The York University Lions men’s basketball team beat the Lakehead University Thunderwolves on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Thunder Bay, Ont., in a massive 112-104 win following an exhilarating triple overtime.
York’s Gianmarco Luciani led the Lions in points, with a total of 26 throughout the away game.
The first period saw the Thunderwolves leading with 18 points and the Lions were two points behind at 16. Luciani was the first to score with a three-point bucket less than a minute into the quarter. York’s DeAndre Pierre then followed with a two-point shot, giving the Lions an early 5-0 lead over their opponents. The Thunderwolves’ Davarius Wright then secured a three-point shot, putting Lakehead on the board. More details on the York Lions website.
Locke scores OT winner in first game of season against Voyageurs
The York University women’s hockey topped the Laurentian University Voyageurs 1-0 with an overtime goal on Saturday evening in Sudbury, Ont., their second overtime win of the weekend.
The Lions had a quick turnaround from the previous evening’s 6-5 overtime win against the Nipissing Lakers. Despite the high-scoring game against the Lakers, after three periods, neither the Lions nor the Voyageurs were able to get a shot past the goaltenders.
The Lions outshot the Voyageurs in the first period with 15 shots on goal compared to the Voyageurs’ nine. The Voyageurs had 17 more shots in the last two periods, while the Lions only had 12, but neither teams were able to find the back of the net. More details.
On Friday night, the Lions also beat the Nipissing University Lakers in overtime in North Bay, Ont., smashing a three-game losing streak.
The first period of the game saw both teams making an appearance on the scoreboard. However, the Lakers were the first to complete a successful shot on goal at 5:27, which was fired by forward Kaley Tienhaara with assists from teammates Zosia Davis and Jetta Derenoski.
The Lions answered 59 seconds later when forward Avery Reeves found the back of the net, assisted by Natalie Dean and Kara Washer. The two teams went into the second period tied 1-1. More details.
Lions win nail-biter against Varsity Blues
The York University Lions men’s volleyball team beat the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday, Nov. 25 in a spectacularly close 3-2 win for the home team in a game that extended to five sets.
York’s Andrew Tauhid led in points between both teams, scoring a game total of 25.5 points, 25 of them being kills, while outside hitter Andrew Shotbolt also had a phenomenal game, contributing 21.5 points and 20 kills.
The Lions beat the Blues in the first set, which went over 25 points as the home team battled for the 27-25 win. York’s ability to keep a ball in the game contributed to their first set win, especially as they attempted to secure their last few points and Tauhid raced down the court as the ball was escaping the Lions and he brought it back into the game to secure another point for the Lions. More details.
On Friday evening, the Lions played in front of a packed house and, despite a hard-fought battle, were defeated by the Ryerson University Rams 3-2 at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.
After three consecutive points in the first set, it was Toure Nwakwesi who earned the first point for the Lions. The game was tied early on, 6-6, but the Lions led the Rams 16-11 by the midway break. The Lions stayed strong and held onto their lead to win the set 25-19. More details.
Lions defeated 3-0 by first-place Rams
The York University women’s volleyball team were defeated by the Ryerson University Rams 3-0 on Friday evening at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.
The Rams, who went undefeated in the 2017-18 season, and won the U SPORTS women’s volleyball championships, sit in first place in the OUA East division with a 6-1 record. With the loss, the Lions are still tied in second place with the Toronto Varsity Blues sharing a 5-2 record.
It was the Rams who dominated the first set, racking up a total of 15 consecutive points at the start of the game before the Lions were able to earn one for themselves. After the Lions earned a point from a Ryerson serve that went out of bounds, it was the Rams who earned one last point to lead the Lions 16-1 midway through the set. The Lions were able to add four more points before the end of the set, but the Rams topped the Lions 25-5. More details.
Two days later, the Lions lost their final game before the holiday break to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday, Nov. 25 at the Tait McKenzie Centre with a 3-0 win for the Blues.
The University of Toronto took the first set in a close 25-23 win. York was able to secure four points in a row following the Blues’ first point of the game, which gave the Lions an early 4-1 lead. More details.
Lions five-game win streak halted with loss to Thunderwolves
The York University Lions women’s basketball team lost to the Lakehead University Thunderwolves in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Saturday, Nov. 24, which put a halt to their historic five-game winning streak.
The scoreboard in the first half of the game was almost identical for both teams. In the first quarter of the game, the Lions ended with 22 points and the Thunderwolves ended with 23.
The Lions’ Lauren Golding opened up the game with a three-point jump shot. The scoring went back and forth between both teams and neither led to far ahead from the other. The Thunderwolves scored two layups, which were followed by a layup from York’s Katrina Collins-Samuels and a three-point shot from Emma Jonas. More details.
Lions fall 3-1 at home to Varsity Blues
The York University men’s hockey team played against their city rivals, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, on Saturday evening and were defeated 3-1 at Canlan Ice Sports.
Both teams had chances in the first period, with the first huge chance coming from the Varsity Blues after a shot squeezed past Alex Fotinos, but hit the post and remained out of the Lions’ net. Ben Verrall had the first big chance for the Lions, taking a shot that went off the post. A few minutes later, Dexter Bricker received a long pass just behind the Varsity Blues’ defencemen; however, it was stopped by the goaltender. After multiple chances by both teams, Toronto’s Matt Campagna slipped one passed Fotinos to lead the Lions 1-0 just four minutes before the end of the period. More details.
On Thursday, the Lions lost 5-2 to the University of Guelph Gryphons in Guelph, Ont., ending the Lions’ season-high four-game winning streak.
The Gryphons previously fell short to the Lions back on Oct. 13, 2018, as the Lions beat their opponents in a 4-3 win at their home arena. The first period of the game saw 11 shots on goal for the Lions and 12 shots on goal for the Gryphons, one of which was fired by Matt Kenney, entering the Lions’ net and giving the Gryphons their first lead of the game. More details.