free throws.
The Gryphons (5-14) are sixth in the division, sitting in the final OUA West playoff spot.
"At this point, we need every home win we can get," said head coach Chris O'Rourke. "We have to play with urgency every second we're on the court.
"We got some key contributions from different guys and played well in the fourth quarter to take control."
Jonathan Wallace led Guelph with 16 points, while Dooley and Alade had 13 and 12 respectively. All three of Dooley's makes from the floor were from beyond the arc. Fifth-year guard Drew Walford led all players with 13 rebounds.
The fourth-quarter run was key to the victory but the Gryphons' momentum began immediately in the second half. Trailing by seven, they came out of the locker room on fire. After Dooley stuck a three-pointer, Wallace drove to the basket and made it 39-39 to erase the Algoma lead at the 8:17 mark of the third.
Shawn Carey provided a presence on the defensive end with a couple key blocks before back-to-back layups from Alade and Walford got the Gryphons to within in three at 56-53. Walford then came up with another huge block that led to a Taylor Boers three-pointer, giving Guelph a brief 58-57 lead. Ian Nash, who led all players with 19 points, would lay one in at the buzzer to give Algoma a 59-57 lead heading into the fourth.
A tight first quarter concluded with Guelph leading 19-17. But Algoma began to utilize its length and put together a 14-3 run to go up 31-22. Guelph went cold on the offensive end and didn't handle the ball well, either.
The Gryphons clawed back with back-to-back three-pointers from Boers and Wallace just 23 seconds apart, which cut the lead to 36-32. The Thunderbirds stretched the margin back to seven points for a 39-32 lead at the half.
"We certainly came out lethargic," O'Rourke said. "We weren't playing with the same intensity we had in the last four games. And we got in a hole."
Guelph had 11 turnovers in the first half, while hitting 12 of 37 from the floor (32.4 per cent). But the hosts did a much better job protecting the ball in the second half (just 5 turnovers), while also out rebounding Algoma 47-38 on the night.
Source: gryphons.ca
McMaster 90 Lakehead 85
Punishing their hosts for a lack of discipline and ball control, the Marauders made 24 free throws en route to an important road win in Thunder Bay Friday.
McMaster beat Lakehead 90-85 to improve to 5-14 and keep pace with the Guelph Gryphons for the sixth and final playoff spot in the OUA West.
Most opportunistic of all of the Marauders from the stripe, guards David McCulloch and Miles Seward combined to score 17 points from 22 free throw attempts, and served as Mac's leading scorers with totals of 28 and 22 points respectively.
Forward Matt Quiring finished the night with a double double, with 16 points and 12 rebounds in McMaster's win.
In addition to their foul trouble, Lakehead struggled mightily to retain the ball Friday, racking up 19 turnovers which McMaster turned into 30 points.
On the back foot from the opening whistle, the Marauders slowly worked their way into the opening quarter, taking their first lead at 2:43 when a Matt Quiring layup overturned things at 19-18.
Kareem Collins' layup for 25-22 looked to have confirmed McMaster's lead at the break, until a circus-worthy buzzer beater from Lakehead's Mor Menache found paydirt to send the Thunderdome crowd out of their seats, and the two teams into the break level at 25.
With 11 points and a perfect 4-4 mark from the charity stripe, McCulloch was the team leader through a quarter.
Neither side was able to definitively grab momentum in a topsy-turvy second quarter, with Lakehead leading by as many as six points but failing to protect the ball, or their advantage.
The Thunderwolves were guilty of 11 turnovers in the opening half, which the Marauders punished to the tune of 16 points.
That wastefulness saw McMaster take a 42-40 lead into the halftime break, despite trailing their opponents in most statistical categories through 20 minutes of play.
Mac continued to hold a slim lead for much of the third quarter, until Menache took matters into his own hands, stripping the Marauders on successive possessions and making both steals count on the offensive end, to give the Thunderwolves a 59-56 advantage with 2:38 to play.
