AROUND OUA: Big third quarter lifts Laurentian past Guelph

SCOREBOARD

Laurentian 83 @ Guelph 79

Brock 86 @ York 71

Algoma 51 @ Carleton 75

Nipissing 63 @ Lakehead 75

McMaster 84 @ Queen's 71

Ryerson 92 @ Western 64

Big third quarter lifts Laurentian past Guelph

Guelph, ON - The Gryphons men's basketball team fell to 1-4 on the season on Friday night after suffering an 83-79 loss to the Laurentian Voyageurs at the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre. With the win, Laurentian improves to 1-4 on the season.

The turning point of the game was a questionable foul on Taylor Boers with 28.2 seconds left in the game as Theo Thomas of the Voyagers jumped into Boers who was going for the block behind the three point line with the shot clock running down and got the call as Thomas was able to make two of three free throws to extend the Voyagers lead to six. Shortly after that transpired, Boers would asnwer at the other end by knocking down a desperation three with 4.4 seconds remaining to cut the lead down to three as the Gryphs still had some life. However, the Voyageurs were able to ice the game from the free throw line and escape with a 83-79 victory.

The Gryphons got off to a very inauspicious start as two quick threes and an easy layup saw the Voyagers jump out to a very quick 8-0 lead. The Gryphs settled down after as they utilized their three guard lineup of Taylor Boers, Daniel Dooley and Jonathan Wallace as they set the tone, driving to the basket and being able to head to the free throw line in the quarter as they were a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe. Guelph was able to lock down the perimeter in the second quarter as they held Laurentian 0-4 from three after going 3-5 in the first quarter. The Gryphs were able to outhustle the Voyagers on loose balls as they dominated on the offensive glass outrebounding the opposition 10-3. The guards on the Gryphons combined to score 28 of the 37 points in the half helping them to a seven point halftime lead.

The third quarter saw the Voyagers came out of halftime with a lot of energy as they pushed tempo and attacked the rim. Their aggressiveness forced some easy baskets at the rim and did a lot of their damage from the free throw line going 11-12 in the quarter outscoring the Gryphons 33-22 to climb back into the game as the Gryphons defense really struggled to contain them in the quarter. The fourth quarter was turned into a slow, sluggish quarter as there were plenty of whistles which stopped the flow of the game. The Gryphons defensively struggled as they allowed David Aromalaran to score 29 points and allowed Laurentian to go 21-25 from the charity stripe. Despite the Gryphons shooting 47.1% in the second half, they allowed the Voyagers to shoot 48.3% in the half and going 4-6 from three.

The guards for Guelph had a very strong game as Dooley led the team with 20 points going 7-13 from the field, Boers had 16 points tonight going 5-10, Drew Walford coming off the bench and scoring 11 also going 5-10 and Wallace scoring eight points tonight including going 4-4 from the free throw line as all four combined to score 55 of the 79 Gryphons points tonight. Ahmed Haroon, the fourth year player scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds as Guelph had four players in double digits tonight.

The Gryphons look to snap a three game losing streak as they host the Nipissing Lakers tomorrow night at 8 p.m. at the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre.

Source: Guelph Gryphons

No. 4 Badgers too much for Lions in home opener loss

The York University Lions men's basketball team was defeated 86-71 by the No. 4 nationally-ranked Brock Badgers in the first game of their home-opening weekend on Friday (Nov. 20) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
 
It was a nail biting first quarter as both teams seemed to be sinking every shot. Nathan Culbreath (Kingston, Ont.) made four jump shots in a row early in the quarter to edge out an a four point lead, and Jayden Fredrick (Scarborough, Ont.) had the fans on their feet as he rounded out the 18-17 lead with an slam dunk.
 
In the second quarter, however, the Badgers were able to recover with two critical three-point shots from Bennett Bryan. Lions Shane Reader (York, Ont.), Tommy Hobbs (Anchorage, Alaska) and Tristan Newman (Maple, Ont.) also made three-pointers of their own, but it wasn't enough to maintain their lead and Brock led 43-38 at the half.
 
