M-BASKETBALL WEEKEND ROUNDUP: No. 3 Rams down Lakehead at home
The No. 3 Ryerson Rams men’s basketball team used a dominating first quarter to defeat the Lakehead Thunderwolves 80-65 on Saturday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Lakehead 65 @ Ryerson 80 (Saturday)
The No. 3 Ryerson Rams men's basketball team used a dominating first quarter to defeat the Lakehead Thunderwolves 80-65 on Saturday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Jahmal Jones (Mississauga, Ont.) had a game-high 22 points and added ten assists for the double-double while Aaron Best (Scarborough, Ont.) netted 21 points and Kadeem Green (Richmond Hill, Ont.) added 20 to pace the Rams.
Ryerson burst out of the gate, shooting the lights out for 29 first quarter points but also playing their coveted strong defence and limited the Thunderwolves to just three points to own a dominant 26 point lead after ten minutes.
The Rams were fortunate for their strong start, as Lakehead proceeded to outscore the home squad in each of the remaining three quarters.
Ryerson led 48-24 at halftime but the Thunderwolves got back to within 12 points in the fourth quarter before the Rams were able to go on an 8-0 run to restablish a 20 point edge and cruise to the 80-65 victory.
Lakehead's Jamar Coke had a team-high 13 points off the bench and Dwayne Harvey added 12 points in the loss.
The Rams improve to 15-2 on the season while Lakehead drops to 9-7. Ryerson will be back on the court on Wednesday, February 11 when they take on their cross town rivals, the Toronto Varsity Blues, in the BIA Cup.
Friday, February 6
Lakehead 73 @ Toronto 70
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team fell 73-70 to the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday, January 6 at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
With Toronto leading 53-46 after three quarters, Lakehead exploded for 27-fourth quarter points and a late jumper from Dwayne Harvey sealed the win for the visiting squad.
Third-year Blues forward Devin Johnson led all players with 23 points, going 8-for-17 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the free throw line, while also adding a game-high nine rebounds on the night.
Fourth-year guard Julian Clarke notched 17 points and five assists, while Kwasi Oti-Awere added eight points in the loss.
Four Lakehead players hit double digits, with Mor Menashe leading with 16 points. Harvey tallied 14 points, with Bacarius Dinkins and Henry Tan adding 10 and 12 points, respectively, in the win.
Ottawa 66 @ Carleton 79
The #2 Carleton Ravens took care of business against the #1 Ottawa Gee-Gees in the MBNA Capital Hoops Classic in the nation's capital.
It was a CIS regular season attendance record of 10, 780 at the Canadian Tire Centre for the much-anticipated re-match of the country's top two programs.
From the opening tip it was impossible to take your eyes off the court. First a floater from Thomas Scrubb. Then a short jumper from Johnny Berhanemeskel. Then a three. Then a pair of free-throws. Then a put-back.
After an Ottawa scoring drought of almost three minutes, the Ravens would pull ahead to an early 11-4 lead. Another jumper from Berhanemeskel gave the Gee-Gees life again, as the teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter.
Carleton led 24-15 after the first.
A three from Philip Scrubb started the second for the Ravens. Then another look from Thomas Scrubb inside. All of a sudden Carleton had a 30-17 advantage.
But Ottawa answered quickly, with a three from Mike L'Africain then another floater from Berhanemeskel. Back-to-back buckets from Matt Plunkett cut the deficit to just 5, forcing a Carleton timeout from Head Coach Dave Smart.
With the Scrubb brothers finding baskets inside, and a pair of threes from Gavin Resch, the Ravens were able to re-establish a 46-35 lead heading into the half.
Thomas Scrubb (16 points, 7 rebounds) led the way for Carleton, who shot 49% from the field (42% from downtown). Resch, Philip Scrubb, and Connor Wood all finished with 8 points in the half.
Meanwhile Berhanemeskel (16 points, 3 assists) paced the Gee-Gees, who shot an impressive 50% from the floor and 6-9 from downtown. Ottawa also committed 8 turnovers (while the Ravens gave it up just once) before the break.
Ottawa came out firing in the third – with a three from Caleb Agada and a long jumper from L'Africain – bringing the score to within four.
