The York University Lions men's basketball team was defeated by the No. 4 nationally-ranked McMaster Marauders by a score of 97-62 on Saturday (Nov. 22) in Hamilton, Ont.
 
The Lions opened the scoring in the first quarter with a jump shot by Nick Tufegdzich (Tecumseh, Ont.). Tufegdzich, Nathan Culbreath (Kingston, Ont.), Phillip Cunningham-Gillen (Hamilton, Ont.), and Nana Adu-Poku (North York, Ont.) were the scorers for the Lions in the first quarter. The Marauders were able to squeeze in two more baskets and a free throw over the Lions to lead the quarter with a score of 22-17.
 
With the start of the second quarter, two of Gene Spagnuolo's (Maple, Ont.) free throws closed the gap to three points. The Marauders didn't let up and continuously basketed shots, ending the quarter with a lead at 52-33.
 
After the half, jump shots from Culbreath, Tufegdzich, Spagnuolo and a three-pointer from Julio Vasquez (Toronto) was not enough for the Lions to catch up to the Marauders as they trailed further behind. The third quarter ended with a score of 75-47.
 
Tristan Newman (Maple, Ont.) took control of the fourth quarter, scoring two free throws and one jump shot, but it wasn't enough to beat the Marauders. The McMaster powerhouse Taylor Black overshadowed the Lions, scoring a total of 20 points for his team and ending the game 97-62.
 
Over leaders from the McMaster side include Leon Alexander with 15 points and Adam Presutti with 13 points.
 
Tufegdzich came within two rebounds of another double-double, scoring 19 points and adding eight rebounds. Culbreath was also strong with 15 points.
 
The Lions now sit in third place in the OUA East Division with a record of 2-3, while the Marauders sit in first place in the Central at 4-2.
 
The next game for the Lions is on Wednesday (Nov. 26) against the Queen's Gaels in Kingston, Ont., beginning at 8pm.