In the third quarter Reader came out flying and grabbed points off of critical interceptions. Gene Spagnuolo (Maple, Ont.) also hit an excellent step-back three pointer in the quarter, but the frame finished in the Badgers' favour with a score of 67-55.
 
Phillip Gillen (Hamilton, Ont.) also contributed to the Lions' points, but Brock's Dani Elgadi tallied an outstanding 11 points out of 19 for his team in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Badgers to take the 15-point win.
 
Reader finished with a team-high 16 points and added four rebouds, four assists and three steals for the Lions.
 
Brock had two players score more than 20 points, with Elgadi tallying 25 to go along with 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Johneil Simpson scored 24 points and had four rebounds and four assists.
 
Up next for the Lions is another home game that will be played against the No. 9 McMaster Marauders. Tip-off is 8 pm on Saturday (Nov. 21) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

Source: York Lions

Carleton overcomes Algoma scare with fourth quarter outburst

(OTTAWA, ON) —  The Ravens passed their first nerve-racking test of the season against an unlikely foe on Friday night in the form of the Algoma Thunderbirds. In a game that had the home fans on the edge of their seats for the first three quarters, Carleton finally managed to pull away in a 75-51 final to earn their fifth straight victory of the season to open the 2015-16 OUA campaign.

Surprisingly, the Ravens (5-0) found themselves down 19-15 after the first quarter thanks to Thunderbirds guard Sean Clendinning and forward Brett Zufelt, with the former contributing 11 points and the latter adding 6 points in the opening ten minutes.

Down four early, Carleton tightened up on defence and looked for inspiration from fourth-year senior Kaza Kajami-Keane (Ajax, ON), who nailed three 3-point shots in the second to slice into the deficit and help the Ravens regain the lead. Carleton took a slender 38-30 advantage into the intermission, as it was their lowest scoring first half total of the season.

Although Algoma had to play catch-up entering the second half, the team could sense an upset brewing as they continued to pester Carleton, making life difficult for the five-time defending national champions. The Ravens were outhustled and outscored in the third quarter, as the Thunderbirds surprised the home fans once again by winning the period 16-12 and only trailed Carleton by a score of 50-46 through three.

Third-year forward Cam Smythe (Vancouver, BC) and fifth-year forward Guillaume Payen Boucard (Montreal, QC) elevated their games in the fourth to help Carleton avoid the major earl-season loss. Smythe scored 8 of his 10 points in the last stanza, while Payen Boucard buried 7 points in the final ten minutes to alleviate the worry of the Ravens supporters.

Algoma fell apart in the fourth as they were unable to keep up the momentum which took them deep into the contest. The Ravens blew the game wide open in the final stages as they scored 25 points and limited the Thunderbirds to only 5 points.

While the Ravens kept their record unblemished, it was certainly an eye-opener for head coach Rob Smart and his group.

"That's a really good team and that's a culture that is going in the right direction," said Smart when asked about Algoma's effort this evening. "Hopefully our guys wake up and realize that if you're not going to bring it every game at this level, teams are going to take advantage of you."

"That was one of the worst games that I have seen in a long time in terms of the team's focus," added Smart. "Credit to [Algoma] though – they've got a good young team and they've got some leaders that get them to play hard."

Coach Smart said the team will have to head back to the drawing board this week at practice.

"Defending, rebounding and taking care of the ball," will be some of the areas that the team focuses on, said the first-year bench boss. "It's fundamental stuff, but if you're lazy and if you play entitled, then it's really hard to do."

"That wasn't the best game we've played, but some guys defended well at the end, so I was happy with that."

Kaja Kajami-Keane of Carleton continued to show his value as he ended the game with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Payen Boucard had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

Algoma's third-year guard Sean Clendinning led his side with 13 points, while Andre Barber added 11.

