OUA Men's Basketball Roundup (Jan. 8)
January 3, 2018
Windsor 82 McMaster 106
Their energetic early flurry gave way to a Windsor Lancers comeback, and by the end of Wednesday's opening quarter, the lead -- and the momentum -- appeared to have left the McMaster Marauders behind.
But a positive second quarter regained McMaster the lead, and a second half deluge turned it into an unassailable one, as the Marauders ultimately dealt the Lancers a heavy, 106-82 defeat at Burridge Gym.
First-year guard Miles Seward found his game in the second half, pouring in all of his game high 21 points in the final 20 minutes, and finishing the night 50 per cent from the floor and 4-7 from three point range.
Finding their offensive touch as a group, McMaster's entire starting lineup reached double digits in scoring Wednesday, while shooting 51 per cent from the floor (31-61) as a group and 52 per cent from three (17-33)
The win improved the Marauders to 2-9 on the season, while the Lancers fell to 4-7 with the loss.
A remarkable change of fortunes saw McMaster outscore Windsor 88-63 after trailing their opponents by a single point at the end of the first quarter.
Reeling off a 15-4 run in the opening four minutes of the second quarter, the Marauders built a 10-point lead which would largely hold into the break, with McMaster holding a 45-36 advantage at halftime.
The gap only widened as the second half progressed, with Windsor's own regression matching McMaster's growth in confidence and verve, personified best by the free-shooting figure of Seward.
Extracurricular activities saw the Lancers earn a pair of technical fouls in the late stages, at which point the result was largely a matter of course.
Source: marauders.ca
January 5, 2018
Ryerson 80 Carleton 89
OTTAWA, ON – The Ravens gave a packed house at the Ravens’ Nest just what they paid for on Friday night, with the game coming right down to the wire before Carleton pulled ahead late to emerge victorious over Ryerson in a tightly contested 89-80 battle.
Fifth-year forward Cam Smythe (Vancouver, BC) showed no signs of holiday rust and finished with 23 points, including 4-for-6 from three-point range, while also snagging three rebounds and blocking a shot as well in 24 minutes of action.
The last time the Ravens played the Rams was in the U Sports championship in Halifax last March—a game that saw Carleton claim the national title 78-69.
GAME FLOW:
The Ravens got off to a strong start and paved an early 11-3 lead thanks to three consecutive three-pointers by point guard Munis Tutu (Windsor, ON), Smythe and guard Marcus Anderson (Brampton, ON). Carleton’s early run forced Ryerson head coach Roy Rana to call a timeout to halt the Ravens’ momentum. A three by Jean-Victor Mukama cut the lead to 11-10, but Carleton went on an 11-3 run to close the first quarter ahead 22-13.
Mukama added another strike from three-point territory 90 seconds into the second frame before Manny Diressa followed suit a minute later to reduce the score to 24-19. But with early pressure from Ryerson’s offence beginning to mount, Yasiin Joseph(Ottawa, ON) answered with eight points of his own in the final 5:47 of the second to help the Ravens wage a 42-33 lead heading into halftime.
After struggling to find his rhythm in the first half, Diressa came alive in the second, which was to be expected. Diressa opened the third with a jump shot eleven seconds in. Filip Vujadinovic piled on a three-pointer to trim the Ravens’ lead back to just four at 42-38. But sophomore forward Eddie Ekiyor (Ottawa, ON) quickly answered with a confident spinning post-move that saw him finish with a left-handed hook shot in the paint. Diressa checked out momentarily before re-entering and pouring in nine points by the end of the third. Fortunately for the Ravens, as Diressa heated up, Smythe maintained his marksmanship from long-range, hitting a three-pointer in the dying seconds of the quarter to put Carleton up 65-58 entering the fourth.
