The York men’s basketball team clinched second place in the OUA East Division with a thrilling 75-72 last-minute victory over the Ottawa Gee Gees on Saturday. With the win, the Lions gained a coveted first-round bye and home court advantage for the division semi-final on Feb. 26.
Both teams battled back and forth for the lead in the final 10 minutes. Ottawa guard Alex McLeod hit a tough off-balance jumper to give his team a 72-68 advantage with less than three minutes left, seemingly dashing the Lions’ hopes. However, on York's final possession, Dan Eves, who scored a game-high 28 points, nailed a three-pointer from behind a screen to give the Lions the 73-72 lead with 15 seconds remaining.
Jermaine Campbell had the best chance to take the game back for Ottawa on the next play with a turnaround jumper. The shot clanged off the side of the rim where Branislav Misovic pounced on the rebound and was subsequently fouled. Playing in his final regular-season home game as a Lion, Misovic ended on a high note by hitting both free-throws to seal the victory.
The Lions (15-5) wrap up the regular season this weekend at Queen’s (10-10) and RMC (10-9).
The women’s basketball team dropped both games to division rivals Carleton and Ottawa last weekend. In Friday’s 58-47 loss to Carleton, Laura MacCallum finished with a team-high 15 points and six rebounds for the Lions, while Brenan Rurak finished with 10 points. In Saturday’s 48-39 loss to Ottawa, Rurak was the only York player to score in double-digits with 18 points. The Lions (9-11) wrap up the regular season this weekend at Queen’s (12-8) and RMC (0-20).
The Lions track and field teams hosted the 34th Annual York Classic on Saturday at the Toronto Track & Field Centre. York captured nine medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze). York Female Athlete of the Week Edith Iwundu finished second in the long jump with a result of 5.45 metres. She also finished third in the 60 metres with a qualifying time of 7.91.
Right: Anthony Garber at 34th Annual York Classic
York’s Male Athlete of the Week, Anthony Garber, finished first in the 60 metres with a time of 6.97. Garber is ranked third in Canada in the event. He also ran the lead-off leg for York’s 4x200 metre relay team, which won gold at the York Classic in a time of 1:30.55.
The men’s hockey team (9-6-4-1) has a one point lead on Laurier (10-8-2-0) in the race for top spot in the OUA Mid-West Division. York will travel to Windsor for a doubleheader with the Lancers (7-8-2-2) this weekend.
The women’s hockey team (1-16-2-0) will visit nationally second-ranked Laurier (14-1-2-1) on Saturday in Waterloo.
The first-place York men’s volleyball team (16-2) plays its final two regular season games against McMaster (13-4) on Thursday, 8pm, and Guelph (7-11) on Saturday, 2pm, at the Tait McKenzie Centre. The first-place York women’s volleyball squad (15-3) will conclude the regular season at Ryerson (8-9) on Friday at 7pm.
For more information on the Lions teams, visit the Sport York Interuniversity Web site.
This story was submitted by Jim McLarty, sports & recreation information officer in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science.