CIS men's basketball Saturday roundup: Voyageurs lose heart breaker in overtime to No. 3 Thunderwolves

LONDON, Ont. - The Western Mustangs (3-5) outrebounded visiting Royal Military College, 47-19, en route to a 94-53 win Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall.
 
Peter Scholtes, Charlie Drouin, and Greg Morrow all grabbed seven boards for the Mustangs. Scholtes also led the team with 20 points. However, it was Jermaine Bernard who stole the show with a career statline. In 27 minutes of play, Bernard went 6-for-8 from the field, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc to give him 15 points to go along with his 10 assists, three steals, and four rebounds.
 
The visiting Royal Military College fell behind quickly as Western started the game out on a 12-0 run that was not stopped until RMC's Nicholas Powler drained a 3-pointer at the 5:40 mark of the first quarter. However, enough damage had already been done and the Mustangs continued to run to a 31-7 lead at the first break.
 
Solid defense from the Mustangs took away any consistency that RMC was looking for the remainder of the game. UWO forced RMC into 27 turnovers and held them to only 35-percent shooting from the field, including a 25-percent mark from three-point range.
 
Six Mustangs hit double-digits in the scoring column. Along with Bernard and Scholtes, Ryan Higgins (12), Quinn Henderson (12), Drouin (10), and Morrow (13) all helped lead UWO to the blowout victory -- their second in two days.
 
Western will be in action again on December 21 when the team travels to the University of St. Francis for a 4:00 p.m. start.

Source: Western Sports Info

OTTAWA - The Gee-Gees evened out their record tonight with a 119-76 win over the visiting Waterloo Warriors to close the first half of their season second in the OUA East.
 
The Gee-Gees steadily built their lead over the Warriors as the game progressed, beginning with 10 points after the first, 20 at half and 30 to close the game. The Gee-Gees were off to a roaring start with a powerful first half offensive production of 63 points, finishing with a season high 119 points.
 
The Gee-Gees were especially successful from the three point zone, with fourth-year guard Warren Ward (London, Ont.) going four for five attempts, and rookie Mike L’Africain (Oakville, Ont.) going two for three, including a buzzer beater to close the first half. First-year forward Vikas Gill (Stittsville, Ont.) also went four for six on the night.
 
Ward led the Gee-Gees in scoring with a huge 27 point night, Gill followed close behind with 20 points. Second-year forward Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue (Gatineau, Qué.) had a strong performance in tonight’s win, with 17 points and six rebounds. L’Africain finished with six assists in addition to his 14 points.
 
“We knew we needed to come out strong, last night was a heartbreaker,” said Gill, “And tonight, we came out strong, hitting our shots to start, unlike yesterday. And we had good energy, and that’s what you need to win.”
 
“The leadership from Warren [Ward] and Johnny [Berhanemeskel] from the start, from their quick start,” said head coach James Derouin as a key to the team’s win and high scoring, “We got on a roll quickly and that was really important for us tonight because of how heartbreaking last night was. We needed Warren and Johnny to come with energy and I thought they did right off the bat. The offense tonight was pretty awesome. We just got it going finally; I knew there’d be a night when we’d shoot the ball really well.”
 
“We’re okay with where we’re at,” said Gill on the first half of the season, “But we expected to be higher. A 4-4 record is alright, we’ll just have to do really well against the OUA East and hope we can keep the momentum going.”
 
“We want to get healthy a little bit,” said Derouin on the goals for the break, “The focus is really what we’ve been doing tonight, our transition game. We’ve really been pushing the ball a lot more and that’s something that we’re trying to incorporate over Christmas.”
 
The Gee-Gees will travel to Dalhousie for the Shoveller Tournament December 29-31 where they will face some tough competition, including the number two nationally-ranked St.FX. The Gee-Gees will begin the second half of their season when they take on their own division in the OUA East after the Christmas break as they travel to Laurentian and York on January 6-7, 2012.

Source: Ottawa Sports Info

TORONTO - The York University Lions men's basketball team took to the court to face off against the Guelph Gryphons in a 77-62 loss at Tait McKenzie Centre on Saturday (Dec. 3).
 
The Lions played hard throughout the contest and were led on offence by rookie Raheem Isaac (Brampton, Ont.), who had 17 points on the night.  Also having a big night was fellow rookie Matthew Ziobrowski (Thornhill, Ont.) and Kenneth Buchanan (Toronto) with 10 points each.
 
Play in the first quarter remained very close as the two teams played each other very close, and that was initially reflected by the scoreboard. However, after the Gryphons snagged a couple foul shots and two point baskets, they pulled ahead to close out the first quarter 15-9.
 
Unfortunately, the Lions could not respond to the Gryphons' continued advances and the visiting team took the lead 43-26 to close out the half.
 
The third quarter was started off with two successful foul shots by the Gryphons due to a technical foul charged to Lions coach Tom Oliveri.
 
The Lions fought hard to come back, sinking three-pointers and two-point baskets, but it would not be enough to match the Gryphons in this matchup.  The Gryphons would go on to claim the win.
 