Two free throws by Mukama brought the Rams to within 68-67 two minutes into the final frame and a three by Diressa 17 seconds later gave Ryerson it’s first lead of the game at 70-68. But as a hush threatened to bring the Ravens’ Nest to a low murmur, the hometown crowd rallied and so too did the Ravens. Carleton responded with a 10-0 run that was capped off by two free throws from Joseph. The Rams got to as close as 78-77 with 2:38 left, but Ekiyor dealt the decisive blows after slamming a two-handed dunk and adding a short jumper in a 30-second span during the game’s dying moments, helping Carleton secure an 89-80 win.
Source: goravens.ca
Guelph 96 Lakehead 85
The Lakehead men’s basketball team (0-11) fell 96-85 to the Guelph Gryphons (3-8) tonight in their first game back after the holiday break.
The Thunderwolves and Gryphons started the game off with intensity and aggressive defense and they went point for point in the first 8 minutes. Guelph went on a big run at the end of the first and in the second that put the Thunderwolves in a tough position at halftime (51-35).
The Thunderwolves were not going to give up that easy and continued to battle in the second half, bringing it within single digits with 30 seconds left in the fourth. Lakehead outscored Guelph 27-20 in the fourth but were unable to bring it closer after some free throws made by the Gryphons to confirm their win.
“Our effort throughout the game was great. I thought our guys played with confidence and played for each other. We will keep working to get better and we have another opportunity tomorrow night”. – Coach Ryan Thomson
The Thunderwolves were led by guards Mor Menashe with 21 points and Nick Burke with 20. Both players were aggressive at getting to the basket and Guelph struggled to shut them down.
Lakehead will challenge Guelph again tomorrow at 8:00PM in game two of the weekend double header.
Source: thunderwolves.ca
Laurier 76 Western 78
LONDON, Ont. - Fourth-year forward Jedson Tavernierput up a team-high 16 points and a game-winning layup at the buzzer to help lead the Western Mustangs men's basketball team to a 78-76 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Friday evening in Alumni Hall.
"We've been working on our offensive rebounding all week long. I knew that a long shot could come off the rim in a funny way so I just crashed the boards, put it back up, and it was lucky enough to go in," said Tavernier on his game-changing bucket in the final seconds.
Tavernier added five rebounds, four steals, and three assists in the victory to go along with his 16 points, leading the team with a multi-faceted performance.
With the win, the Mustangs improve to a 6-6 record on the year, as they begin the new year off on a high note, remaining in second place in the OUA West Division. The Golden Hawks' loss will drop their record to 3-8 on the season, as they sit in sixth place in the OUA West Division, hoping to surpass Waterloo with a win next game.
Four other Mustangs scored in double figures for the purple and white, as Omar Shiddo and Eriq Jenkins each put up ten points while Christopher Clegg and Nikola Farkic recorded 11 and 15 points, respectively.
"He's great. Nik is a great passer and a heck of a point guard and anytime we can get him more aggressive shooting the ball and looking to score, he makes us tougher to play," said Mustangs' head coach Brad Campbell on Farkic's scoring effort. "We want him to play aggressive and get more shots and he just came out and took it upon himself to make good decisions and make good shots. He was huge for us."
The Golden Hawks were led by star guard Tevaun Kokko, who put up 22 points and four assists in the loss. Amazingly, after being held scoreless through the first half, Kokko went on to lead the game in points with all 22 coming in the second half, trying to will his team to victory.
The Mustangs opened the first quarter struggling to produce on offence, as the Golden Hawks' full court press seemed to rattle the Mustangs to begin the game. Western countered by implementing a press of their own, slowing down the Laurier scoring effort and grinding their way back in the game. The Laurier offence would soon find their rhythm midway through the quarter behind the three-point shot while spreading the Western defence thin. The long-range shooting would propel the Golden Hawks to a 15-13 lead heading into the second quarter.
Foul trouble hindered the Mustangs to start the second frame, as Laurier continued their strong offensive execution in the half court to build up the lead. The Mustangs were held in the game by the efforts of Jenkins and Tavernier, as the pair kept the purple and white within striking distance. The ball movement of the Laurier offence continued to fuel open shots as the three-point opportunities continued to present themselves. However, Tavernier would quickly respond with a pair of threes of his own, leading the Mustang scoring effort and putting the purple and white back in the game, with Western going on a 12-2 run to end the quarter trailing 34-32.
