February 21, 2010
BAIN'S LIONS ARE PLAYOFF BOUND IN MEN'S HOOPS
TORONTO - On a night to toast the 37-year career of York University Lions head coach Bob Bain, his men's basketball team gave him the greatest toast of all by clinching a playoff spot in the last game of the season with a nail-biting 85-83 victory over the Laurentian Voyageurs on Saturday.
"I like to tell the players that I always want to win the last game we play," said Bain to a Tait McKenzie Centre crowd packed with his former players, their families and other well-wishers. Given the circumstances, Bain was pretty pleased with being able to at least win his final regular-season tilt.
It truly came down to the final buzzer for the Lions (6-16), as they held on against a hard push by the Voyageurs (6-16). Two Laurentian last-minute Hail Marys – a three-point attempt to steal the win and a field goal looking for the tie – both fell short, and York hung on for the victory in front of the largest and loudest home crowd of the season.
The Lions made their hay in the first quarter, jumping out to a 33-19 lead thanks to some inspired play by captain David Tyndale (Mississauga, Ont.). Tyndale drained a trio of three-pointers in the opening quarter alone and drove the net hard to power his team into the lead. He would come out of the game with a stellar 31 points after going five-for-eight from outside the arc, nailing four of five free throws and putting in 11 field goals.
Despite York's early success, Laurentian outscored the Lions 44-32 over the second and third quarters to get back into the game. The Voyageurs seemed to turn it on early in the second when a large contingent of Laurentian supporters entered the stands and upped the noise level by banging pots and pans.
But York would not go down so easily, even when Laurentian finally battled back to tie it in the fourth quarter. The Lions simply did not panic. They kept their focus, opened up a small lead and drew a string of Voyageur fouls that stymied the visitors' push for the equalizer.
Tyndale went to the line in the dying seconds after being fouled by Laurentian's Nark Ramalho, and the Lions point guard drained one of two free shots for the final point of the night to give his team a two-point cushion and protect against any buzzer-beating defeat.
York's Dejan Kravic (London, Ont.) was a huge presence under the basket all game, routinely cleaning up Tyndale's missed shots and earning 17 points. His 15 rebounds put him head and shoulders above all other players in that category.
Stefan Haynes (North York, Ont.) was third on the team in points with 16. His strong presence on offence drew four fouls, and he went six-for-eight from the line.
Laurentian's Manny Pasquale had the highest point total on his team with 15, but their scoring was spread throughout the line-up as five players cracked double digit totals.
The win moves the Lions into a tie with the Voyageurs for sixth spot in the OUA East. Both teams have identical records, but York gets the edge into the playoffs with a 2-0 head-to-head record against Laurentian.
The Lions had a big win against this same Voyageurs team on Wednesday in which they trailed all game until coming back late in the fourth to steal a 66-59 decision in Laurentian's home town of Sudbury.
York alumnus Tim Rider, who made a presentation on behalf of Bain's former players after the game, appropriately summed up the night.
"Laurentian came in and tried to take the game away from us, but this Bob Bain team wouldn't let them."
They certainly wouldn't.
Source: York Lions
"I like to tell the players that I always want to win the last game we play," said Bain to a Tait McKenzie Centre crowd packed with his former players, their families and other well-wishers. Given the circumstances, Bain was pretty pleased with being able to at least win his final regular-season tilt.
It truly came down to the final buzzer for the Lions (6-16), as they held on against a hard push by the Voyageurs (6-16). Two Laurentian last-minute Hail Marys – a three-point attempt to steal the win and a field goal looking for the tie – both fell short, and York hung on for the victory in front of the largest and loudest home crowd of the season.
The Lions made their hay in the first quarter, jumping out to a 33-19 lead thanks to some inspired play by captain David Tyndale (Mississauga, Ont.). Tyndale drained a trio of three-pointers in the opening quarter alone and drove the net hard to power his team into the lead. He would come out of the game with a stellar 31 points after going five-for-eight from outside the arc, nailing four of five free throws and putting in 11 field goals.
Despite York's early success, Laurentian outscored the Lions 44-32 over the second and third quarters to get back into the game. The Voyageurs seemed to turn it on early in the second when a large contingent of Laurentian supporters entered the stands and upped the noise level by banging pots and pans.
But York would not go down so easily, even when Laurentian finally battled back to tie it in the fourth quarter. The Lions simply did not panic. They kept their focus, opened up a small lead and drew a string of Voyageur fouls that stymied the visitors' push for the equalizer.
Tyndale went to the line in the dying seconds after being fouled by Laurentian's Nark Ramalho, and the Lions point guard drained one of two free shots for the final point of the night to give his team a two-point cushion and protect against any buzzer-beating defeat.
York's Dejan Kravic (London, Ont.) was a huge presence under the basket all game, routinely cleaning up Tyndale's missed shots and earning 17 points. His 15 rebounds put him head and shoulders above all other players in that category.
Stefan Haynes (North York, Ont.) was third on the team in points with 16. His strong presence on offence drew four fouls, and he went six-for-eight from the line.
Laurentian's Manny Pasquale had the highest point total on his team with 15, but their scoring was spread throughout the line-up as five players cracked double digit totals.
The win moves the Lions into a tie with the Voyageurs for sixth spot in the OUA East. Both teams have identical records, but York gets the edge into the playoffs with a 2-0 head-to-head record against Laurentian.
The Lions had a big win against this same Voyageurs team on Wednesday in which they trailed all game until coming back late in the fourth to steal a 66-59 decision in Laurentian's home town of Sudbury.
York alumnus Tim Rider, who made a presentation on behalf of Bain's former players after the game, appropriately summed up the night.
"Laurentian came in and tried to take the game away from us, but this Bob Bain team wouldn't let them."
They certainly wouldn't.
Source: York Lions