And then Berhanemeskel got hot, hitting three consecutive lay-ups for the Gee-Gees to give Ottawa a 54-51 lead with 2:30 to play in the quarter. But a quick pair of baskets in response gave the Ravens a 55-54 edge heading into the fourth.
Early in the final frame Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles made his mark hitting back-to-back buckets to give Carleton some breathing room. Then it was the Thomas Scrubb show again, who went on a 7-point burst to give the Ravens a 66-57 lead.
Despite a late push the Gee-Gees couldn't find their way back into it. With Carleton hitting their free-throws, the Ravens walked away victorious.
Final score: Carleton 79 Ottawa 66
"I thought we did a pretty good job defensively for the most part. They are tough, they have a lot of talent," said Smart afterwards.
Thomas Scrubb finished with a double-double of 29 points and 12 rebounds – both game-highs. Philip Scrubb (13 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds), Resch (13 points, 3-6 from three), and Wood (10 points) all finished in double figures for the Ravens.
Berhanemeskel had an impressive nights of his own, piling up 28 points on 10-17 shooting. L'Africain (11 points, 7 rebounds) and Plunkett (10 points) also chipped in for the Gee-Gees offense.
Both teams had excellent shooting nights from the floor (Carleton 43%, Ottawa 40%) and from the line (both 75%). But a 43-35 rebounding advantage for the Ravens and 12 Ottawa turnovers proved to be the Gee-Gees downfall.
Algoma 62 @ Laurier 82
Rookie guard Chuder Teny of Kitchener, Ont., scored a career-high 23 points and added four rebounds as the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's basketball team defeated the Algoma Thunderbirds 82-62 on Friday night at the Athletic Complex.
Teny, whose previous best total of 10 points came in the Hawks last game against Lakehead, was lights-out from the floor, in particular from three-point range. The graduate of Grand River CI shot an impressive 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and finished the game 6-for-9 from the field overall. He also converted six of his seven free throw attempts as he finished the night leading all scorers in the contest.
Also starring for the purple and gold in this game was fourth year guard Will Coulthard of Oakville, Ont. The Hawks leading scorer finished the game with 20 points, the third straight contest he's scored 20 or more points, while also dishing out three assists.
Forward Kyrie Coleman of Washington, D.C., chipped in with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Despite the scoreline, it was an inauspicious start for the Golden Hawks as they struggled in the opening quarter. Laurier connected on just four attempts from the floor as they trailed the visitors 18-8 after 10 minutes of play.
In the second, the Hawks started to turn their game around thanks to the long ball. Owen Coulthard of Oakville, Ont., and his brother Will connected early on in the quarter before Teny evened the game with a three-ball of his own and Laurier went into the half tied at 34 with the Thunderbirds.
Laurier continued to get better in the third led by the veteran Coleman. His strong work in the post helped the Hawks take their first lead of the game, and one they would not relinquish for the remainder of the night.
Still only up five heading into the final 10 minutes, Teny took over the game for the purple and gold. The freshman scored 13 of his 23 points in the final frame to help the Hawks close out the 20-point victory.
With the win, Laurier improves to 6-9 on the season as they moved three games up on the Waterloo Warriors for the third and final playoff spot in the OUA West division. The loss drops Algoma to 1-15 on the year.
Western 86 @ Nipssing 65
It was another tight contest for the majority of the game, but a few minutes of cold shooting ended up hurting the Nipissing Lakers men's basketball team.
Against a strong Western Mustangs team, the Lakers knew they couldn't afford any slip up, and while the effort was there, the Mustangs hit some key shots and ended up with an 86-65 victory.
After a tough first quarter, where the Lakers found themselves down 21-12, they put together 20 straight minutes of very strong basketball and played even with the Western Mustangs.
At the half, the Lakers trailed 38-30 and then after three quarters, they were only down by nine, but they couldn't sustain that pace and slipped up in the final quarter as the Mustangs walked away with the win.
Pacing the Lakers offensively was Marcus Lewis who had a big game, putting up 20 points including a monster jam in the third quarter to get everyone in the building on their feet.
Marcos Clennon continued his solid year with 14 points and Wil Konybai has been hot of late, scoring 10 points for Nipissing.
The Lakers will now turn their attention to the number five team in the country, the Windsor Lancers, who will pay a visit to Nipissing Saturday night.