Western came out of the gate firing in the second half, finding their rhythm on offence behind a much-improved half court offence. Jenkins continued to spark the point production for the purple and white. Shots began to fall with regularity for both teams midway through the third, as neither side found a way to make a sustainable run throughout the quarter. A pair of threes from Farkic and Tavernier would give the Mustangs the 60-55 lead heading into the fourth.
Tavernier continued to be both a scoring option and facilitator on the offensive end of the floor to begin the fourth, helping the purple and white to sustain their lead. However, the three-point shooting of the Golden Hawks refused to be denied, as Kokko continuously dug his team out of the hole with his point production, scoring 16 of Laurier's 21 points in the quarter. Both sides would trade baskets through the final minutes of play, with neither side able to pull away until the final second of the matchup, where Tavernier's buzzer beater sent the Mustangs off with a 78-76 victory.
"We just want to keep this momentum going. We have the second spot in the West right now and we're just trying to build that gap between us and the other teams. Our goal is to look towards the playoffs and build towards that success," said Tavernier on the team's goals heading into the new year.
The Mustangs will be back in action this Friday, January 12 where they will take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves in their first meeting of the season. The game is set to begin at 8:00 p.m. and fans can catch the action live at OUA.tv.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Toronto 65 Ottawa 83
Retuning to the floor for OUA competition, the Gee-Gees men’s basketball team used a powerful offensive performance to cruise to a 83-65 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night at Montpetit Hall.
The return of fourth-year forward Brody Maracle was contrasted with fellow forward Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles missing the game due to injury. Maracle looked comfortable in his return leading the team with a strong 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal.
A close game throughout the first quarter, the Gee-Gees offense was feeding though Maracle, who was still finding his rhythm to start the game. A consistent scoring effort for fourth-year guard Brandon Robinson paced the team through the early goings.
At halftime, the Gee-Gees held a 36-28 lead, but it was an explosion of energy and defensive efficiency that helped them pull away in the third quarter. Maracle’s work in the paint and some show-stopping dunks from first-year guard Chase Tynes sealed the win for Ottawa.
11 players checked into the game for the Gee-Gees, each of them scoring a point in the victory. Behind Maracle’s lead in scoring, Robinson had 12 points, Kenny Jean-Louis had 10, and Tynes had 9 to round out a balanced effort for the U SPORTS eighth-ranked Gee-Gees.
“It’s great to be back,” said Maracle. “I’ve had a lot of help from my family, coaches, and teammates to get back. I did a lot of cardio over the break and I knew I wanted to have a big role when I got out here again.”
Content with his team’s performance, Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin highlighted what enabled the team to pull away in the third quarter.
“We got some stops early in the third which led to some good transition baskets,” said Derouin. “They use the clock so well to keep the game at a certain pace so once we had a gap, we finally pulled away. It went from 8 points to 20 really fast. Brody was excellent and we got all around good contributions from everyone tonight.”
To close out the weekend, the Gee-Gees have a marquee matchup with another of the nation’s top teams. The U SPORTS tenth-ranked Ryerson Rams come to Montpetit Hall to do battle in what is always an exhilarating matchup.
“They have talent up and down the lineup, we know what they’re about and we’ll have to be better to beat them tomorrow night,” said Derouin.
Maracle, echoing a similar sentiment, understands that the team needs to take momentum from Friday’s game and carry it into Saturday’s matchup.
“With Jean out there’s such big shoes to fill defensively and offensively and I think we did a good job tonight, but we’re going to have a tough test tomorrow. We need confidence from a win like this, guys stepped up so hopefully we can use that tomorrow and give them a good game,” he said.
Action against the Rams gets underway at 8 p.m. at Montpetit Hall on Saturday. Tickets can be purchased online at tickets.geegees.ca and the game will be steaming live on OUA.tv.
