Zain Rashid | Staff Writer
Featured Image: Lions bounce back from last week’s disappointing performances, winning three out of four games this week. | Courtesy of YorkU Lions
The Lions men’s and women’s basketball teams hosted Laurentian and Nipissing at Tait Mackenzie this week, winning three out of four games.
On Friday, the Laurentian Voyageurs were in town, taking on the women first.
With the support of the home crowd, the Lions started off strong in the early minutes as Chante Clarke and Haley Bowie hit back-to-back threes. Although the Lions led by seven points halfway through the first quarter, the Voyageurs made a run of their own near the end of the frame, evening things up at 26 after one.
York regained the momentum in the second quarter, courtesy of multiple threes from Emma Jonas and Clarke en route to a 12-point lead at the half.
The Lions again outscored the Voyageurs in the third quarter as Katrina Collins-Samuels, Jonas and others put their name on the score sheet, as the quarter ended 68-55 for York.
It was in the final frame when the Lions truly put the exclamation point on the win, as their lead ballooned to 25 points, and they cruised to the 89-67 victory.
It was the men’s turn to face Laurentian next. They ended up losing a heartbreaker 79-77, despite leading for much of the game.
The Lions came out of the gate strong, as DeAandrae Pierre opened the scoring with a three. York’s Tyler Pryce ended the first quarter with a lay-up, giving the Lions 20-8 lead.
Nana Adu-Poku and Prince Kamunga added multiple threes for York in the second quarter, and, despite an attempted comeback by the Voyageurs, the Lions lead 41-29 going into the half.
The third quarter saw a fierce response from Laurentian as they went on a dominant run of their own, at one point held a 45-43 lead. However, the Lions managed to match their intensity, as they closed the third with a 13-point lead.
The fourth quarter featured an intense battle, as neither side would concede defeat. With seventeen seconds remaining, Adu-Poku tied the game at 77. The Voyageurs, however, managed to score a controversial last-second basket, stealing the 79-77 victory.
On Saturday, the Lions welcomed the Nipissing Lakers to the Tait Mackenzie Center. The women again played first defeating the Lakers by a comfortable nine-point margin.
The women dominated the first quarter, raining threes courtesy of Collins-Samuels and Jonas. The first quarter ended with a 24-13 lead for York.
The Lions kept the momentum in the second quarter, and took a 12-point lead with them into the break.
The Lakers made a strong comeback, and just before the end of the third quarter, closed the gap to just three points. However, the Lions held on to their lead, ending the quarter 60-55.
The Lakers continued their comeback attempt in the fourth, as they managed to gain a 69-68 lead in the final frame. However, York bounced back to regain their lead with a free throw from Cyanna King and a jump shot from Jonas, safely escaping with the 78-69 win.
The men played next, and bounced back from their heartbreaking defeat the night before in the form of a 20-point victory, snapping their six-game losing streak.
The Lions got an early lead over the Lakers and kept the upper hand throughout the game. York’s Gianmarco Luciani and Chevon Brown, among others, contributed to a 17-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Lucciani and Kamunga led York’s attack in the second quarter, scoring multiple threes en route to a 12-point lead at the half.
The Lions stretched their lead to an unbelievable 27 points in the third quarter, as Gene Spagnuolo and Alex Thielen hit several shots, as the quarter ended 63-35 in favour of York.
The fourth was a formality, as Kamunga put an exclamation point on the win with a dunk that nearly blew the roof off the Tait McKenzie Centre, as the Lions handled the Lakers easily, finishing with a 77-57 victory.
Both teams travel to Kingston to face Queens on Friday for their next games. Tip-off is 6 p.m. for the women and 8 p.m. for the men.
