The York University Lions men's basketball team earned its first win of the season on Wednesday (Nov. 12) with 67-60 victory over the Waterloo Warriors in the Tait Mackenzie Centre.
 
York's Richard Iheadindu (Brampton, Ont.) opened the scoring early in the first quarter. In the last five minutes of the first, Iheadindu smacked the ball away from a Warrior attempt, sprinted across the court and connect a three-pointer, raising the crowd to their feet in applause. The Lions were able to clutch their lead 18-11 by the end of the first.
 
In the second quarter, Iheadindu and Nick Tufegdzich (Tecumseh, Ont.) led the attack with four points each, raising the score to 37-25.
 
After the half, Nathan Culbreath (Kingston, Ont.) opened up the third with three consecutive baskets, giving the Lions a 14-point lead. The Warriors were able to shrink the gap, trailing with 12 points, after a final block from Jonathan Golla and a score of 52-40.
 
In the exciting fourth quarter, the Warriors connected from the floor and achieved three three-pointers from Myles Charvis, Mike Pereira and Jaspreet Gill to tie the game 58-58 in the final three minutes.
 
At 3:48, Tufegdzich sent the crowd surging with a hard block on Ben Davis, disallowing him any chance to score. A three-point jump shot from Iheadindu at 1:52 broke the tie, sending the fans on the edge of their seats. Jump shots by Iheadindu and Nidun Chandrakumar (North York, Ont.) and two final free-throws from Culbreath ended the game in the Lions' favour.
 
Iheadindu played an outstanding game with a total of 19 points and three rebounds. His agility and accuracy could not be matched from the Warriors. Other exceptional players include Tufegdzich with 15 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks and Culbreath with 14 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Warrior's Jaspreet Gill also played exceptional, assisting the Warriors with a total of 18 points.
 
The next game for the Lions is Friday (Nov. 14) against the Laurier Golden Hawks at the Tait McKenzie Centre at 8pm.