The York University Lions men's basketball team suffered an 80-67 defeat to the Ryerson Rams at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Ont., on Thursday night.
 
The Lions got off to a hot start in their season opener, with Nick Russell and Tyler Pryce hitting early three pointers but Ryerson's Jayden Frederick kept the home side in it as the Rams closed out the first quarter 18-10.
 
It was a different story in the second, Pryce brought back the same intensity grabbing a steal off a missed rebound, putting up a quick shot and drawing a foul for the three-point play. Fourth-year guard Connor Laronde was active on both sides of the floor hitting a three to make the score 24-23, giving his side their first lead since the early minutes of the game, and taking a charge on the very next possession. The Lions outscored the Rams 22-13 in the second heading into halftime with a 32-31 lead.
 
The second half was a back and forth affair between the two sides, but to the dismay of the Lions, they would get caught with a pair of unlucky fouls early in the third that gave Ryerson the edge they had been looking.
 
Laronde remained active on the defensive end picking up his second charge of the game, but the offensive play of Frederick and Tevaun Kokko would prove to be too much for the Lions. The tandem combined for 53 of the Rams 80 total points, as well as 12 rebounds and seven assists. Russell lead all Lions with 15 points, with Pryce and Laronde finding their way into double digits with 11 apiece. 
 
 The Lions will now look ahead to their home opener on Saturday where they play host to the Algoma Thunderbirds at Tait McKenzie at 8pm.