The York University Lions women’s basketball team was in action this Friday, exploding to upset the rival University of Toronto Varsity Blues 85-71 at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
It was the Lions’ highest-scoring game of the season, bolstered by incredible performances from Cyrielle Recoura, Kayla Pangos, Courtney Osborne and Nadia Qahwash.
The Lions scored early in the first, after a strong steal by Osborne led to a foul shot. York leapt to an early lead and closed out the quarter on a 10-2 point run that started with a long three-pointer scored by Recoura on the assist from Pangos as the Lions closed out the first quarter leading 20-9. More details on York Lions website.
The following night another big game from Recoura wasn’t enough to top the Ryerson University Rams, who pulled out a 59-57 victory with a strong fourth quarter.
Recoura had a sensational game, leading all players with 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including three 3-pointers. She also added six rebounds and two assists.
The Lions roared out of the gate in the opening quarter as their defensive pressure made the Rams uncomfortable and forced them to commit several miscues. The Lions were able to convert the turnovers into points at the other end, as Recoura drained back-to-back uncontested threes to pad York’s lead. After one quarter of play, the Lions owned a comfortable 20-10 lead. More details.
Men’s basketball Lions roll over Varsity Blues 97-72
The York University Lions men’s basketball team took on the rival University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday, doing battle to a resounding 97-72 victory at Tait McKenzie Centre.
The Lions opened with a strong start, jumping to an early 14-4 lead with baskets from Nick Tufegdzich and David Tyndale before the Blues answered with a 10-3 run that brought them in range. The quarter finished with a 20-14 lead for the Lions.
The Varsity Blues pressed early in the second quarter, but to no avail. After an early charge, the 
Lions managed to quiet the Blues with a set of three-pointers from Raheem Isaac and Aaron Rados. And despite strong play from the Blues, the Lions extended their lead to take a 38-28 into halftime. More details.
The following night, the Lions were defeated by a score of 79-69 by the No. 6 nationally ranked Ryerson University Rams.
Rados had a big game for the Lions, recording an impressive double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Isaac led all Lions in scoring with 21 points while Tyndale had 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Tufegdzich had 10 points and six rebounds. More details.
Men’s volleyball Lions top Gryphons in four sets
The York University Lions men’s volleyball team was victorious on Friday night, as they downed the University of Guelph Gryphons by a final score of 3-1 at the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre.
The Gryphons would jump out to a 7-0 lead in the first set, but the Lions would mount a pronounced comeback, eventually gutting out a 25-22 set victory.
The Lions made things easier on themselves in the second set, as they came out on fire taking a 9-2 lead and never looked back, taking the set by a final score of 25-13. More details.
The following night, the Lions had two match points but could not convert either en route to a 3-2 loss to the No. 9 nationally ranked University of Waterloo Warriors on the road.
The Lions led the match 2-1 after winning the second and third sets, but Waterloo pushed it to a fifth set with a big 25-23 win in the fourth. The Lions then went ahead multiple times in the deciding stanza, including 14-13 and 15-14, but could not turn either match point into a win. Ultimately, the Warriors came through and took the set 18-16.
Other than the first set, which the Warriors won 25-15, the entire match was nail-biting and each set thereafter was determined by only two points. The Lions rallied to take sets two and three by scores of 28-26 and 25-23 respectively. More details.
Men’s hockey Lions come from behind to defeat Badgers
The York University Lions men’s hockey team rebounded from an early two-goal deficit to defeat the Brock University Badgers 4-3 on Saturday night at Canlan Ice Sports.
The win ended a short two-game losing streak by the Lions and improved their record to 13-9-0 for the season and moved them into sole possession of fifth place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West standings with six games remaining on the schedule.
A high-flying first period saw offence at both ends of the rink. Brock jumped out to a quick two-goal lead early, first off of a soft goal from Kaine Geldart at 4:17 as he managed to flip the puck over the right pad of goalie Andrew Perugini after it bounced off the boards and right in front of the net. Thomas Stajan and Sean Jones assisted on the goal. More details.