With the loss, the Lions remain in six in the OUA East in a three-way tie with the Queen's Gaels and the RMC Paladins. With the win, the Gryphons now tie the Windsor Lancers in fifth in the OUA West at 5-3.
 
The Gryphons got most of their offence from the tandem of Kareem Malcom and Daniel McCarthy, who each tallied 23 points. No other player on the team has more than nine.
 
Next up for the Lions is the holiday break and they will return on Friday, Jan. 6 to face the nation's No. 1 team, the undefeated Carleton Ravens, at Tait McKenzie Centre.  Game time is set for 8pm.
 
Source: Andrew Viarruel, York sport writing assistant 

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University men's basketball team (6-2 OUA) scored 59 points in the second half on route to a 95-55 victory over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Saturday night at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
 
Brock led 36-28 at the half.
 
In the opening three minutes of the third quarter, the Badgers offense came alive, as they put together a 15-2 run to take a 21-point lead 51-30. They would extend their lead to thirty points (75-45) early in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
 
After knocking down just one three pointer in the first half, Brock shot an impressive 60.0% (12-for-20) in the second half from downtown.
 
Leading the Badgers offense was the duo of senior Mark Gibson (Toronto, Ont.) and sophomore Jameson Tipping (Orangeville, Ont.). Gibson recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Tipping added a game-high 24 points including a career best 5-for-6 from beyond the arc.
 
Also in double figures was junior Tshing Kasamba (St. Catharines, Ont.) who contributed with 15 points, four steals and four rebounds. Senior Andrew Kraus (Markham, Ont.) added a season high 11 assists.
 
Andrew Wasik was Toronto's lone player in double digits finishing with 16 points and six rebounds in the loss.
 
Brock shot 51.4% (37-for-72) from the field and 54.2% (13-for-24) from three-point range. The Badgers defense held Toronto to a season low 28.8% (19-for-66) from the field and 17.6% (3-for-17) from beyond the arc. Brock also forced the Varsity Blues to turn the ball over 26 times which led to 38 points off turnovers.
 
The Badgers will travel to Florida during the Christmas holidays. They will return to OUA action on January 4th at 8:00 pm when they host the Guelph Gryphons at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.

Source: Brock Sports Info

OTTAWA - The No. 1 nationally ranked Carleton University Ravens men’s basketball team extended its perfect record to 8-0 by dropping the No. 8 nationally ranked Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks to a 7-1 record in an 84-68 victory at the Ravens’ Nest Saturday night.
 
The Ravens stormed out of the gate, hitting 11 points with three three-point plays from different players about two and a half minutes in.
 
And they dominated on their side of the court too. Their defensive play was aggressive, effectively doubling up on a man when needed to force turnovers.
 
The effort on both sides of the court gave the Ravens a one-sided 26-13 lead going into the second quarter.
 
The strong defence continued to open the second quarter, as Carleton denied second-chance points with their quick transition offence, led by point guard Willy Manigat (Ottawa), who out-worked defenders for easy finger-rolls heading down the court more than once.
 
Tyson Hinz (Ottawa) also had a strong quarter. He was too hard to handle in the key, draining nine points for a half-time high of 12.
 
But the Hawks would gain some ground by relying on their strong cycle game to expose openings along the perimeter. They nailed five of seven shots from beyond-the-arc to pull within eleven points and go into the half down only 47-36.
 
They started the second half strong, pulling within seven points. But a four-point play from Phillip Scrubb (Richmond, B.C.) energized the Ravens. He nailed his deep trey while being offended and found mesh on the resulting free throw to establish a 55-44 lead and start a 13-3 run.
 
Carleton’s defence then took over again, running out two shot clocks and winning a couple of loose balls, forcing a Laurier timeout.
 
But that wouldn’t help the Hawks, as the Ravens dominated the quarter 23-13 to head into the final frame up 70-49.
 
Manigat nailed the first five points of the quarter, ensuring a Carleton victory.
 
The Ravens will have a month off before putting their perfect record on the line against the York University Lions Jan. 6. Tip-off is at 8 p.m.

Source: Carleton Sports Info

HAMILTON, Ont. - The McMaster Marauders extended their win streak to seven games before the break with a win over the Ryerson Rams. In the 86-70 win, the Marauders now have 14 points and sit atop the OUA West division along with Laurier and Lakehead.
 
In the first, the Marauders took an early ten point lead at 20-10 after rookie Aaron Redpath (Ajax, Ont.) shot and scored on a three-pointer. Ryerson would string together a few baskets but more three pointers from the Marauders, namely Nathan Pelech (Mississauga, Ont.) and Redpath kept the McMaster lead at six. The first quarter would end with Joe Rocca (Sarnia, Ont.) drawing a foul on a three-point shot. The rookie would make all three for McMaster to lead 29-23 going into the second.
 
