Another strong shooting performance by Brittany Szockyj led the York University Lions women’s basketball team to a 63-59 upset victory over the previously undefeated Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks on Saturday evening (Nov. 20) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
A strong third quarter turned the game around, as the Lions trailed heading into halftime but outscored the Golden Hawks 23-15 in the third quarter to take the lead for good.
Szockyj, a fourth-year guard from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., led the Lions with 20 points and was perfect on the free-throw line in netting her four attempts. She also added six rebounds and four assists. See more details at the York Lions site.
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Left: York Lions player Brittany Szockyj in a game against the University of Waterloo on Nov. 19. Photo by Alex Pylyshyn.
On Friday night, Szockyj was also impressive with another 20-point game as the Lions recorded their first home win of the season in an 87-63 rout of the University of Waterloo Warriors at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
Szockyj and rookie forward Llyandra Kerr were standouts on a Lions squad that did not face much of a challenge from the Warriors. Szockyj went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc on her way to a 24-point performance, while Kerr recorded 15 points and seven rebounds. More details.
Men’s volleyball Lions get first home victory in win over Rams
The York University Lions men’s volleyball team earned its second victory of the season by a 3-1 score over the Ryerson University Rams on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 21) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
Third-year middle Felipe Humana-Paredes earned player of the game honours for York after a dominating performance at the net. He led all players with seven blocks, including several at key moments, and totalled 12 points in the match. He now leads all players in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) with 24 blocks on the season. More details.
Women’s hockey Lions upset No. 7 Lancers
The York University Lions women’s hockey team defeated the No. 7 nationally-ranked University of Windsor Lancers 3-2 on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 21) thanks to the strong play of goaltender Sydney McMurter.
The Orillia, Ont., native made 46 saves as the Lancers fired 48 shots in the game, compared to just 19 by the Lions. She stood tall, particularly in the third period, when the Lancers swarmed the net in the dying minutes but could not find an equalizer.
Right: York women’s hockey player Courtney Unruh during the Nov. 21 game against Windsor. Photo by Patrick Eugster.
Victoria Benacquista, Katie Ippolito and Katrina Tollis scored the Lions’ goals, one in each period. More details.
Earlier in the weekend, goaltender Sydney Brown made 29 saves and the Lions moved into sole position of seventh place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) standings with a 2-1 win over the University of Western Ontario Mustangs on Saturday (Nov. 20) at Canlan Ice Sports Arena.
The Lions were stellar on special teams, killing off seven of eight total penalties to hold off a Mustangs squad that looked dangerous on the power play. More details.
Women’s volleyball Lions extend winning streak with victory over Rams
It was another fantastic afternoon for the York University Lions women’s volleyball team as the Lions improved to 6-0 with a dominating 3-0 victory over the Ryerson University Rams at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 21).
The Lions played with confidence and poise from start to finish and won in straight sets by scores of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-12, to remain atop the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East standings with 12 points.
The game’s most valuable player, Sarah Sutton, led the charge for the home team with 11 points and seven digs. More details.
Men’s hockey Lions snap skid with win over Gee-Gees
The York University Lions men’s hockey team triumphed 4-3 over the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees on Saturday night (Nov. 20), in a tense game that featured strong goaltending by David Blair, particularly in the third period.
Blair stopped 29 shots, including 16 in the third period alone, to preserve the win for the Lions. It was their first in six games and improved their record to 5-9 in the season. With the loss, the Gee-Gees fall to 7-4-2.
Left: York Lions player Jesse Messier takes on the University of Ottawa players in a game on Nov. 20. Photo by Alex Pylyshyn.
An aggressive tone was set early by both teams with plenty of chippy play taking place along the boards. More details.
The Lions also had a strong performance on Friday night in a game against the McGill University Redmen. The game was a mismatch on paper, as the Redmen are well ahead of the Lions in the OUA standings, but the Lions played a tough, physical game and stayed close to the No. 2 nationally-ranked Redmen until the final whistle, falling by a 3-2 score.
York second-year forward Mackenzie Micks, the team’s leading scorer coming into the contest, added to his lead by scoring both goals for the Lions. More details.
Men’s basketball Lions edge Warriors for nail-biting win
David Tyndale led all scorers with 24 points, and the York University Lions men’s basketball team squeaked out a 78-76 win over the University of Waterloo Warriors on Friday (Nov. 19) at Tait McKenzie Centre in a game that went down to the wire.
Tyndale was an offensive powerhouse for the Lions, going 11-for-20 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. He was the architect of the Lions’ offence; whenever he touched the ball, points were soon to follow.
Second-year guard Ostap Choliy and forward Dejan Kravic chipped in with 14-point performances of their own. Kravic was also a presence in the paint, pulling down nine rebounds on the night. More details.
The following day, the team fell just short of its second victory of the weekend, falling 100-94 to the visiting Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks on Saturday night (Nov. 20) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The Lions found themselves down by seven points after the first quarter, but charged back in the second, outscoring their opponents 26-20 to take a one-point deficit into half time.
Laurier took control of the match for good in the third quarter, netting 35 points compared to just 23 for the Lions. York made a run for the win in the fourth with 28 points and closed the gap to as little as four points with 19 seconds left, but the squad could not make up the difference before time ran out. More details.
Submitted by Alyson Fisher, sport & recreation information officer for Sport York