A triple and block from Menache, whose tally swelled to 23 points through three quarters, helped the hosts keep control, and they took a three-point lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
That edge was quickly erased by the Marauders in the fourth, with a 9-0 run capped by a pair of McCulloch free throws putting Mac in the driver's seat with 4:55 to play.
Their foul trouble blunted any chance of comeback from Lakehead, and after Nick Burke's dunk gave the hosts a glimmer of hope at 88-83, Seward drained a pair from the stripe to put the game beyond reach.
Source: marauders.ca
Toronto 76 Ryerson 96
TORONTO - Roshane Roberts put up a career-high 25 points to lead the Ryerson Rams to a 96-76 victory over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the ‘Battle for the 6ix’ Friday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
The victory, besides laying claim to the city of Toronto, places the Rams in a lock for third in the OUA East with last weekend’s opponents, the Ottawa Gee-Gees. As the season trudges into its late, crucial stages, wins like this are an opportunity for the Rams to step up, both as a team and on an individual level.
One of those who stepped up is Roshane Roberts (Vaughan, Ont.), who not only scored a game and career high of 25 points, but sunk a staggering seven of eight attempts from three. As the senior guard celebrates scoring his OUA career high, he reflects on his previous career high, which was against the Ryerson Rams in 2014 as a member of the Queen’s Gaels.
“It’s a relief,” Roberts laughed. “The hard work I put in this summer is starting to show.”
As the Varsity Blues consistently answered everything the Rams threw their way to keep the game close, there was no clear victor in the early stages of the game. However, every time the Rams needed a comeback boost, Roberts was there with a high-pressure three. As the Blues defence locked in on team star Manny Diressa (Toronto, Ont.), Roberts took advantage of the freedom that coverage afforded.
“I just didn’t think about it,” Roberts said. “Going into the game, I knew Manny would be double teamed. Our coach gave us a lot of confidence going into the game and we just got ready to spot up and shoot the ball.”
“Manny draws so much attention from opposing defences, the guys just have to be ready and confident to take them and knock them down,” Rams assistant coach Borko Popic said. “‘Ro’ certainly did that tonight… Guys feed off the energy that he brought. I’m happy for ‘Ro’.”
Despite the heavy coverage, Diressa still put up a solid 20-point performance. J.V. Mukama (Hamilton, Ont.) also carried over a strong presence from the previous weekend, posting a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Leaving the game late with a leg injury, Popic was confident that the injury will not see the clutch guard sidelined.
Energy was high, post-game, as players openly cheered and celebrated before a packed Mattamy Athletic Centre. The #BattleForThe6ix brought out fans of both teams hoping to lay claim to university basketball in the city of Toronto, and the impact a full house has on a program was evident in the way the Rams played off the crowd.
“It’s Friday night, and we’ve got a great crowd,” Popic said. “There’s a good energy in the building. Our guys fed off of it and we were able to close it out.”
Source: ryersonrams.ca
Queen’s 93 York 68
TORONTO (February 2, 2018) – The Queen's Gaels (11-8) defeated the York Lions (2-17) in their lone game this weekend 93-68 on the road after a strong start to the game.
GAME FLOW
In the first quarter of the game, the Gaels found an early lead on the Lions pushing the ball forward and taking advantage of a slow to start York defence. The Tricolour played a strong offensive quarter with Jesse Graham (Kingston) finding 10 points to give the Gaels the lead. At the end of the first, the Gaels were out in front with a big 25-9 lead.
Sammy Ayisi (Toronto) started the second quarter with a strong offensive drive, scoring six points in the first few minutes. The Gaels continued their momentum from the first quarter with Jaz Bains (Brampton, Ont.), Harry Range (Carp, Ont.), Vincent Wood (Toronto) and Tanner Graham (Kingston) finding the basket. The Tricolour lost their drive late in the second quarter, with a defensive break allowing the Lions to score 10 points in the last four minutes of the half. Heading into halftime, the Gaels remained in the lead with a score of 49-32.
