OUA M-BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: NO. 1 CARLETON TOPS IN EAST DIVISION
Carleton opened Saturday's game edging the Gee-Gees in the first quarter with a 23-21 advantage. Carleton held a 41-34 margin heading into halftime.
In the second half, the Gee-Gees responded by having a terrific third quarter, outscoring the Ravens 24-14 to take a 58-55 lead. In the final 10 minutes, Carleton turned the game around once again by putting on an impressive performance, holding the home team to only 11 points at they closed out a 76-69 victory.
Carleton out-rebounded Ottawa 41-26.
Leading scoring for the Ravens was Kevin McCleery (Ottawa, Ont.) with a game-high 27 points and another game-high 13 rebounds. Stuart Turnbull (Kingston, Ont.) contributed with 22 points and 11 rebounds and Robert Saunders (Kingston, Ont.) rounded out Carleton's scoring with 11 points and three boards.
The Gee-Gees were led by Josh Gisbon Bascombe (Toronto, Ont.) who totalled 19 points and nine rebounds. Teammate Josh Wright (Utica, N.Y.) added 15 points and one rebound while Donnie Gibson (Odessa, Ont.) tallied 10 points and 2 boards in the Gee-Gees' loss.
Source: Ravens Athletics
NO. 5 WESTERN 74, BROCK 71
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock Badgers men's basketball team had their 2008-09 season come to an end Saturday afternoon at home as they dropped a 74-71 decision to No. 5 ranked Western Mustangs.
In the first five minutes of the second quarter, Western went on a 19-0 run leading 39-14. Brock would close the gap over the next five minutes, going on a 19-5 run of their own as they trailed 44-30 after 20 minutes.
To open the third, the Badgers would bring it within two points 45-43 with 6:26 remaining in the quarter. The experienced Mustangs line-up would push the lead back to 10 (58-48) with just over two minutes left and led by seven (61-54) after three quarters.
Western would look to have control as they went on a 6-0 in the first three minutes of the final frame leading (67-54), but the young Brock squad would not go away battling back to within three points 72-69 with three minutes left in regulation.
Sophomore Andrew Ferguson (St. Catharines, Ont.) would have a chance to tie the game at 2:17 on a three-ball that would rattle in and out, as Western capitalized next time down the floor on a Bradley Smith (Churchill, Ont.) basket which would eventually seal the victory.
Keenan Jeppesen (Stoney Creek, Ont.) led the Mustangs with a game high 22 points and 10 rebounds. Alex Brzozowicz (Oak Park, Ill.) and Andrew Wedemire (Sarnia, Ont.) both contributed with 14 points each.
For the Badgers, senior Owen White (Port Hope, Ont.) ended his university career with a 22-point performance. Ferguson added a career-high 18 points including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Freshman Chris Stinson (Ottawa, Ont.) collected 10 points and eight rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.
Source: Badgers Athletics
NO. 8 WINDSOR 81, LAURIER 65
WINDSOR, Ont. - The Windsor Lancers men's basketball team secured the No. 2 seed in the OUA West playoffs as they defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks 81-65 on Saturday afternoon at the St. Denis Centre.
With the victory, the No. 8 nationally ranked Lancers earn a first round playoff bye and will host the OUA West semi-finals on Saturday at the St. Denis Centre.
Windsor finishes the regular season with a 15-7 record and were nationally-ranked in the CIS Top 10 for the entire year.
On Saturday, the Golden Hawks got off to a fast start as they opened up an early 8-0 lead against the home team. The Lancers responded with a run of their own and cut the Laurier lead to 20-18 after one quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lancers began to take control of the game as the tandem of Isaac Kuon (Mississauga, Ont.) and Nigel Johnson-Tygther (Brampton, Ont.) began to heat up. Windsor went on a 12-2 run as they took control of the lead, 41-36 at the half.
The second half was more of the same as the Golden Hawks were unable to find an answer for the potent Lancer scoring attack.
Greg Surmacz (Peterborough, Ont.), playing with a dislocated finger from a week ago, showed his versatility as he took over offensively and on the glass. The fifth-year senior finished with 17 points and five rebounds as Windsor cruised to the victory.
