AROUND OUA: Fourth quarter explosion keys comeback over No. 2 Ottawa
In one of the biggest wins under Coach Amos Connolly, the McMaster men's basketball team rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat the visiting Ottawa Gee-Gees 96-90 in Hamilton on Friday night. Ottawa entered play as the No. 2 team in the national rankings, while McMaster was ranked 6th.
SCOREBOARD
Fourth quarter explosion keys comeback over No. 2 Ottawa
In one of the biggest wins under Coach Amos Connolly, the McMaster men's basketball team rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat the visiting Ottawa Gee-Gees 96-90 in Hamilton on Friday night. Ottawa entered play as the No. 2 team in the national rankings, while McMaster was ranked 6th.
The game started with Ottawa grabbing a quick 5-0 lead, but the teams played almost dead even from that point and by halftime the Gee-Gees were in front 43-39. Troy Joseph was on fire from the perimeter in the first-half, knocking down 4 of 6 from beyond the arc, and tallying 14 points for the Marauders, while Leon Alexander added 12 in a strong opening half.
Only trailing by four heading into the third quarter, McMaster allowed Ottawa to grab control of the game and behind some long-range sniping from a variety of shooters, the Gee-Gees built the lead up to 14 and looked to be cooled out for the night. McMaster got the deficit down to 12 at 78-66 heading to the fourth-quarter, but still had a deep hole to climb out of, against an elite opponent.
The Marauders started the final stanza with a 8-2 run to get within six, forcing Ottawa to call timeout with almost eight minutes left. McMaster continued to chisel away as the game wore down, and Ottawa began to play cautiously, until Mac finally took an 86-85 lead to complete the rally. But Ottawa is highly ranked for a reason and the game was tied at 89-89 late, when Troy Joseph drained his seventh trey of the contest to put the Maroon up by three at 92-89. Ottawa was forced to foul to extend the game, but the Mac men made their throws to close out the huge win. McMaster dominated the final quarter by 30-12 to take the win.
Joseph scored a career-best 30 points on 9 of 12 shooting, that included making 7 of 9 from long-range. Leon Alexander was a beast in the second half as he finished with 27 and 10 boards, while Rohan Boney had a stellar game with 24 and 11 rebounds to match the double-double of his teammate Alexander. Mike L'Africain with 18 led the Ottawa scoring parade.
The Marauders have little time to celebrate the big win as they must prepare to play the defending CIS Champion Carleton Ravens on Saturday night. Tip-off at the Burridge Gym is set for 8-PM.
Source: McMaster Marauders
Tale of two Warriors teams in loss to Thunderwolves
The Waterloo Warriors put together a strong first half, but could not find the inside of the basket in the second half and dropped an 84-64 game to the visiting Lakehead Thunderwolves. The PAC renovation continued with new backboards on display for the last pair of weekend home games.
With team rebounding leader Mike Pereira (Kitchener) not dressed, Muhammad Anwar (Mississauga) got the start and helped the Warriors to an early 8-1 lead. But it was the shooting of Ben Davis (Mississauga) that carried the Warriors in the first half. Davis hit five of five from long range on the way to 21 first half points. At the half the Warriors were leading in rebounds 23-13 and on the scoreboard 43-40. The Warriors were shooting a respectable 44%, with Lakehead loving the new nets, hitting for 55% of shots.
Lakehead denied Davis his shots in the second half and the other Warriors were unable to pick up the pace. Waterloo shot just 18% in the second half, scoring just 21 points in 20 minutes of play. The Thunderwolves also controlled the rebounds, making it even by the end of the game.
After hitting 21 in the first half, Ben Davis (Mississauga) ended the night with 25 points to lead the Warriors. Jon Ravenhorst (Sarnia) and Muhammad Anwar (Mississauga) each contributed 10 points. The Thunderwolves had five players in double figures, led by Henry Tan with 17 points. But time and again Lakehead would go deep into the key for inside baskets. Bacarious Dinkins with 16 and Taner Parrington with 14 scored mostly inside the key.
Waterloo plays their last home game of the season on Saturday night as they host the Guelph Gryphons. Waterloo will then go on the road for their final three games.
Source: Waterloo Warriors
No. 3 Ravens too much for No. 5 Badgers
ST. CATHARINES, ON - The No. 5 ranked Brock men's basketball team dropped a 90-65 decision to the No. 3 ranked Carleton Ravens in front of a hometown crowd at the Bob Davis Gymnasium Friday night.
For the second time over the past week, it was one weak quarter that was costly in the Badgers losses to the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked teams in the country.
