The York University Lions men's basketball squad was narrowly defeated 81-80 to the resurging Western Mustangs at the Tait Mackenzie Centre on Saturday night (Feb. 13).

The Lions offense went ice old to begin the game going minutes without a basket, but that same offense would come alive in the later parts of Saturdays game resulting in an exciting finish. The three ball was falling for the Lions, and leading the charge was none other than deep shot specialist Tommy Hobbs (Anchorage, Alaska), who knocked down three in the loss. Jayden Frederick (Scarborough, Ont.) was also a key contributor from down town going three for six in 35 minutes of playing time.

The majority of the first half on Saturday was fully controlled by the Mustangs, but a late push from the Lions cut the Mustangs lead to ten. Nathan Culbreath (Kingston, Ont.) ignited the comeback with multiple crucial buckets, including a buzzer beater at the end of the 3^rd quarter. Culbreath finished the game with a team high 21 points, six assists and five rebounds.

The Mustangs dynamic duo of Greg Morrow and Anthony Spiridis combined for 48 of the teams 81 points. Morrow finished with a game high 33 points, seven rebounds (four of which were offensive), and four assists.

The dramatic finish was fueled by the play of Gene Spagnuolo (Maple, Ont.) who hit an and-one which shifted the momentum. Sharpshooting guard Culbreath took it upon himself to carry the load, as he went hard in the paint bringing the Lions within three points with 35 seconds remaining. A Mustang air ball with 13 seconds remaining in regulation time handed the possession to the Lions.

With time winding down, the Lions set a screen for Spagnuolo, which he accepted and drove the lane for an easy two, making the score 81-80 for the Mustangs with nine seconds remaining on the clock. The Mustangs were fouled off the inbound and the free-throw shooter missed both shots, and as the rebound came off the rim Spagnuolo corralled the rock and sprinted down court, as he neared the basket he was run into by multiple Mustangs, resulting in the final score of 81-80.

The Lions are four points out of a playoff birth as their season record falls to 3-12. The Lions will look to pick up those points February 19^th when they take on the 4-11 Algoma Thunderbirds in Sault Ste. Marie at 8pm.