It was a packed house at the Tait McKenzie Centre as the York University men's basketball team ended their regular season with an 81-72 loss against the No. 3 Ryerson Rams on Saturday evening (Feb. 27).
Tommy Hobbs (Anchorage, Alaska) kept the Lions tied with the Rams to close off the first quarter in a 16-16 tie. He was an impact player from all areas of the court, sinking two free throws, one jump shot, and one three-pointer.
In the second quarter the Lions came up big from three point land. Hobbs,
Phillip Gillen (Hamilton, Ont.),
Jayden Frederick (Scarborough, Ont.), and
Nathan Culbreath (Kingston, Ont.) were all successful from beyond the arc and had the crowd at Tait McKenzie on their feet throughout the quarter.
However, the Rams were able to grab several points within the last minute of play and secured a 41-35 lead heading into the second half.
It was a nail biting third quarter that featured some quality basketball played by the Lions. Culbreath attacked the Rams in threes with three jump shots, three free throws, and a three-pointer, while
Gene Spagnuolo (Maple, Ont.) added points off of two three-pointers and two free throws.
In the fourth quarter the Rams broke free with a ten-point lead and pulled away for an 81-72 win to end the game.
Culbreath led the Lions with with 21 points and 12 rebounds while Spagnuolo, Hobbs, and
Brandon Ramirez (Scarborough, Ont.) also had strong offensive games with 11 points each.
For the Rams Aaron Best led with 20 points, Adika Peter-McNeily totaled 17 points, and Kadeem Green had 13 points.
Despite the loss, the Lions clinched a spot in the OUA Playoffs thanks to an 81-73 U of T loss to the Queen's Gaels. First round playoff action will begin on Wednesday (Mar. 2), with the Lions first round opponent still to be determined.