Brock trailed at the half 48-38. Midway through the third quarter, Brock brought it to within four points 54-50. The Ravens offense then came alive going 15-for-33 (45.5%) from the floor in the final 15 minutes. The Badgers offense went cold down the wire going just 3-for-19 (15.7%)
Johneil Simpson (Toronto, ON) led the Brock offense adding 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Dani Elgadi (Waterloo, ON) contributed with 17 points and seven rebounds while Matt Marshall (Burlington, ON) chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds.
Carleton had seven players in double figures led by Guillaume Boucard who finished with 18 points and five rebounds. Connor Wood contributed with 16 points and seven rebounds while Kaza Kajami-Keane (12pts, 4 reb), Gavin Resch (11 pts, 3 three-pointers), Cameron Smythe (11pts, 8 reb) and Ryan Ejim (10pts, 5 reb) rounded out the Ravens leaders.
For the game, Brock shot 34.4% (21-for-61) from the floor, 38.1% (8-for-21) from long range and 60.0% (15-for-25) from the free throw line. The Ravens shot 48.1% (39-for-81) from the field, 38.9% (7-for-18) from beyond the arc and 62.5% (5-for-8) from the charity stripe. Carleton also won the battle on the glass outrebounding Brock 50-39 and 32-8 in points off turnovers.
The Badgers next action is Saturday at 8pm when they host the No. 2 ranked Ottawa GeeGees.
Source: Brock Badgers
Mustangs edged out by Gaels in OT
KINGSTON, Ont – A 24-point effort from Tanner Graham helped lead the Queen's Gaels to a 99-90 overtime victory over the Western Mustangs on Friday night at the ARC Gymnasium.
The loss snaps the Mustangs five-game winning streak, updating their record to 8-8, keeping them in second place in the OUA West Division. Queen's moves to 10-5 on the season and marks their third victory in a row. They sit in second place in the OUA East, four points behind Ryerson.
It was a high-scoring team effort for the Mustangs, with four players recording double digits in Friday's contest. Peter Scholtes led with 21 points, with Anthony Spiridis following with 19, while Greg Morrow added 18 points. Alex Coote contributed 16 points, hitting four three-point shots and going 4-4 at the free throw line. Tom Filgiano and Spiridis led the purple and white defence with seven rebounds apiece, while Morrow and Scholtes followed with six and five rebounds respectively.
Tanner Graham led the Gaels scoring efforts, notching a game-high 24 points. Mike Shoveller added 16 points and teammates Sukhpreet Singh and Sammy Ayisi recorded 14 and 13 points, respectively. Shoveller led the Gaels with seven rebounds, all of which were on the defensive end. Graham followed with six rebounds and three different Gaels also contributed four rebounds apiece.
Queen's established an early lead, starting the game off with a 12-2 run, before Western began to close the gap late in the frame. Although the Mustangs scored five of the final seven points in the quarter, the Gaels held a 16-10 lead after one.
After Shoveller led the way with 10 points in the first 10 minutes, the Mustangs shut down the 6-11 junior in the second quarter, keeping him off the scoreboard. Capitalizing on misses from the Gaels, the Mustangs offence picked up and tied the game at 25-25 with a little over three minutes left in the quarter. Western wouldn't stop there however, as a pair of three-pointers from Coote and Morrow combined with two points from Spiridis to give the Mustangs a 33-31 lead heading into halftime.
Both teams exchanged points for much of the third quarter, with the Gaels eventually holding a slight lead thanks in large part to Ayisi and Graham, who combined for 16 of their team's 25 points in the frame. Scholtes powered the Mustangs offence in the third, accounting for 11 of Western's 17 points. After 30 minutes Queen's held a 56-50 advantage.
The fourth quarter was another back and forth affair that saw the game tied at 68-68 with just over two minutes remaining. Both Morrow and Coote added four points each in the final two minutes, putting the Mustangs up by three with only seconds remaining. Unfortunately for the purple and white the Gaels found themselves at the free throw line as time expired, and Sukhpreet hit all three of his shots to send the game to overtime.
Continuing the theme of the game, the two sides went nearly basket for basket until midway through the quarter when Queen's began to pull away. The Gaels cemented their lead with an 8-0 run that ended with a little over a minute remaining, eventually claiming a 99-90 win.
The Mustangs stay on the road as they take on the York Lions on Saturday night at the Tait McKenzie Centre. Tip-off is at 8:00 p.m. and can be watched live on OUA.tv.
Source: Western Mustangs
Coulthard shines in win over Gryphons
WATERLOO, ONT. (February 12) - The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's basketball team snapped out of their losing funk on Friday night thanks to an offensive barrage that led them to a 102-91 victory over the Guelph Gryphons.