Source: geegees.ca
Algoma 65 Waterloo 87
New Year, same old Nedim Hodzic (Waterloo/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary) as the second year standout forward put up 34 points in a 87-65 win over the Algoma Thunderbirds on Friday night at the PAC.
With the win Waterloo improved to 4-7 on the season, finding themselves in a three-way tie for third in the OUA west with Windsor and Algoma.
Hodzic was unstoppable in the contest going 15-for-24 from the field while adding four from the charity stripe. On the boards, Hodzic was also in beast mode with a game high 16 rebounds. Hodzic continues to lead the OUA in rebounds per game and sits second in the nation with 11.2 boards per contest.
Waterloo shot an impressive 50% from the field compared to just 33.3% for the visitors. The Warriors also won the rebound battle 46-35, contributing to the lopsided win.
Justin Malnerich (Cambridge/St. Benedict's Catholic Secondary School) had a big game off the bench with 19 points, 15 of those coming from beyond the arc while Simon Petrov (Waterloo/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary) tallied 16 in the win.
The two will be back at it tonight at the PAC at 8pm as the Warriors look to inch closer to the .500 mark. The game can be seen live on OUA.tv.
Source: athletics.uwaterloo.ca
Queen’s 74 Nipissing 61
NORTH BAY, Ont. (January 5, 2018) - The Queen's Gaels (8-3) picked up their third consecutive victory with a 74-61 win over the Nipissing Lakers (5-5) on Friday night.
GAME FLOW
The Gaels got rolling offensively early, going on a 7-3 run. Everyone got involved, and the ball was being shared. Tanner Graham(Kingston, Ont.) had the keen eye, finding his teammates twice for baskets. Graham also recorded seven points in the first quarter. Nipissing was also playing excellent team basketball, as they were able to find their teammates for open shots. The Gaels ended the first quarter with the lead, 24-17.
Queen's struggled to score early in the second, and Nipissing appeared to be closing the gap. Jaz Bains (Brampton, Ont) kept their heads above water, by scoring on key possessions, and holding their lead. Nipissing out-scored the Gaels in this quarter, but it would not be enough. The Gaels finished the first half, leading 34-29.
Bains opened the 3rd quarter hot. He knocked down two 3-pointers, and added a layup on top of that. The Gaels went on a 10-2 run in the first minute and a half of this quarter, led by Bains. Queen's also played some strong defence, not allowing the Lakers string together points. The Gaels kept the lead, entering the 4th quarter, 54-43.
The Lakers opened the final quarter with a big layup and a 3-pointer, to cut away at the deficit. Mat Elcock (Waterdown, Ont) would knock down the key 3-pointer, to hold the lead at double-digits. Tanner Graham got himself a big dunk, from the dime by Jaz Bains off a rebound. The Gaels did not slow down in the fourth and knew that no lead was safe. They controlled the board well, once again, and didn't allow the Lakers to get going offensively.
Source: gogaelsgo.com
York 53 Laurentian 92
The Voyageurs men's basketball team began the second half of their season on a high note as they handedly defeated the visiting York Lions tonight on home court. After an impressive first quarter where they outscored their opponent 22-5, the Voyageurs were able to maintain their intensity finishing with a final score of 92-53.
Presence in the paint and shooting percentage proved to be key factors in Laurentian's victory as they out rebounded their opponent 51-30, and shot 58.1% from the field compared to the Lion's 30%. Three point shooting was likewise a notable factor as the Voyageur's shot 40% from behind the arc on their 20 attempts.
Top performer for the home team was second year guard Kadre Gray who contributed 28 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists while third year guard Anthony Iacoe added 15 points of his own, shooting 50% from the field.
Top scorer for the Lions was Prince Kamunga with 15 points.
The Voyageurs will look to continue their 2018 success as they match up against the visiting Queen's University Gaels tomorrow evening on home court. Tip off is at 8 pm.
Source: luvoyageurs.com
January 6, 2018
Brock 89 McMaster 73
The No. 3 ranked Brock University men's basketball team defeated the McMaster Marauders by the score of 89-73 Saturday afternoon at the Burridge Gymnasium.