The Ravens will face two tough opponents next weekend as they welcome Western and Windsor to the Ravens' Nest. The Mustangs were ranked in the CIS Top 10 this past week, while the Lancers have been a source of frustration for the Ravens in recent years with some rugged close encounters won by both sides.

Source: Carleton Ravens

Lakehead prevail 75-63 over Nipissing

Henry Tan and Bacarius Dinkins carried the men's basketball team to a 75-63 win over the visiting Nipissing Lakers on Friday evening.

When Tan wasn't getting to the free throw line or blowing by defenders, Dinkins was dunking, rebounding or finishing inside. In a quick sequence in the fourth quarter, Tan beat his defender, had his layup attempt blocked off the back board, only to have Dinkins fly in, catch the ball in mid-air and softly complete the play without skipping a beat.

Alex Robichaud and Taner Parrington combined to go 3-for-8 from behind the arc for a total of 23 points.

For the Lakers, Jordon Campbell scored 18 points and Marvin Ngonadi had 16 points with 5 rebounds. Marcus Lewis had an impressive 11-point, 13-rebound outing.

"Our guys competed tonight and gave it everything they had which is great to see. We need to clean up some execution things down the stretch so we don't let teams back into the game. We now need to focus our attention on getting physically and mentally prepared for Laurentian."

Source: Lakehead Thunderwolves

Gaels win streak comes to an end against No. 9 Marauders

KINGSTON, Ont. (November 20, 2015) - The Queen's Gaels (3-1) men's basketball team's three-game winning streak came to an end on Friday night at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC), where they fell 84-71  to the No. 9 McMaster Marauders (3-2).
 
Tanner Graham recorded a game-high 21 points for the Gaels, shooting 9-of-16 from the floor, while Sukhpreet Singh added 12 in a losing cause for Queen's, who fall to 3-1 on the season. Aaron Redpath led the Marauders with 20 points, including five three-point baskets.
 
GAME FLOW
The men got off to a good start on both ends of the floor. After a Gaels turnover, the Marauders were looking for an easy lay-up in transition, but Tanner Graham (Kingston, Ont.) was having none of it. The big man hustled back for a leaping rejection, and Mike Shoveller (Arnprior, Ont.) converted on the ensuing three-point attempt off that block to swing the momentum in favour of the hosts. Patrick Street (Etobicoke, Ont.) and Sukhpreet Singh (Toronto) exchanged jumpers to help spread the Gaels lead. The Marauders, however, responded with a mini-run to pull within three at the end of the opening quarter. 
 
The visitors then went on a mini-streak to open the second quarter and briefly took the lead. The teams continued trading the advantage over the next several minutes, before the Marauders began to pull away late in the half. After shooting over 60% in the opening quarter, the Gael offence cooled down in the second stanza, as the men managed just 11 points compared to 21 from the Marauders. Redpath and Chris Thompson, meanwhile, were leading the McMaster charge, nailing back-to-back three pointers to push the Marauder lead up to seven by the end of the opening half.
 
The Gaels made good on a couple of three-pointers from Shoveller and Graham early in the third quarter, but Redpath responded with two of his own to maintain the Marauder lead. McMaster then capitalized on a Queen's turnover, pushing the advantage up to 13, which led to a timeout from Gael coach Stephan Barrie. The visitors, however, continued to build their lead, scoring 23 points overall in the third to hold a 64-47 lead heading into the final quarter.
 
Andrew Mavety (Vancouver) nailed a corner three, which capped off a 7-1 run to open the fourth quarter for to cut the lead down to 11 with plenty of time left in regulation. A lay-up from Graham that brought the Gaels within single digits prompted a quick McMaster timeout.
 
Singh tried to continue rallying the Gael cause, forcing two Marauder turnovers. The Gaels had opportunities to cut the lead down even more, but missed five straight free-throws which took a significant bite out of their comeback bid. The Marauders put the contest out of reach with two-straight three-pointers by Lazar Kojovic, and another Redpath three put a stamp on the match for McMaster.
 