On a night where his brother Will was honoured for eclipsing 1500 career points, Owen Coulthard of Oakville, Ont., shone as the top scorer of the evening with an impressive 29 points, a new single-game career high for the third year guard. Coulthard was deadly from all over the court as he was perfect on his three-point attempts, making all six he took, while finishing the game 10-for-12 overall from the field, allowing him to be a major driving force in purple and gold offensive.
Fourth year forward Garrison Thomas of Burlington, Ont., was equally as impressive recording his own new career high for points in a single game with 22. In addition to his stellar offensive tactic, Thomas was also strong on the boards as he finished the night with a game-high 14 to help him record the first double-double of his career.
Also contributing to Laurier's defensive efforts were Will Coulthard of Oakville, Ont., and Simon Mikre of Scarborough, Ont., with four steals a piece. Mikre was also an integral part of the offensive effort, recording a total of 13 assists, a new single-game career mark. With 76 assists this year, Mikre sits comfortably in third place in the OUA in this respect.
While Laurier had two players on the board who managed to surpass 20 points, Guelph's Daniel Dooley of Burlington, Ont., was the only player on the opposing side of the court who managed to squeak by with 22 points, while Drew Walford of Etobicoke, Ont., was just behind with 19.
Fifth year guard Jack Beatty of Woodstock, Ont., acted as the Gryphon's top rebounder at 10.
The Hawks (7-9) take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves (8-6) tomorrow evening, Saturday, February 13, hoping to continue walk off home court with another win. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. at the Wilfrid Laurier Athletic Complex and the game can be seen live on OUA.tv.
Source: Laurier Golden Hawks
Lions squeezed out by Lancers in OT
After a nail-biting match at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Friday night (Feb. 12), the York University men's basketball team dropped an 86-85 overtime loss to the OUA West's first placed Windsor Lancers (10-6) to remain in fourth place in the OUA East Standings.
After Jon Dulmage (Brantford, Ont.) forced the match into overtime with a clutch basket, Nathan Culbreath (Kingston, Ont.) racked up an impressive six points in five minutes. However, Lancers Isiah Osborne sank a free throw with three seconds left of play to finalize a one-point Lancers victory.
The Lions were hot off the tip off and grabbed a 23-17 lead to close the first quarter, with several Lions having strong starts to the game.
A steal from Jayden Frederick (Scarborough, Ont.) gave Gene Spagnuolo (Maple, Ont.) a nice scoring opportunity, in his return from the injured list Daniel Tulloch (Mississauga, Ont.) hit two three pointers, and Spagnuolo beat four defenders on his way to the hole for two points on a highlight reel layup.
In the second quarter Spagnuolo was back in the paint and collecting points, but the second quarter ended with a 38-35 lead in favour of the Lancers.
In the third quarter the two teams were point for point. Culbreath, Tommy Hobbs (Anchorage, Alaska), and Lancers Alex Campbell were key contributors for both teams. The quarter ended 59-56 thanks to Lancers Marko Kovac's last-second three-pointer.
The fourth quarter was just as narrow as the third, as both teams hustled to try and edge out the decision. Hobbs had fans roaring when he left his defender in the dust with a nice crossover and attacked the rim with a slam-dunk.
Dulmage was clutch down the stretch as he hit a critical long range jump shot towards the end of action and a lay-up that tied the score at 78-78 with nine seconds left of play. The two plays forced the game into overtime where the Lions fell on Osborne's made free throw.
Culbreath led the Lions in points with 26 after shooting 11 for 15 from the field. Hobbs also tallied 19 points from six field goals, two three-pointers, and five free throws. Spagnuolo grabbed 15 points on six for 12 shooting.
For the Lancers Campbell tallied an impressive 29 points, scoring 10 field goals, two three-pointers, and seven free throws, while Kovac had 24 points including six three-pointers.
Up next for the Lions is a matchup against the Western Mustangs that will take place at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Feb. 13 (Saturday). Tip off will be at 8pm.
Source: York Lions
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team dropped a 62-57 decision to the Algoma Thunderbirds on Friday, February 12 at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
With the loss, the Blues drop to 5-9 but remain in third place in the OUA East standings, while the Thunderbirds improve to 4-11 and sit fourth in the West.
Fourth-year forward Devin Johnson led all players with 26 points and completed the double-double with 11 rebounds. Second-year forward Miroslav Jaksic notched 13 points and three boards, while Manny Sahota had seven points and three rebounds in the loss.
Algoma was led by Sean Clendinning's 18-point performance. Andrew Barber added 15 points, with Reng Gum adding seven points and nine rebounds.
The Varsity Blues are back in action this Sunday, February 14 as they take on the Ryerson Rams at the Enercare Centre as a part of the NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto. Students wishing to watch the games can receive a $5 discount by using the promo code 5OFFOUA. Tickets are on sale now at NBATickets.com or click here to buy tickets now.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