In the win, Kuon finished with 18 points and seven rebounds while Johnson-Tyghter also had a big game with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Cameron (Fergus, Ont.) was also solid as he finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Jesse MacDonald (Brantford, Ont.) had a game-high 24 points, including six buckets from three-point range.
Saturday was also Seniors Day as the Lancers celebrated the final regular season home game of graduating seniors Surmacz and Corey Boswell (Detroit, Mich.).
Source: Lancers Athletics
WATERLOO 72, MCMASTER 66
WATERLOO, Ont. - The Waterloo Warriors hosted the McMaster Marauders in their OUA season finale on Saturday afternoon and came out on top with a 72-66 win.
With the win, Waterloo advances to the playoffs on Wednesday. A Guelph win over Lakehead Saturday night put the Warriors and Gryphons in a deadlock for fourth place, however, Guelph holds the tie-breaker and therefore receives home court advantage when the two teams clash in round one of the playoffs.
Waterloo scored within the first four seconds of the game and had an exceptional first half. McMaster tied it on the next possession, but the next Waterloo score had them leading the rest of the game. Dan White (Waterloo, Ont.) and Cam McIntyre (Waterloo, Ont.) had six three-pointers in the first half, leading the Warriors with 12 points each. Waterloo opened the first two quarters with efforts of 23-12 and 22-11 to lead by 22-points at half time.
Waterloo extended the lead to 25 points early in the second half before McMaster had two separate 12-0 runs to close the gap to single digits and make a game of it in the fourth quarter. McMaster reduced the lead to just five points with eight minutes to play, but Waterloo bounced back and extended the lead to 10 again quickly. In the final minute, McMaster had the gap down to four points but ran out of time and lost by six.
White, recognized before the game as the graduating senior, led the Warriors with 21 points and seven rebounds. McIntyre added 14 points. Waterloo head coach Tom Kieswetter shortened the bench for this crucial game as only eight Warriors saw floor time. At tip-off the playoff future was not yet certain. But during the first quarter news from St. Catharines of Brock's loss to Western assured Waterloo a playoff spot.
For McMaster, Tyrell Vernon (Hamilton, Ont.) and Marko Gacic (Hamilton, Ont.) had 11 points each. McMaster played knowing they had finished in third place in the OUA West regardless of the outcome of the game. Earlier in the day, Windsor had secured second place with a win over Laurier.
Source: Warriors Athletics
GUELPH 73, LAKEHEAD 54
GUELPH, Ont. - The Guelph Gryphons closed out their 2008-2009 regular season with a 73-54 victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Saturday at the W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre. Guelph turned a stilted, scrappy battle into a one-sided, offensive explosion in the fourth quarter, outscoring Lakehead 27-6 in the final frame to take the victory.
The Gryphons will be moving on to host an OUA playoff game on Wednesday against the Waterloo Warriors at 7 p.m. in the W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre.
A pair of graduating seniors helped lead the Gryphons to the win. Fifth-year centre Duncan Milne (Calgary, Ont.) had a team-high 15 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. Fellow graduating senior Nick Pankerichan (Hamilton, Ont.) added nine points in only 16 minutes of play, after an injury forced him to leave mid-way through the game but return in the fourth quarter.
In what was their final home regular season game, the pair went out as winners. Pankerichan will graduate as the second all-time Gryphon scorer with a total of 1,231 career points. He is a former OUA All-Rookie, multiple OUA All-Star, team MVP and captain. Milne has progressed like no other player in Gryphon history, being named a two-time Most Improved and Department of Athletics Don Cameron Most Improved Award winner.
The two teams swapped leads throughout the third quarter, and the Thunderwolves held a slim 48-46 advantage with 10 minutes to go. But those final 10 minutes were dominated by the Gryphons. Battling back from an earlier injury in the game, Pankerichan returned to the court and made two consecutive three-pointers in the fourth quarter.
As the clock wound down, the Gryphons simply out-gunned the Thunderwolves, getting shots to count and forcing their opponents to hurry their attempts. Lakehead managed to score only six points in the fourth quarter as the Gryphons held on for the win.
