The York University Lions men's basketball team barely lost to the Queen's Gaels by a score of 86-84 on Wednesday (Nov. 26) in Kingston, Ont., in their first OUA East Division match-up of the season.
 
The fourth quarter of the game was an adrenaline pumping, point-by-point round where the Gaels barely squeezed through to defeat the Lions.
 
The Gaels led by nine at the half but a strong third quarter for the Lions cut the margin to just three points heading into the final frame.
 
Nathan Culbreath (Kingston, Ont.) opened up the fourth quarter with a jump shot to cut the deficit to just one, and the two teams traded baskets throughout much of the quarter as time wound down.
 
The Lions had a chance to take the lead with nine seconds remaining as they were down by just two, but Culbreath's three-point attempt came up short and the Gaels ran out the clock.
 
In the first quarter, the Lions opened up the scoring with a jump shot from Nick Tufegdzich (Tecumseh, Ont.), which was quickly counteracted by a three-point shot from Gaels' Tanner Graham. The first quarter ended with a score of 27-21 with the Gaels in the lead.
 
The Lions went on a furious run to start the second quarter and cut the Queen's advantage to just one point, at 32-31, but the Gaels charged forward to end the half to take a 53-42 lead into the break.
 
Richard Iheadindu (Brampton, Ont.) opened up the third with a three-point shot. The Lions were able to close the 11-point gap in the third, minimizing it to three points by the end with a total score of 67-64.
 
Culbreath, playing in his hometown, had his best game of the season with 24 points as well as nine rebounds, four steals and one assist. Tufegdzich continued his big year with 25 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
 
Greg Faulkner from the Gaels also played an excellent game, calculating 23 points for his squad as well as eight rebounds and six assists.
 
The win was the first of the season for Queen's, which improved to 1-5 on the year. The Lions dropped to 2-4 with the loss.
 
Despite the win, the Gaels still remain at the bottom of the OUA East Conference, while the Lions continue to sit in third place with a record of 2-4.
 
The next game for the Lions is on Saturday (Nov. 29) against the Algoma Thunderbirds at the Tait McKenzie Centre at 8pm.