Brock led 14-10 after 10 minutes and extended that lead to 37-29 at the half, on route to their tenth victory of the regular season
The Badgers had three players in double figures led by Dani Elgadi who registered the double-double adding 24 points and 12 rebounds. Cassidy Ryan contributed with 23 points and nine boards while Johneil Simpsonadded 14 points and four rebounds. Rounding out the Badgers scoring leaders were Tyler Brown who collected 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Trevor Thompson who recorded nine points off the bench in his return to the Badgers lineup.
McMaster had five players in double figures led by Sasha Simic who registered 16 points and five rebounds.
For the game, Brock shot 49.2% (31-for-63) from the floor, 27.8% (5-for-18) from three-point land and 73.3% 22-for-30 from the free throw line. McMaster went 20-for-73 (27.4%) from the field, 8-for-33 (24.2%) from beyond the arc and 25-for-39 (64.1%) from the charity stripe.
The Badgers will be on the road next weekend when they travel north to take on the Algoma Thunderbirds January 12th and 13th.
Source: gobadgers.ca
York 64 Nipissing 68
The Nipissing Lakers men's basketball team showed a lot of grit Saturday night, bouncing back to earn a key victory.
After a tough loss Friday night to begin the second semester, the Lakers pulled off an impressive come-from-behind win over the York Lions.
A game that went down to the wire, was finally sealed late, with Nipissing picking up a 68-64 win over the visiting Lions.
The Lakers improve to 6-5 on the season as they push towards a playoff spot in the tough OUA East Division.
York came out flying, jumping out to a 16-0 lead and in complete control of the game.
They continued with the hot hand through the second quarter and while their lead dipped, they were still in control, up 20-11.
After 20 minutes of play, the Lakers had closed the gap, but still trailed by six, 36-30 at the break.
A huge third quarter and a strong fourth quarter, saw Nipissing grab a hold of the lead.
Nipissing scored 38 points in the second half and sealed the win with some great defence which included taking a number charges down the stretch, sacrificing their bodies for the win.
Ismael Kaba led the way with 16 points, Justin Shaver scored 15 and Marcus Lewis added 12 in the victory.
Nipissing will remain at home to face Toronto and Ryerson next weekend, with games set for 8pm both Friday and Saturday night at the RJS Athletic Centre.
Source: nulakers.ca
Ryerson 73 Ottawa 81
After a solid win over Toronto on Friday night, the Gee-Gees men’s basketball team closed out a perfect home weekend with a scrappy 81-73 win over Ryerson.
Riding a four game win-streak against the Gee-Gees, last year’s national silver medalist was looking to rebound from a hard-fought loss to Carleton on Friday.
The Rams urgency showed in their aggressive attack on the Gee-Gees defence through the first quarter, a handful of open three-point chances allowed them to establish a solid lead early in the matchup.
On the offensive end, the Gee-Gees were tentative, unable to take advantage of open looks, with the Brody Maracle alone in the post, Ottawa was unable to get a consistent attack developed through the first frame.
A better defensive performance in the second quarter allowed some offence to materialize for the Gee-Gees. A more evenly balanced performance had the Garnet and Grey outscoring the Rams 17-15 heading into the halftime break.
The Rams held a 10-point lead early in the third, but a massive 16-0 run by the Gee-Gees had them runaway with the lead. Smothering defence and aggressive transition play fueled a stunning 31-10 final tally through the third.
Maracle was able to consistently score in the paint and raucous dunks from Brandon Robinson and Mackenzie Morrison ignited the crowd at Montpetit Hall. Ryerson was able to re-establish some offence through the fourth quarter, but the game was already won for the Gee-Gees.
The Gee-Gees’ high percentage shooting was key in the win, shooting 51.7 per cent as a team on the night. Ottawa was able to secure the win despite getting out rebounded and losing the turnover battle, both areas the team will look to improve on in upcoming games.