The game will make the final home game of the season for the Lakers, who will play their final four games on the road following Saturday's contest.
Windsor 78 @ Laurentian 65
The Laurentian Voyageur men's basketball team was facing off against the Windsor Lancers this evening in the Ben Avery. Having won their last three games, the men were looking to break the .500 mark with a win against the Lancers. The men got off to a slow start, and, despite an offensive push in the second half, were unable to catch up to the Lancers. The home team ended the game trailing by 13 as the Lancers went on to take the game 78-65.
The Voyageurs came out flat footed from the tip off, and the Lancers took advantage of the home team?s lethargic play. The Lancers outplayed the Voyageurs at both ends of the court, getting up 24-13 to end the first quarter. Coming into the second the Voyageurs picked themselves up and made it a game. Third year Ryan Bennett came up big in the second, putting up 11 points and giving the Voyageurs the energy they needed to go into halftime.
The Voyageurs came back into the third trailing by 17, yet brought their momentum from the previous half into the second, and played their best quarter of the game. The men were lead by veteran Tycoon Carter-Newman?s offensive presence, and outscored the Lancers 13-14 in the quarter, slimming the gap between both games going into the fourth.
Despite being able to outscore the Lancers scoring in the last two quarters, the men were unable to dig themselves out of the hole they dug themselves in the first. The Lancers held onto their lead until the end, edging the Voyageurs 78-65 in what was a tale of two halves for the home team.
Source: Laurentian Voyageurs
Saturday, February 7
Queen's 49 @ McMaster 71
The McMaster men's basketball team used some stifling defense to defeat the Queen's Gaels 71-49 during Marauder Weekend festivities on Saturday afternoon in the Burridge Gym.
The opening tip was controlled by the Marauders, who went on a 9-0 run to start the game and force Queen's into an early timeout. Not much changed coming out of the break though as McMaster kept up the defensive pressure and by the end of the quarter, the Mac lead was 18-4. The four points allowed was one of the best defensive quarters McMaster has played this season.
The second quarter was much like the first, as the Marauders made it tough on the Gaels to score. Queen's did manage to get 12 points in the quarter, but McMaster scored 20 to take a 38-16 lead into halftime.
Queen's could only make 6 of 31 (19%) shots in the first-half, while the Marauders were shooting at a 47% rate (15 of 32).
McMaster won the third quarter 20-13 to extend its lead to 58-29 after 30 minutes, which was the largest margin of the contest.
The final quarter saw the Gaels reduce the deficit slightly, as a rash of Marauder fouls had Queen's in the bonus early and McMaster was content to work the shotclock down to keep any Gael comeback hopes from materializing.
The Gaels ended up shooting just 28% from the floor, while McMaster cooled off in the second half and finished with a field-goal percentage of 40%. The Marauders won the battle of the boards 50-35.
Leading a balanced Mac attack was Joe Rocca with 16, Aaron Redpath dropped 11 and Trevon McNeil added 10. Gael Greg Faulkner had a game-high 17 to lead all scorers.
Holding the Gaels under 50 points for the game was testament to the solid defensive effort McMaster put on display.
Algoma 85 @ Laurier 82
WATERLOO, Ont. (February 7, 2015) - The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's basketball team could not complete the weekend sweep of the Algoma Thunderbirds as they lost 85-82 on Saturday afternoon at the Athletic Complex.
Laurier was unable to contain forward Terrell Campbell as the Thunderbirds big man finished the afternoon with a game-high 28 points. He also chipped in with six rebounds and five assists to lift his team to just their second win of the season.
Two other Thunderbirds also finished in double-figures as Adam Benrabah of Victoria, B.C., and Callum White, also of Victoria, B.C., had 12 and 11 points respectively. Brett Zufelt of Newmarket, Ont., added 13 rebounds along with seven points.
For Laurier, the loss overshadowed another great game from Will Coulthard of Oakville, Ont. The Hawks fourth year guard and leading scorer posted 20-plus points for the fourth straight game, finishing with 23 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists.
James Agyeman of Brampton, Ont., and Garrison Thomas of Burlington, Ont., added 15 points apiece while rooking guard Chuder Teny of Kitchener, Ont., finished the contest with 14 points, one night after scoring a career-high 23.
