The York University Lions men's basketball team paid a visit to North Bay, Ont., Saturday night to take on the Nipissing Lakers. It was a very close game, with the Lions falling four points behind the Lakers at the end which saw a score of 68-64.
 
Despite how the game ended, the Lions got off to an impressive early lead, scoring 16 points before the Lakers earned their first points of the game. The Lakers managed to close the gap a little bit, and the first quarter ended with the Lions leading 18-11.
 
Both teams continued to slowly accumulate more points in the second quarter, and the Lions were unable to increase their lead substantially for any amount of time. In the final moments of the half, Gianmarco Luciani made a layup that put the Lions ahead by eight points at the end of quarter. The score was 38-30 heading into halftime.
 
Halfway through the third the Lakers began to take control of the ball and quickly came within two points of the Lions, who hadn't been able to sink any baskets. Four late points gave the Lions a narrow 50-49 lead heading into the fourth.
 
Both teams flipped back and forth between leading and trailing throughout the fourth quarter, with both making outstanding offensive and defensive plays. Ultimately, it was the Lakers' four made free throws that allowed them to pull ahead at the end of the quarter, claiming a 68-64 victory over the Lions.
 
The top scorer for the Lions was Luciani with 14 points, and Prince Kamunga led the team in rebounds with eight, followed closely by Luciani with seven.
 
Scoring for the Lakers was led by Ismael Kaba with 16 points followed by Justin Shaver with 15.
 
The Lions now have a 2-10 season record. They will return home to the Tait McKenzie Centre on Friday, Jan. 12 to host the Ottawa Gee-Gees and on Saturday they will take on the top-ranked Carleton Ravens. Tip-off is at 8pm both nights.