Queen's shot 44.4% from the field overall, compared to 46.4% from the Marauders. The men also outrebounded McMaster 42-36.
 
FINAL SAY
"McMaster is ranked for a reason, so holding them down is always a challenge," said Barrie. "They got going in the second quarter. But I thought that there were some points in the second half where we were right on the verge of making a run. But we just couldn't convert several open shots and get over that hump once they built the lead. So far this year we've been making free throws late, so tonight was uncharacteristic. Those things happen, we need to be strong and put them behind us, and get ready to go for tomorrow."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
17- Marauder points off 15 Queen's turnovers
8- Rebounds tallied by Tanner Graham to go along with his game-high 21 points
62.5%- The Gaels shooting percentage in the first quarter.
 
UP NEXT
The men return to the ARC on Saturday night to host the No.4 Brock Badgers, game-time is set for 8:00 p.m.

Source: Queen's Gaels

Rams top Mustangs at Alumni Hall

LONDON, Ont - A high scoring second frame from the Ryerson Rams proved to be too much for the Mustangs to overcome as they fell 92-64 on Friday night at Alumni Hall.

"I think we did not take care of some basic detail things we normally do." said head coach Brad Campbell, "Ryerson is too good of a team to let a lot of those detailed things slip. They took us out of some things, mentally we got a little rattled and as a result were not ourselves"

The Mustangs record now moves to 2-2, putting them in third place in the OUA West Division Standings. They follow the Windsor Lancers and Laurier Golden Hawks who both have a 3-1 record and six points in the division. The Rams victory is their fourth of the year, with their record moving to 4-1and keeping them in first place in the OUA East.

Three Mustangs hit double digits on the scoresheet, with Greg Morrow and Peter Scholtes topping the team with 17 points apiece. Anthony Spiridis follows with 11 points of his own, while Tom Filgiano led the Mustangs on the boards with eight rebounds. Rams player Adika Peter-McNeilly recorded a game-high 25 points, with teammate Ammanuel Diressa following with 21 points.

The Rams shooting success topped the Mustangs in all categories. The Rams went 100% at the free throw line and found a lot of success from beyond the arc with a 60% three-point success rate. Unfortunately for the purple and white their luck was not as good, finishing the game with an overall 41.3% field goal success rate and a 20.8 percentage from three point range.

"We didn't come out the way we needed to" said purple and white veteran Spiridis, "We prepped for them but we just came out flat and had nothing going. It's a tough pill to swallow but we've got to turn the page now."

After a few minutes of play both teams kicked their defensive guards into high gear. Matching baskets throughout the first half of the frame, the score remained tight with leads staying within one possession. Diressa made a huge impact on the Rams score recording 13 of their points in the first ten minutes. The last two baskets made by Peter-McNeilly put the Rams four points ahead of the home team, ending the first quarter up 19-15.

After starting the second frame on a 14-0 run, the Rams began to dominate the scoreboard. Aaron Best became a threat to Mustang defence, scoring his first 12 points of the game within the second frame. Despite the Mustangs attempts to lessen their deficit, the Rams full court press and double teaming became a huge obstacle, and Ryerson went on to outscore the home team 27-16 and end the first half of the game with a score of 46-31.

Western responded with a much tighter third quarter, registering 22 points compared to Ryerson's 26, but the Rams strong defence and continued success at the three point line kept the game out of reach. As the final buzzer sounded the Rams left Alumni Hall with a 92-64 victory.
"We struggled with Ryerson in transition. Our defence struggled to contain them and stop them from pushing the ball." said Campbell. "When the other team makes a lot of threes, sometimes your team loses mental focus and feels down by it. That's definitely what happened tonight."

"I don't think we were focused in this game" said Spiridis, "We're a defensive team. We thrive on playing defence and rebounding. We just have to feel comfortable and ready to practice with energy and show up on Sunday with an edge on our shoulder."

The Mustangs take on the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday at Alumni Hall. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. and can be watched live on OUA.tv.

Source: Western Mustangs