One day after getting off to a slow start, the Hawks were much sharper in the opening quarter on Saturday afternoon. Laurier poured in 25 points in the opening 10 minutes but could not slow down the Thunderbirds as the Hawks held just a 25-22 lead.
The Thunderbirds slowly began to take over the game over the next two quarters on the strength of Campbell. Laurier was unable to slow down Algoma's leading scorer as he made shots from both the inside and outside to help them earn a 61-53 lead after three quarters.
In the fourth, the Thunderbirds appeared poised to run away with the game as they stretched their advantage to 14 points. However, thanks to Coulthard, Laurier was able to make a run of their own and cut the lead to 83-82 with 30 seconds left in the contest. That would be as close as they would get though as the Hawks could not execute on offence in their final two possessions and lost their 10th game of the year.
The purple and gold now sit at 6-10 on the season and hold a three game lead for the final playoff spot with four games remaining.
Laurier will look to rebound from the loss next Friday night when they host the Laurentian Voyageurs (6-8) at the Athletic Complex. Tip off is set for 8 p.m.
York 101 @ Brock 89
The Brock University men's basketball team (6-10 OUA) was defeated by the York Lions (9-7 OUA) 101-89, Saturday afternoon, at the Bob Davis gymnasium.
The Badgers were facing a strong York side highlighted by their 6' 7" "big man" Nick Tufegdzich who is almost always caught at the forefront of York's scoring summary.
Early on, Brock worked tirelessly to contain the Lion's offensive attack; the Badgers held York to only 32 points in the half, and were limiting scoring chances for Tufegdzich with strong defence in the paint.
Brock led by five heading into the third frame, which was highlighted by a monster dunk thrown down by Badger forward Dani Elgadi. Unfortunately for Brock, Elgadi's dunk seemed to build momentum for the visiting side, as the Lions would go on a tear, scoring 31 points to Brock's 20 in the quarter.
York's shooting improved dramatically in the second-half, as they would drop 8-of-10 from beyond the arc, bolstering the Lions to the 101-89 victory.
All five of Brock's starters reached double-digits for points; led by Matt Marshall who collected 24 points and 13 boards for the double-double. Dani Elgadi collected a double-double of his own, tallying 19 points and 10 rebounds in the game. Johneil Simpson and Nolan Mackenzie tallied 19, and 16 points respectively, while Zach Angelini chipped in with 11 points and three rebounds.
Once again, York's scoring was led by Tufegdzich who collected a game-high 27 points, while adding 12 rebounds. Richard Iheadindhu accounted for 23 points out of the Lion's total offence.
For the game, the Badgers shot 43.1% (31-for-72) from the field, 26.9% (7-for-26) from beyond the arc and 80% (20-for-25) from the charity stripe. York shot 45.5% (35-for-77) from the field, 45.8% (11-for-24) from three point territory, and 74.1% (20-for-27) from the free-throw line. Brock outrebounded York; collecting a total of 41 to their oppositions 40 boards.
Windsor 91 @ Nipissing 76
It was a great opportunity for the Nipissing Lakers men's basketball team to close out their home schedule with a win, as they welcomed the shorthanded Windsor Lancers to the RJS Nipissing Athletic Centre.
The Lancers were coming off a win Friday night in Sudbury over Laurentian, but were undermanned and only dressed six players.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, those six players stepped up in the absence of their teammates and made some big shots, played solid defence and topped the Lakers by a final of 91-76.
There wasn't really a let down from the Lakers, it was a consistent effort for the most part through all four quarters, it was just the Lancers who were able to take advantage of strong defensive stands, which turned into points at the other end.
After the first quarter, the Lancers led the Lakers 28-21 and at half time, it was a 14 point cushion for the Lancers, as they were up 49-35.
It was a deficit for the Lakers, but not one that was too big to overcome.
The problem was the Lancers continued their strong play in the second half as they built on the lead in the third and hung on in the fourth to pick up the victory.
Four of the five Lancers starters hit double digits.
It was a strong offensive game for Nipissing as well, as they had four players in double digits also.
Led by Marcos Clennon with 21, Jordon Campbell had 18, Marcus Lewis put up 17 and Wil Konybai chipped in with 13, the Lakers had a balanced attack, but still fell short.
