The York University Lions men’s basketball team easily defeated the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins 97-42, during their first game of 2011 at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Friday night, Jan. 7.
The Lions took a 26-15 lead right out of the gate in the first quarter and did not look back. From there, the Lions defence held strong and limited the Paladins no more than 10 points in each of the remaining three quarters.
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| Above: The Lions men’s basketball team show their winning form in a game against the RMC Paladins. Photograph by Alex Pylyshyn. |
Five Lions scored at least 10 points in the game. York forwards, Dejan Kravic and Stefan Haynes led the team with 17 points each despite seeing little court time. Kravic played just 12 minutes and Haynes 16. Haynes also had a big night defensively with five steals and four blocks to go along with five rebounds. See more details at the York Lions website.
The following night, the squad won it second straight game to start 2011 with an 81-78 victory over the visiting Queen’s University Gaels.
The Lions let the Gaels get away early in the contest but quickly found their offensive groove and pulled ahead. The team used a strong third quarter to take a commanding lead and managed to hold on in the final minutes to earn the win.
The turning point came in the third, when the Lions scored 21 points and allowed just 11 to open their biggest lead of the game. More details.
Men’s hockey Lions thump Warriors for first win of 2011
J.K. Gill scored his first two goals of the season, Travis Rolheiser made 18 saves and the York University Lions defeated the University of Waterloo Warriors by a score of 4-1 at Canlan Ice Sports on Sunday, Jan. 9.
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| Above: The men’s hockey Lions defeated the University of Waterloo Warriors by a score of 4-1 on Sunday, Jan. 9. Photograph by Alex Pylyshyn. |
Rolheiser had a relatively quiet night in goal, but made several key saves when called upon to earn his second win of the season. Justin Leclerc stopped 32 shots in goal for the Warriors.
Goaltending was the story for the first 18 minutes of the game. More details.
The Lions also suffered a 4-0 loss on Saturday night in Oshawa against the host University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks.
After a scoreless first period, the Ridgebacks got two goals in the second and two in the third to earn the victory, thanks to four different goal scorers. More details.
Men’s volleyball Lions blank Lancers in dominating win
The York University Lions men’s volleyball team recorded its most dominating victory of the season with a 3-0 win over the visiting University of Windsor Lancers at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Sunday night.
Head coach Wally Dyba stuck with the same six players from start to finish and the formula worked as the Lions won 25-20, 25-8, 25-23. More details.
Earlier in the weekend, the Lions were knocked off by the undefeated University of Western Ontario Mustangs 3-0, also at the Tait McKenzie Centre. More details.
Women’s basketball Lions earn win to start new year
The York University Lions women’s basketball team kicked off 2011 with a victory over the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins by a score of 70-58 at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Friday night.
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| Above: The women’s basketball Lions kicked off 2011 with a Friday night victory over the RMC Paladins. Photograph by Alex Pylyshyn. |
The Lions played a consistent offensive game, scoring at least 16 points in each quarter. They held a strong 35-21 lead at halftime, but the Paladins were not willing to give up.
Both teams netted 19 points in the third quarter before the Paladins outmaneuvered the Lions in the fourth quarter 18-16. The points given away in the first half could not be made up as the Lions held on for the 12-point victory. More details.
The following night the Lions were defeated by the Queen’s University Gaels 71-62. The Gaels took an early lead in the game and did not look back en route to the victory.
It began early in the first quarter when the squad used strong shooting from behind the arc to open the game. The Lions clawed their way back quickly, only to see the Gaels pull away again and hold a 23-16 leads after the first quarter of play.
The second played out in similar fashion and the Gaels held a 44-31 lead at the half.
Both defences proved strong in the third quarter as neither team could get much going on offence. The Lions allowed just nine points while scoring 13 of their own to close the gap, but still found themselves down by nine heading into the final frame.
The Gaels increased their lead in the fourth with consecutive threes and held on down the stretch for the win. More details.
Women’s volleyball Lions hang on for five-set win over Lancers
The York University Lions women’s volleyball team overcame a plucky University of Windsor Lancers squad and held on for a 3-2 victory at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Sunday evening.
On paper, the first-place Lions were a much stronger team than the seventh-place Lancers, and they proved that early by dominating the first set to win 25-12.
The Lancers played much better in the second and were rewarded with several key points. They hung close with the Lions but ultimately fell 25-23 to go down by two sets. More details.
The team saw its perfect season come to an end the previous night with a 3-0 loss to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs.
The Lions showed signs of rust in the first set – no doubt an after effect of the lengthy holiday break. They were visibly fighting the ball and the Mustangs took advantage by jumping out to an early 9-5 lead. The Mustangs held their lead for the entirety of the set, eventually winning by eight points. More details.
No. 6 Badgers overpower women’s hockey Lions for 3-1 win
The York University Lions women’s hockey team put in a strong effort against the Brock University Badgers, but fell short in a 3-1 loss at Canlan Ice Sports Area on Saturday afternoon.
The Badgers charged out of the gate, going right Lions starting goalkeeper Sydney McMurter. Morgan Bonnah knocked the puck off the post before Badgers forward Karolyn McIlmoyle moved the puck back to the point, where Leigh Vanderveen shot in the game first goal.
York countered late in the first period with Jennifer Petkovics taking a great cross-crease pass from Stephanie Dovaston to tie the game 1-1. More details.