The Gryphons displayed their depth this evening, getting 26 points of the bench compared to just 11 for Lakehead. Guelph shot an impressive 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the field compared to Lakehead's 32.6 percent (15-of-46). Guelph out-rebounded Lakehead 33-27 on the night. Lakehead was 15-of-46 (32.6 percent) from the field and 6-of-16 from long range while Guelph was 26-of-61 (36.4 percent) and 7-of-18 from beyond the arc. Guelph was 14-of-18 (77.8 percent) from the foul line while the Wolves went only 18-of-26 (69.2 percent).
Rookie Dan McCarthy (Guelph, Ont.) was a bright spot for the Gryphons, especially when they struggled in the first half. He finished with 15 points including 3-of-4 from three-point land, while Jonathan Moscatelli (Toronto, Ont.) chipped in with 14 points.
Leading the Thunderwolves was Kiraan Posey (Baltimore, Mary.) with a game-high 17 points and seven rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter in the senior's final career game.
Source: Gryphons Athletics
TORONTO 100, RYERSON 59
TORONTO, Ont. - The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team handily defeated the Ryerson Rams 100-59 on Saturday at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
The Blues end the regular season with a record of 14-7 and in third place in the OUA East division. They will host the sixth-place Queen's Gaels on Wednesday in an OUA East quarter-final game.
Led by Rob Paris' (St. Catharines, Ont.) 12 first-quarter points, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, the Blues held a 25-12 lead at the end of the first frame.
Toronto continued to dominate offensively in the second and held CIS point-leader Boris Bakovic (Toronto, Ont.) to only two points in the process. Third-year guard Anthony DeGiorgio (Toronto, Ont.) and veteran Nick Magalas (Burlington, Ont.) combined for 19 points in the second quarter to give Toronto a 30-point lead (56-26) at the half.
The Rams attempted to rally in the third but the Blues did not let up and continued to outscore Ryerson in the final two frames. Bakovic had an impressive 11-point fourth quarter, however it was too little, too late as Toronto walked away with their first triple-digit win of the regular season.
The Blues had five players in double digits. DeGiorgio led the way with a game-high 20 points, while Paris had 19 and Drazen Glisic (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina) added 16 of his own. Magalas and Justin Holmes (Toronto, Ont.) recorded 11 points apiece.
Bakovic led the Rams and recorded a double-double with a team-high 19 points and 10 boards. Joseph Imbrogno (Toronto, Ont.) tallied nine points and Ryan McNeilly (Toronto, Ont.) had eight.
Source: Varsity Blues Athletics
QUEEN'S 99, RMC 72
KINGSTON, Ont. - Ryan Hairsine (St. Marys, Ont.) led the Gaels with 19 points ending Queen's 10 game losing streak and securing a playoff berth with a 99-72 victory over the Royal Military College on Saturday.
Hairsine's 19 points was a game high and marked one of six Gaels who scored in double-digits as Queen's finish up the 2008-09 regular season with a victory.
Kurtis Lawes (Sunridge, Ont.) recorded 14 points, while Matt Johnston (Halifax, N.S.) and Daniel Bannister (Newmarket, Ont.) both finished with 12 points. Fifth-year forward Robert Shaw (Toronto, Ont.) and Nick Didonato (Sault St. Marie, Ont.) finished with 11 points rounding out the double-digit players.
The Paladins had five players shooting double-digits in the loss with Matthew Wookey (Sarina, Ont.) leading RMC with 16 points.
RMC finishes up with their second straight season without a victory falling 0-22 while, Queen's end the regular season with an 7-15 record.
With the win the Gaels advance to the OUA East quarter-final playoff, and travel to Toronto to play the Varsity Blues on Wednesday.
Source: Gaels Athletics
OUA SCOREBOARD
February 21, 2009
Windsor 81, Laurier 65
Western 74, Brock 71
Waterloo 72, McMaster 66
Queen's 99, RMC 72
Guelph 73, Lakehead 54
Toronto 100, Ryerson 59
Carleton 76, Ottawa 69