“We showed a lot of grit, we started to defend and that got us back in. Brody and Sean were spectacular tonight, those two with Brandon’s defence set the tone in the second quarter,” said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin.
Maracle was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points, adding 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. Sean Stoqua finished with a double-double tallying 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. The play of Gage Sabean and Brandon Robinson were also key in the win, the pair had 14 and 13 points respectively, with Robinson adding four key steals playing stellar defence.
“It’s about time that we picked it up and played the way we can against Ryerson,” said Robinson. “It shows we can play. Realistically that’s a top three or four team in the country, so that’s a huge win for us and everyone knows that. It shows that we’re still out here contending to be the best team in the country.”
The win moves the Gee-Gees’ OUA record to 10-2 on the season, and with a handful of big matchups still to come for the rest of the semester, the team is hitting their stride.
“These guys understand that we’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Derouin. “We’re trying to get better for March, the OUA East is the toughest division in the country and these were just two days. There’s still a long way to go.”
The Gee-Gees continue their journey with two road games next weekend. On Friday, they take on York in Toronto, before heading to Kingston for a meeting with familiar foe Queen’s on Saturday. Both games are set to tip-off at 8 p.m. on Jan. 12 and 13, with live streams available on OUA.tv.
Source: geegees.ca
Windsor 91 Laurier 98
WATERLOO, Ont. (January 7, 2018) – The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's basketball team showed a lot of resolve Saturday night at the Athletic Complex in Waterloo as they posted a 98-91 victory over the Windsor Lancers to snap a five-game losing streak.
A high-octane offensive game throughout, the Hawks saw a lead they had held through most of the game evaporate late. Given the circumstances, it may have been easier to fold under the pressure, but the Hawks pushed back in the critical moments, ultimately reaping the rewards to pick up their fourth win of the season.
Coming off difficult loss on Friday at Western, the Hawks (4-8) fell into a quick 12-5 hole as the Lancers (4-8) were quick off the mark, making three triples in the first two minutes of action.
Undeterred, the purple and gold themselves started firing away and connecting from deep. Shooting 49 percent as a team from beyond the arc, the long ball played a major role in the Hawks’ success all night long and propelled them to a 28-23 lead after one.
Keeping the Lancers off-balance was another dominant night from Laurier on the glass. Led by Kemel Archer’s (Brampton, Ont.) 11 boards, seven Hawks had four or more rebounds as the purple and gold put in work at both ends, out-rebounding Windsor by a comfortable 51-28 margin.
With eight points to go along with his 11 rebounds in 17 minutes of action, it was a second-straight efficient and effective night for Archer. While pleased with the way his athletic forward is playing to start 2018, Hawks Head Coach Justin Serresse strongly believes that Archer can play even better given the tools he possesses, and will be urging him to not get complacent after a strong weekend.
Up eight at the half, the purple and gold continued to lead throughout the third and into the fourth. While thoroughly entertaining, the contest seemed to be stuck in a holding pattern in which the Hawks could not quite pull away to a double-digit lead, but Windsor could not cut the deficit to one possession.
That pattern held until about halfway through the fourth when OUA Second Team All-Star Mike Rocca (Sarnia, Ont.) and Marcus Jones (Brantford, Ont.) brought the Lancers all the way back, even taking a two-point lead with under three minutes to play.
A consistent force all game, Tevaun Kokko (Markham, Ont.) shone through in the crunch, making clutch shot after clutch shot, firing up the crowd along the way.
Coming off the bench Saturday may have lit a spark under Kokko, as he dropped a career-high 30 points, including 6-10 shooting from three.
The clutch shot-making did not come from just Kokko either. Matt Minutillo (Brantford, Ont.) and Chuder Teny(Kitchener, Ont.) also connected from deep to shoot away Windsor’s hopes and propel Laurier to a very important victory.
Now sitting in a three-way tie for fourth in the OUA West, the Hawks have an important week ahead with a pair of road games at Guelph and McMaster next Wednesday and Saturday. Coach Serresse liked the way his team was able to stick to their game throughout against Windsor, but knows that playing on the road presents unique challenges, and he hopes his team will respond accordingly and continue to impose their pace and energy.
