The York University Lions men’s basketball team let an early double-digit lead slip away, but recovered with a huge 28-point fourth quarter to defeat its cross-town rivals, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, by a score of 79-65 on Saturday, Jan. 21 at Tait McKenzie Centre.
David Tyndale led all scorers with 23 points, followed by rookie point guard Richard Iheadindu, who picked up 17 points and hit a game-high four three pointers. Sophomore forward Nick Tufegdzich was the top rebounder on the night, grabbing nine boards. Click here for more details.
The previous night the Lions dropped an 86-71 decision to the Ryerson University Rams.
The game began well for the home team as the Lions raced out to an early lead and held a four-point advantage, 18-14, over the Rams after the first quarter of play. But the Rams exploded for 26 points in the second, compared to just 16 for the Lions, and took a lead in the game they would not relinquish. They outscored the Lions in each of the final two quarters to earn the convincing win. Click here for more details.
Track and field Lions capture 20 medals at two weekend meets
The York University Lions track and field team returned home with 20 top-three finishes from two different meets this past weekend (Jan. 20-21).
The squad dominated at the Don Wright Team Challenge at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., picking up 17 medals at the event, while the student-athletes at the Fred Foot Pentathlon at the University of Toronto won three medals.
At the Don Wright Team Challenge York’s stellar trio of women’s throwers did not disappoint as they swept the medals in the shot put and nearly accomplished the same feat in the weight throw. In the shot Cynthia Appiah finished in first with a throw of 13.97 metres, Elizabeth Petrov was just behind her with a distance of 13.61 metres and Kristin Obrochta rounded out the top three with a throw of 12.57 metres.
Not to be outdone, Obrochta rose to the top of the pack in the weight throw with a toss of 16.66 metres to win the gold medal, while Appiah’s best throw of 16.58 metres gave her the silver. Petrov finished in fifth place with a throw of 14.38 metres. Click here for more details.
Men’s volleyball Lions come back to defeat Varsity Blues in five
The York University Lions men’s volleyball team won a thrilling five-set match against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym on Friday evening (Jan. 20).
Team captain Karim Khalil had a monster game for the Lions, recording game-highs in points and digs with 22 and 14, respectively. He earned his points on 14 kills, six blocks and two service aces.
Ray Szeto and Gregory Ivan were also stellar for the Lions. Szeto had 16 points on 11 kills, three service aces and two blocks, while Ivan had 14 points on eight kills, five blocks and one service ace. Szeto also chipped in with 11 digs and Ivan had seven. Click here for more details.
Strong second period lifts men’s hockey Lions over Ridgebacks
The York University Lions men’s hockey team scored two goals in just over one minute late in the second period to open up a close game en route to a 5-3 victory over the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks at Canlan Ice Sports on Saturday night (Jan. 21).
The Lions (11-8-4) remain in sole possession of fourth place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West standings and are still just two points back of the University of Waterloo Warriors with five games to play. The Ridgebacks (4-18-1) remain in last place in the division.
In a span of 3:08 the two teams combined for five goals in what was otherwise a strong defensive effort from both sides. The flurry began at the 17:17 mark of the second period, when team captain Jesse Messier found the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season to give the Lions a 2-0 lead. Click here for more details.
The previous night the team earned a single point in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Brock University Badgers in St. Catharines, Ont. Mark Cross scored with less than four minutes remaining in regulation to force the extra frame.
Just nine seconds after Thomas Stajan put the Badgers up 1-0 on a power play goal early in the first, Lions rookie winger Ryan Andersen scored his first goal of the season to tie the game at ones. Not to be outdone, rookie defenceman Scott Charbonneau net his first goal of the season just 18 seconds into the second period to give the Lions a 2-1 lead. Click here for more details.
Women’s hockey Lions’ top three shine in win over Rams
Kristie Wilson scored her eighth and ninth goals of the season, Katrina Tollis added a pair of assists and Chloe Milano buried the game winner midway through the third period as the York University Lions women’s hockey team defeated the Ryerson University Rams 3-2 on Saturday (Jan. 21) at George Bell Arena in Toronto.
Wilson is the Lions’ leading scorer this season with 19 points, followed by Tollis with 16 and Milano with 15.
Lions goaltender Jessalyn Bogacki stopped 29 of the 31 shots she faced to record her fourth win in six starts this season. With the win, the Lions improve to 11-8-1 on the season and move into a tie for third in the OUA with the Queen’s Gaels (10-6-3). Click here for more details.
The previous night the Lions lost their first game of 2012 after surrendering four unanswered goals in a loss to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues by a score of 4-2 at Varsity Arena.
The loss ended a three-game winning streak in 2012 that began with a 2-0 win over the Blues earlier this month.
The Lions outshot the Blues 27-22 in the game and mounted a bit of a comeback late in the third period, scoring two goals in 23 seconds, but time simply ran out before they could close the gap any further. Click here for more details.
Women’s basketball Lions drop games to city rivals
The York University Lions women’s basketball team let a 33-25 half-time lead slip away in the second half and ultimately went down 60-59 to the Ryerson University Rams on Friday evening (Jan. 20) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
With 5:15 left in the final quarter the two teams were tied 50-50, setting up a thrilling finish to the contest. The Rams took control first, scoring five unanswered points on baskets by Angela Tilk and Ashley MacDonald. But the Lions quickly responded by scoring six in a row of their own, including four straight foul shots made by Brittany Szockyj and Llyandra Kerr, to hold a one-point advantage with one minute left on the clock. Click here for more details.
One night later the team played a great opening quarter and a half before surrendering a 13-point lead late in the second en route to a 77-64 loss to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.
Kerr was the Lions’ top scorer and had one of the best nights of her young career, picking up a double-double on 22 points and a game-high 18 rebounds.
With the loss, the Lions fall to 6-9 on the season but remain sixth in the OUA East with 12 points, six points up on the seventh place Laurentian University Lady Vees (3-12). Click here for more details.