The York University men's and women's basketball teams host Queen's in a key Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Division match-up on Saturday night. The evening also marks Sport York's second annual York Appreciation Basketball Doubleheader, where all York staff, faculty and alumni get into the game for free.
The men's team, which upset the nationally-ranked Waterloo Warriors last week, currently sits in second place in the OUA East Division with a 10-4 record (20 points). Queen's enters the showdown in third place in the division with an 8-6 mark (16 points).
Left: Lions' women's team leading scorer Kimberly Gibbs in action against Waterloo
On the women's side, the fifth-seeded Lions trail the Golden Gaels by just two points in the tight OUA East Division. Queen's is tied with Ottawa for fourth place with an 8-6 record (16 points), while York boasts a 7-7 mark (14 points). Both York teams are 6-1 at home this year.
The second annual York Appreciation Basketball Doubleheader will feature an alumni reception before both games and at halftime and tons of great prizes and instant giveaways. Prizes include tickets to the 2005 Tennis Canada Rogers Cup and the Toronto Raptors as well as Telus Cellular merchandise, York University clothing and much, much more. All the action gets started at the Tait McKenzie Centre at 6pm with the women's game, followed by the men's match-up at 8pm.
In other Lion sports action, the men's and women's volleyball teams kept their regular season unbeaten streaks alive with wins over the University of Toronto on Saturday. Both teams are now 11-0 on the year.
In track and field, York's Patrick Russell, ranked No. 1 in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) in the 60 metre hurdles, qualified for the National Championships later this year with his first-place finish at the 34th Annual Can-Am Track Classic, Jan. 14, in Windsor (8.11 seconds). On the women's side, Paula McLaughlin also posted a CIS-qualifying mark with her first-place finish in the 600 metres (1:34.44).
In women's hockey action, Melanie Quinn was outstanding in net for the Lions, making 53 saves in a 1-1 draw with Waterloo and 54 saves in a 2-0 loss to Brock.
For more information on the Lions teams, visit the links to the Sport York Interuniversity Web site.