Wednesday's tipoff against Guelph is set for 8 p.m. at the Guelph Gryphons Athletic Centre. The game can be seen live on OUA.tv.
Source: laurierathletics.com
Queen’s 70 Laurentian 71
The Voyageurs men's basketball team won a last second overtime thriller to improve their record to 10-1 on the season, upending the Queen's Gaels, 71-70.
After four very close quarters nearly in favour of the Gaels, the match was sent into overtime when Voyageurs' veteran Anthony Iacoe drained a clutch three pointer with less than ten seconds to go in the game.
Each team traded advantages within the bonus five minutes, however it was the Voyageurs who came away with the victory when second year guard Sam Ivey completed another shot from behind the arc with just 3.9 seconds left in the game, earning Laurentian their tenth win of the season.
Three-point shooting proved to be a solid foundation once again for the Voyageurs who shot 40% from the perimeter on their 25 attempts, with Iacoe going 6-8.
Both Iacoe (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Nelson Yengue (15 points, 10 rebounds) earned double-doubles on the night while David Aromolaran added 16 points of his own, dishing out 9 assists.
Top scorer for the visiting Gaels was Jaz Bains with 29 points.
The Voyageurs will look to keep their winning streak alive as they face off against the #10 Ryerson Rams and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues next weekend at the Ben Avery Gym. Tip off is set for 8pm.
Source: luvoyageurs.com
Algoma 65 Waterloo 67
Colin Connors (St. Johns/Gonzaga High (Brock)) knocked down a buzzer-beating three to win the game for the Warriors, who swept the weekend series against the Algoma Thunderbirds. The Warriors were down by as many as 16 points, but ultimately prevailed by a score of 67-65 on Saturday night.
The game started with a three by Justin Hardy (Waterloo/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary), but the Warriors didn't score another field goal for nearly four minutes, when a layup by Evan Rodenburg (Cambridge/St. Benedict's Catholic Secondary School) broke the drought and cut the deficit to 3 points. Coming off the bench late in the 1st quarter, Algoma's Pedro Costa scored the Thunderbirds` next 14 points, giving his team a 24-15 lead after 10 minutes of play.
The Warriors were strong on defense to start the 2nd quarter, holding Algoma without a field goal for four minutes. However, back-to-back blocks on Nedim Hodzic (Waterloo/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary) resulted in a quick five points in transition for Algoma's Ian Nash, who extended the Thunderbirds' lead to 16 points. On the strength of 40.5% shooting and 7 blocks, Algoma led the Warriors 41-25 at halftime.
Both teams traded baskets to start the second half. After missing a three, Justin Malnerich (Cambridge/St. Benedict's Catholic Secondary School) saved his own miss from bouncing into the stands and passed it off to David Ramon Prados (Madrid/Virgen de Atocha (North Platte College)) (Madrid, Spain), who drained a three and forced Algoma to call a timeout with the score at 51-40 . The Warriors didn`t stop scoring, as they went on a 9-2 run to close the quarter, capped off by a buzzer-beating layup by Simon Petrov (Waterloo/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary). Waterloo trailed by only 4 points at the end of the 3rd quarter.
With just over five minutes remaining in the game, Justin Hardy (Waterloo/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary) was called for colliding with Ian Nash in the air, but picked up an additional technical and fouled out with the Warriors trailing by 6. Hardy`s exit from the game sparked a Warriors 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 1. Warriors coach Justin Gunter called his second timeout with 8.2 seconds left to move the ball up the court.
On the ensuing inbound, David Ramon Prados (Madrid/Virgen de Atocha (North Platte College)) found Nedim Hodzic (Waterloo/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary) at the elbow. Hodzic drew a double team and kicked it out to an open Colin Connors (St. Johns/Gonzaga High (Brock)) (St. John's, NL), who beat the buzzer with a game-winning three.