Two nights earlier, the Lions were on the other end of a comeback as the University of Waterloo Warriors stormed back in the third period with six unanswered goals to record a 6-3 victory.
The Lions held a 3-0 lead early in the third period but the Warriors turned up the offensive pressure in the final frame and put a barrage of pucks on net, ultimately taking the lead with less than two minutes remaining in the contest. More details.
Lee makes 40 saves, leads women’s hockey Lions past Badgers
Goaltender Megan Lee made 40 saves to lead the York University Lions women’s hockey team to a 2-1 victory over the Brock University Badgers at Seymour-Hannah Centre on Saturday.
The Lions opened the scoring in the first period when rookie forward Rianna Langford put the puck behind Badgers’ goalie Emily Kelly just 5:08 into the period. Rebecca Bond assisted on Langford’s first goal of the season.
York extended its lead to two late in the frame when second-year defender Kristen Barbara picked up a shorthanded marker at 17:10 of the first period. This was good enough to help the Lions into the second with a 2-0 lead despite allowing 12 shots on goal and taking only four of their own. More details.
Earlier in the week, the Lions paid a visit to the No. 8 nationally ranked University of Guelph Gryphons, dropping a 7-2 decision.
Fourth-year forward and team captain Chloe Milano opened the scoring at the 3:25 mark of the first period to make it 1-0 for York, but the lead was short-lived as the Gryphons scored three goals in 90 seconds – by Jenna Lanzarotta, Averi Nooren and Christine Grant – to take a 3-1 lead in the first period. They never looked back as they cruised to victory. More details.
Women’s volleyball Lions sweep Warriors
The York University Lions women’s volleyball team swept the University of Waterloo Warriors in straight sets on Saturday night in Waterloo, getting back into the win column after suffering their first loss of the season on Friday.
The result was never really in doubt as the No. 4 nationally ranked Lions won the sets by scores of 25-21, 25-17 and 25-17. The win improves their record to 11-1 on the year and they remain in first place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) standings.
Michelle Pierce led all players in scoring in the game, registering 12.5 points on nine kills on 12 total attack for a remarkable 75 per cent kill rate, as well as 2.5 blocked shots. Brandie Wilkerson added 6.5 points of her own with six kills as well as 11 digs, a team high that she shared with Melissa Humana-Paredes, who also had 12 points in the game with 11 kills. More details.
The team’s first loss came on Friday night against the University of Guelph Gryphons in four sets at the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre.
The Lions would jump out to an early lead in the first set, but the Gryphons would respond and eventually take the set by a score of 25-22. In the second set, the Gryphons were dominant from the get-go as they built a sizeable lead and never looked back, winning the set by a lopsided 25-12 margin.
The Lions tried their best to keep their undefeated streak going in the third set, as they served with aggression and made great defensive plays en route to a 25-12 set win. After three sets, it was 2-1 in favour of the home side. More details.
Track and field Lions record 13 podium finishes at Fred Foot Meet
The York University Lions track and field team combined to record 13 top-three finishes at the Fred Foot Memorial Track Meet hosted by the University of Toronto this past weekend.
The most impressive showing came in the men’s long jump, where the Lions swept the podium with Richard Jansen, Divy Thasarathan and Dahn Pratt finishing first, second and third, respectively. Jansen won the competition with a jump of 6.71 m, which was 24 cm better than the 6.24 m distance Thasarathan recorded. Pratt’s mark of 6.04 m was good enough for the bronze.
The Lions also nearly turned the same trick in the men’s shot put, as Umar Khan won the gold with a throw of 16.66 m, Eric Brathwaite grabbed the silver with a mark of 15.91 m and Anojan Sivalingam finished just off the podium in fourth place with a personal-best throw of 14.24 m. More details.
Wrestlers Khalid, Langari represent York at Guelph Open
York University Lions wrestlers Urshian Khalid and Amir Langari both represented the program at the Guelph Open tournament this past Saturday at the University of Guelph.
Khalid, who has been York’s top varsity wrestler all season, was again impressive in the women’s 67 kg division, finishing in fourth place.
She was joined at the meet by Langari, who finished in sixth place in the men’s 55 kg division. More details.