This was Nipissing's final home game of the season as they will now hit the road for the final four games on the schedule.
Guelph 71 @ Toronto 73
Four players hit double digits as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team defeated the Guelph Gryphons 73-71 on Saturday, February 7 at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
With the win, the Blues improve to 4-11 and sit just two points back of third place in the OUA East division.
Third-year forward Devin Johnson had a double-double of 16 points and 11 boards, while Manny Sahota had 14 points and six rebounds on the night.
Julian Clarke notched 11 points and four assists, with Denis Ankrah adding 11 points and eight rebounds in the win.
Both teams went back and forth to start the game until Dylan Churchill came off the bench and gave Toronto a 20-14 lead after the first quarter. The Blues led by as many as 13 early in the second, but Guelph came back to bring it within four (41-37) at halftime.
Toronto restored their 10-point cushion but Guelph's Daniel Dooley came up with 13 points in the third quarter to keep the game in reach. Taylor Boers evened the game at 66-66 with 6:34 remaining but four minutes later Johnson hit a huge three and Clarke drained a free throw to give Toronto a four-point lead. Despite a Boers three in the final minute, the Blues came up with some big defence to seal the win 73-71.
Dooley ended the game with 20 points and five assists, with Boers adding 11 in the loss.
The Varsity Blues are back in action this Wednesday night (Feb. 11) as they head to Ryerson for the second installment of the BIA Cup. Game time is set for 8 p.m.
Western 87 @ Laurentian 80
With the lead changing 16 times and the score tied 11 times, the Mustangs were able to snag the victory in an overtime thriller with a final score of 87-80 over the Laurentian Voyageurs at the Ben Avery Gymnasium on Saturday night.
The Mustang record updates to 11-6 keeping them in second place in the OUA West division, right behind the Windsor Lancers. The Laurentian Voyageurs record moves to 6-9 keeping them in third place in the OUA North division standings.
In an outstanding game of sound basketball, four Mustangs hit double digits. Greg Morrow topped the team with 23 points, with captain Quinn Henderson following close behind with 21. A huge contributor late in the game was Jedson Tavernierwho sunk 16 points for the Mustangs, and Anthony Spiridis with 14 of his own. The Voyageurs had four players of their own hit double digits with Tychon Carter-Newton recording the game-high 26 points. Sam Hirst's impressive defensive of 14 rebounds was a huge help to the Voyageurs tough play.
The Voyageurs proved right from tip-off that they wouldn't let the Mustangs get in the lead without a fight. Playing a more physical game, both teams provided a defensive challenge that ended up in bonus territory with three minutes left in the quarter. With the players going back and forth for a majority of the frame, the Voyageurs were able to get the one point lead with a score of 19-18 going into the second frame.
The back and forth lead changes did not stop in the second frame. Both teams fought hard to make sure they were in the lead, but could never extend their lead to more than one possession before the other tied the score. A basket for the purple and white in the last minute of play brought the Mustangs into the lead at the end of the first half with a score of 35-33.
The Voyageurs started the second half of the game with no intention to decrease the defensive pressure on the visiting Mustangs. A basket by Carter-Newman brought the Voyageurs in the lead and they were determined to keep it that way. Capitalizing on the Mustangs missed shots, the Voyageurs were able to keep their lead by making smooth plays in the key to keep up their lead. The Voyageurs took a lead of six points with a score of 55-49 at the end of the third quarter.
The stage was set for a thrilling fourth frame with the Mustangs catching up to be within two points in less than one minute into the quarter. With less than two minutes left in the game, the Voyageurs defence boxed out any plays in the paint preventing successful Mustang baskets and giving them the opportunity to get ahead by three points. With one minute left in the game first-year Mustang Tavernier sunk a shot from the perimeter tying the game at 70 a piece. An increased defence from both teams kept the score at 70-70 at the end of the fourth, sending the game into overtime.
Overtime play was no different with both teams looking to gain the upperhand. As the Mustangs scored to keep their lead, the Voyageurs were never far behind, matching their shots to catch up and tie multiple times. An offensive rebound by Stevan Manojlovic was finished with a basket that brought the Mustang lead to three going into the last minute of play. With Henderson finishing the game sinking four points at the free throw line, the Mustangs took the victory in overtime with a score of 87-80.