The second half of the game showed a strong defence for the Gaels. The Tricolour held the Lions to 14 points in the third quarter of the game by limiting their turnovers and keeping possession of the play. Finished shots by Bains and Jesse Graham kept the Gaels in the lead and allowed Queen's to extend their lead to 20 points. The score at the end of the quarter was 66-46.
In the final quarter of the game, Tanner Graham and Quinton Gray (Richmond Hill, Ont.) capitalized on their shots, maintaining the Queen's lead. Mike Shoveller (Arnprior, Ont.) pushed several shots at the Lions hoop but was only able to finish one free throw. The Tricolour played a calm defensive quarter, giving up over 20 points to the York Lions but managed to keep their lead and win the game with a score of 93-68.
Source: gogealsgo.com
Laurier 83 Windsor 90
The Windsor Lancers hit the floor Friday night for a pivotal playoff matchup of two OUA West teams. The Laurier Golden Hawks were in town to take on the Lancers and decide who gets sole possession of third place with only weeks left in the OUA season. The Lancers battled hard in a tightly contested game, but came out on top with a very important 90-83 win.
GAME STATS
Marcus Jones led all scorers with 22 points, nine of them coming in the fourth quarter. The Golden Hawks were led by Tevaun Kokko and his 20 points.
5'10 Mike Rocca's effort on the boards led to the smallest player on the team making the biggest impact on the glass. Rocca brought down nine rebounds to lead all players. Joseph Fo led Laurier in rebounds with 6.
Six Lancers scored in double digits with Damian Persaud, Chris Polionato, Luke Allin, Lukas Wood, Lucas Orlita and Marcus Jones eachl scoring 10 or more points.
Tevaun Kokko, Chuder Teny and Ali Snow each hit double digit scoring for Laurier.
GAME FLOW
The Lancers were slow out of the gate and struggled to score in the very early going of the game. The Lancers leaned on Luke Allin as the Blue and Gold began to build a lead for themselves. In the second quarter the Lancers offense fared better, at one point leading by 13. However, the Golden Hawks did not let the Lancers take the lead into the locker room. A late half run put the score at 45-37 at halftime.
In the second half both teams took and lost leads as both closed in on third place. Marcus Jones and Lukas Wood led the offense as they went back and forth with the Golden Hawks. Things looked to be in good shape as the Blue and Gold took an 11-point lead late in the third. However, Laurier finished the quarter on a 14-4 run to open the fourth quarter with a two-point lead. Fortunately, the Lancers were able to battle back with a great fourth quarter effort, beating the Golden Hawks 90-83.
Source: golancers.ca
February 3, 2018
Brock 100 Waterloo 78
The No. 2 ranked Brock University men's basketball team recorded their ninth straight victory as they defeated the Waterloo Warriors by the score of 100-78 Saturday on the road.
With the victory the Badgers are now 18-2 in the OUA West Division and 25-5 on the season.
The two teams played an almost even opening half with Brock trailing 23-21 after one quarter and down 50-46 at the half.
The Badgers offense came alive in the third quarter, as they put together a 13-3 run over a five minute span to take a 59-53 lead. They extended that lead to 10 points, 72-62, at the end of 30 minutes. In the final frame, Brock went on an 18-5 run to take a commanding 90-67 lead, on route to the road victory.
Brock had four starters in double figures led by Cassidy Ryan who registered a career high 34 points going 13-for-21 from the field. Dani Elgadi added 18 points and eight rebounds while Daniel Cayer and Johneil Simpsonboth chipped in with 11 points in the victory.
Waterloo was led by Nedim Hodzic who finished with 28 points and seven rebounds. Also in double digits were Simon Petrov with 18 and Justin Hardy with 12.
For the game, Brock shot 47.2% (34-72) from the field, 32.0% (8-25) from beyond the arc and 70.6% (24-34) from the charity stripe. Waterloo went 25-57 (43.9%) from the floor, 3-15 (20.0%) from long range and 25-32 (78.1%) from the free throw line.
Source: gobadgers.ca
Nipissing 101 Laurentian 96
A historic effort gave the Nipissing Lakers men's basketball a key win Saturday afternoon in Sudbury.