Justin Hardy (Waterloo/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary) led the Warriors with a game-high 21 points. Nedim Hodzic (Waterloo/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary) added 15 points and 14 rebounds for his 8th double-double of the season. Colin Connors (St. Johns/Gonzaga High (Brock)) had 8 points, which included the game-winning three pointer. Algoma had four players in double figures, led by Pedro Costa's 16 points.
The Warriors play next at home against the McMaster Marauders on January 10. Game time is 8:00 pm.
Source: athletics.uwaterloo.ca
Guelph 67 Lakehead 87
The Lakehead men’s basketball team (1-11) picked up their first win of the season tonight in a well-deserved win over the Guelph Gryphons (3-9), 87-67.
After last night’s loss, the Thunderwolves came out on fire and determined for the win. The Wolves finished the first quarter with two back-to-back threes from Michael Poirier and Kache Kopec to give their team a 20-12 lead.
Guelph brought it within 5 in the second but the Thunderwolves maintained their high energy and momentum to put them up 10 at half (37-27)
The Thunderwolves continued to capitalize on Guelph’s struggle to score, pushing their lead.
With shots falling and an energetic defense, the Thunderwolves outscored the Gryphons by ten points in the second half to give them their first win of the season.
“I was really proud of how our guys play tonight. I thought we competed for 40 minutes with a bit of a rough spell in second-quarter there but after half time we got back into doing what we had to do. I know the guys are happy and it feels nice to get a win. I am really proud of how they all responded” – Coach Ryan Thomson
Mor Menashe and Nick Burke were unstoppable tonight putting up 23 and 22 points. As a team, the Thunderwolves out rebounded the Gryphons 42-33.
The Wolves are out of town next weekend for a double header against Western.
Source: thunderwolves.ca
Toronto 54 Carleton 103
OTTAWA, ON – The Ravens eclipsed the century mark for the third time this regular season as part of a 103-54 victory over the Varsity Blues, who fall to 6-6 with the loss, while Carleton improves to 12-0 following Saturday night’s win at the Ravens’ Nest.
Fourth-year guard Eman Owootoah (Rexdale, ON) had one of his best games of the season in a well-rounded performance that saw him score 18 points, which included five three-pointers, while also handing out three assists and snagging five steals in 21 minutes off the bench.
GAME FLOW:
After a tightly contested contest against Ryerson on Friday night, the Ravens soared into Saturday night’s tilt against Toronto looking to score early and often from the game’s onset. Carleton broke out to a 11-2 lead behind two three-pointers from forward Cam Smythe (Vancouver, BC). Evan Shadkami scored six of his 11 points in the quarter to help Toronto reduce the lead, but Yasiin Joseph (Ottawa, ON) hit a buzzer beating three to cement a 27-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
Carleton’s height advantage paid dividends throughout the second as Toronto was unable to control the rebounding prowess of sophomore forward Eddie Ekiyor(Ottawa, ON). Ekiyor corralled an offensive rebound and finished with a nice layup off the backboard at the 6:14 mark to put the Ravens up 37-16. But the lead was hardly done growing. A jump shot by Ekiyor in the final minute closed out a first half that saw Carleton close out the second quarter up 51-22.
William Kohler made his Ravens season debut in the third quarter and made an immediate impact. Kohler missed his first shot off the back of the rim, but soared for the offensive rebound before missing the put back attempt, which bounced conveniently to Smythe, who handed the ball off to Kohler, who finally finished off the play for his first basket of the season. Carleton’s bench unit was integral in a third quarter where the Ravens outscored the Varsity Blues 27-15 to enter the final 10 minutes leading 78-38.
Head coach Dave Smart continued to lean on his bench in the fourth quarter. Forward Mitch Jackson (Regina, SK) and Owootoah used the valuable playing time as an opportunity to go to work. Owootoah hit three of his five three pointers in the final quarter, while Jackson scored nine of his 13 points in the quarter to bolster a final score of 103-54.
Source: goravens.ca