Taylor Black (Stoney Creek, Ont.) of the Marauders would be the first to score in the second quarter off of two foul shots. As the Marauders continued to force Ryerson turnovers, A breakaway by Victor Raso (Hamilton, Ont.) would see a two-on-one situation and Redpath would score on the lay-up to extend the lead back to ten points at 33-23. Two more threes from Raso and another from Satar Wahidi (Ancaster, Ont.) with 3:30 left to go in the half earned the Marauders the 43-27 lead. Raso would score one more three before half time to push the McMaster lead to 19 and at halftime the score would read 50-29.
 
Halfway through the third quarter, the Marauders maintained their lead with continued turnovers from the Rams. Not allowing Ryerson to get shots off, McMaster's lead would hover around the 15 point mark. Then with 1:35 left in the quarter, Ryerson would get within ten with a jumper from Luke Staniscia (Pefferlaw, Ont.) at 58-48. McMaster would respond though with a block from Black that would turn in to a breakaway lay-up made by Cam Michaud (Grimsby, Ont.). The quarter would end 62-49 in favour of the Marauders with an Adam Presutti (Oakville, Ont.) jumper made at the buzzer.
 
Two minutes into the fourth, the Rams began to mount a comeback and a three-pointer from Jordan Gauthier (Windsor, Ont.) would get Ryerson within eight. A lay-up from Jahmal Jones (Mississauga, Ont.) would follow to squeeze the gap to six points at 62-56. The Marauders would quickly respond with a three from Rocca and regained the ten point lead with another three from forward Black.
 
Around the four minute mark, the Rams got themselves into some trouble as head coach Roy Rana was given a technical foul and that would follow with forward Jelane Pryce (Innisfil, Ont.) getting fouled out. Pryce would serve a technical foul himself which would allow the Marauders to go up 80-66. With a minute left to go and McMaster up by ten, Presutti is fouled, makes both shots and then guard Ola Adegboruwa (Toronto) would also be fouled out due to a technical. The Marauders would close out the game with the win with a score of 86-70.
 
Player of the game honours for the Rams went to Staniscia for his 22 points and 14 rebounds. Jones was also effective for the Rams with 15 points and eight assists. Gauthier added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Ryerson and Adegboruwa scored ten more in Ryerson's loss.
 
For the Marauders, Raso was named Player of the Game for his 23 points and six rebounds on the night. Black and Presutti also reached double digits with 11 points each.  

Source: McMaster Sports Info

SUDBURY, Ont. - The Laurentian Voyageurs took on the third ranked team in the country, the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Saturday December 3, 2011 at the Ben Avery gym. The Voyageurs gave the favored Thunderwolves all they could handle but fell up short in overtime losing 99-95.

The Voyageurs came out strong with swarming defense which lead to turnovers and fast break points. Both teams were hitting there 3s and were trading baskets throughout the first quarter. The Voyageurs had the lead at the end of the quarter 23-17

The Voyageurs came out strong in the early part of the second quarter and stretched their lead to 11 points within the first three minutes, causing the Thunderwolves to take a timeout. This helped the Thundrwolves as they were able to settle down and started to push the tempo of the game. But six straight points by Alex Ratte (from Ottawa) helped the Voyageurs to maintain their lead. The Voyageurs also got a nice spark of the bench from Eric Ducharme (from Espanola) who had 10 points on 4-5 shooting. The Voyageurs took an eight point lead into half time with the score 46-38.

The Voyageurs defense was strong again in the early part of the third which led to fast break points. However a few missed layups and missed assignments on defense by the Voyageurs allowed the Thunderwolves back into the game. The Thunderwolves made an adjustment of defense which seemed to fluster the Voyageurs, and forced them to take difficult shots and forced turnovers. This helped the Thunderwolves chip away at the lead. At the end of the third the Voyageurs lead 65-61.

The hand checking by the Thunderwolves guard Greg Carter (from Ottawa), forced numerous turnovers and lead to easy baskets for the Thunderwolves. The Thunderwolves were driving on every possession and were able to cut the lead to three with 3:35 remaining in the fourth. The teams were trading baskets with both teams hustling for every loose ball and sacrificing their bodies. The Thunderwolves defense forced difficult shots that the Voyageurs missed. The Thunderwolves were able to take the lead 88-86 but Mike Hull (from Victora BC) pulled down a huge offensive rebound and scored a huge basket to tie the game. The Thunderwolves had one more chance but werent able to get a shot off because of the Voyageurs defense.

In overtime the Thunderwolves made two quick three and took the early lead. But the Voyageurs battled back with great hustle on the defensive end, and were able to tie at 94 with 47 seconds left. After the team traded free throws the Thunderwolves then ran a great play to take to the lead 97-95 with 13 seconds left. A miscommunication on the following inbounds play by the Voyageurs allowed the Thunderwolves to ice the game with two free throws.

That was the last game for the Voyageurs before the Christmas break, they will return to action on Friday January 6 2012 against Ottawa in the Ben Avery gym, tipoff is at 8PM

Source: Laurentian Sports Info