An impressive effort by the Lakers team gave them a 101-96 win over Laurentian, thanks to four players hitting double digits.
Nipissing outscored Laurentian in three of the four quarters and held leads of 27-26 after one and 50-46 at halftime.
Laurentian pushed back in the third and took a one point lead in the final quarter.
Nipissing, down one, poured it on and outscored the Vees 26-20 to come away with the victory.
Marvin Ngonadi and Marcus Lewis each had 21 points, Jaaden Lewis added 16 and Quinton Ashitei had 14 in the victory.
Source: nulakers.ca
Western 94 Windsor 86
WINDSOR, Ont. - Third-year forward Marko Kovac put up 17 points to go along with a team high seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals against his former team to help lead the Western Mustangs to a 94-86 victory over the Windsor Lancers on Saturday evening at the St. Denis Centre.
With the win, the Mustangs improve to 13-7 on the season and extend their lead over the Lancers for second place in the OUA West division. Windsor's loss will drop them to 10-10 on the year as they remain in third place in the OUA West standings.
Four other Mustangs scored in double-figures for the purple and white in the highly-competitive contest as veteran guard Henry Tan put up a team-high 19 points while Omar Shiddo and Jedson Tavernier put up 18 and 16 points, respectively. Eriq Jenkins also made his mark on the game, scoring 12 points to go along with a pair of steals in the victory.
The Lancers were led by veteran guard Mike Rocca. Rocca, as usual, made his mark on the defensive end of the floor, harassing the Mustangs on the perimeter throughout the game. Rocca not only led the Lancers with his scrappy defence but led Windsor on the offensive end as well, scoring a game-high 21 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists before being ejected late in the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs struggled to connect from deep to begin the game, going 1-8 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter, but it was the defence which led the way for the purple and white throughout the opening frame, as Western held Windsor to sub-40 percent shooting from the field in the frame. Chris Clegg took advantage of his size early for the Mustangs, controlling the paint and helping the Mustangs to a 26-22 lead heading into the second frame.
The Mustangs quickly found their footing on the offensive side of the ball to begin the second quarter, as Tan and Kovac led the team to an 8-3 run midway through the quarter to extend the lead for Western. The threes would begin to fall for the purple and white to end the quarter, as nearly the entire Mustang rotation started chipping in baskets to help the Mustangs extend their lead to a 48-36 margin heading into halftime.
Windsor guard Mike Rocca would lead the way for Windsor to open the second half, controlling the pace for the Lancers offence and bring his team within single digits early in the quarter. However, Tan would continue to win the duel between the two floor generals, facilitating the basketball while taking on much of the scoring load in the process as the Western went into the fourth with a 71-62 advantage.
The Lancers' offence would get a surge in the final quarter of play, as Western's foul trouble would finally catch up with them, allowing Windsor to get back into the game from the free throw line. Rocca would continue to feed the Lancer offence, breaking into the paint and kicking it to shooters, but Kovac would continue to lead the purple and white against his former team to help keep the Mustangs afloat. Chaos would ensue after eight technical fouls would eventually be handed out in the final quarter of play in a heated interdivisional matchup. However, cooler heads would eventually prevail as the Mustangs walked away with the 94-86 victory.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Algoma 84 Guelph 83
GUELPH, Ont. – A monster performance from Gryphons' third year guard Tommy Yanchus on Saturday night at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre was ultimately spoiled by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from the visiting Algoma Thunderbirds, who came out on top of a wild finish, handing the Gryphons a heartbreaking 84-83 loss.
Yanchus, a third year guard and Guelph native, exploded for a career-high 30 points, including an incredible 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. With :20 seconds remaining, Yanchus knocked down a three-pointer to give the Gryphons an 80-79 lead. With :06 seconds remaining, Yanchus connected from beyond the arc once again, this time putting the Gryphons in front 83-81. Gryphons 3rd year guard Tommy YanchusBut on the game's final possession, the Thunderbirds would steal the win, as Algoma guard Jermaine Lyles would sink a corner three as time expired to give the T-birds an 84-83 win. With the result, both teams now sit at 5-15 on the season, one game back of McMaster (6-14) for the final playoff spot in the OUA West.
Saturday night's game marked the second meeting in as many nights for the two teams, with the Gryphons using a big second half on Friday evening to hand Algoma a 77-72 loss. This time around however, it would be the Thunderbirds coming on late to secure the win. Algoma poured in 36 points in a back-and-forth final quarter to help erase a seven-point deficit after three quarters.
Aside from a monster night from Tommy Yanchus, the Gryphons also received several other key contributions. Sophomore forward Banky Alade made a big impact off the bench, scoring 16 points to go along with 8 rebounds. Fifth year point guard Daniel Dooley chipped in with 13 points and also did an excellent job distributing the ball, finishing the night with 4 assists, a pair of which were to set up go-ahead three's from Yanchus late in the fourth. Leading the way for Algoma was fourth year guard Ian Nash (Detroit, Michigan) who scored 24 points on 10-16 shooting.
Source: gryphons.ca
McMaster 94 Lakehead 88
Fearlessly throwing himself into a showdown with Lakehead's Nahshon Hurst, Miles Seward (Toronto, ON) produced a career night and helped engineer a closely-fought McMaster win.
The guard poured in 32 points to cement a new single-game career high Saturday, as the Marauders outlasted the Thunderwolves 94-88 to sweep their two-game set in Thunder Bay.
With the win, McMaster improved to 6-14 on the season, leapfrogging Guelph into sole possession of the sixth and final playoff position in the OUA West division with five games to play.
Seward's massive output came on a whopping tally of 26 attempts from the field, hitting five of 16 from three-point range while maintaining a perfect five for five from the free throw line.
By comparison, Hurst concluded Saturday with 27 points, hitting 12 of 18 from the field and earning much of his success from close range.
Strong in support of their high-volume shooter, the trio of guards David McCulloch (Hamilton, ON) and Kareem Collins (Hamilton, ON), and forward Matthew Quiring (Cambridge, ON), contributed 17, 13 and 15 points respectively in the win.
McMaster's success on the glass, where they pulled down 10 more rebounds overall (48-38) than Lakehead, and 16 on the offensive glass, helped the visitors succeed behind their high-volume approach.
The Marauders flew out of the gate Saturday, getting into the paint and to the free throw line with impunity in the opening quarter.
With the team as a whole hitting seven of eight attempts from the line in the first, Collins jumped out to the team lead with eight points, six of which came on a perfect run of form from the stripe.
Shooting 43 per cent as a team, and with Seward showing early signs of his ability with three buckets on eight attempts, the Marauders held a 13-point lead through the first 10 minutes of play.
That advantage shrunk quickly in the second, as Lakehead found their range on offence, going 12 of 15 from the field in the quarter and scoring a total of 34 points.
Nahshon Hurst led the charge with 12 of those points, as the Thunderwolves cut Mac's lead to just four at the halftime break.
Continuing to get to the line with ease, McMaster was able to maintain an edge at the break after making 13 of 14 free throws in the half.
Seward was characteristically unafraid to shoot, adding seven points in the second quarter, including a four-point play after absorbing contact beyond the arc. He had three of Mac's four successful three-pointers in the half.
In the third, the battle between Seward and Hurst heated up, with the Marauder pouring in 12 points on five of seven from the field and two of four from three-point range. His counterpart answered with eight points of his own, as Lakehead remained within striking distance through three quarters, stuck two at 70-68.
Compared to his massive output in the third, Seward was quiet from the field in the fourth, hitting just one shot from the field. But he was crucially perfect on four free throw attempts, doing his part as Lakehead fouled late.
His veteran teammate McCulloch was clutch when called upon in the fourth, driving and hitting a layup in traffic with a minute to play to give his team a 90-85 lead and force a Lakehead timeout. He had six of his 17 points in the quarter.
Source: marauders.ca