ARPAN KAUR // yorkulions.ca

Cyanna King starred with 17 points and 17 rebounds as York University Lions women's basketball team emerged with a convincing victory over the Nipissing Lakers on Saturday afternoon.
 
They prevailed 79-55 for their second consecutive win over the Lakers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Lions got off to a blazing start with 20 points in the first quarter. King had two big shots while drawing fouls, compelling an early timeout by the Lakers bench. On top of that, Jada Codrington made two of her own back-to-back points, to extend the margin to 20-11 at the end of the first.
• The Lions continued with their offensive blitz into the second, with solid defence leading to better offence. Kiara Leveridge picked up her game, scoring half of the team's points in the second, leading York 32-22.
• The third and fourth quarters were full of in-transition and fast-break points from one end of the court to the other, with Leveridge leading the team with her ball-handling skills.
• With a three-pointer off a pass from Emma Jonas, Avery Bathe-Minard had the audience ecstatic, hitting nothing but the net to give them an exciting 53-35 lead in the third.
• The final quarter was all Lions, with Kirsten McGrath, the Lions' guard, hitting the game's final jumper to secure the 79-55 victory.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
 
"We started off with really strong defensive intensity right from the start, whereas yesterday we didn't have such a strong start. We needed to make sure we set that tone. We're at our best when we play from the defensive end out." — Head coach Christa Eniojukan
 
NOTABLE NUMBERS

• Outstanding Lions defence restricted the Lakers to a 34.9 percent field-goal percentage, allowing them to make only 22 of 63 shots.
• The Lions were led by Leveridge with 19 points, five rebounds and three steals. Accompanied by two other double-digit scorers; King had her aforementioned performance of 18 points and 18 rebounds, followed by Codrington with 12 points, four steals and four assists. 
• The Lions racked up 18 assists, an all-time high according to coach Eniojukan.

LOOKING AHEAD
 
The schedule gets a lot tougher for the Lions next week as they face the first-place Carleton Ravens of the OUA East division, who are currently on a four-game winning streak. The game will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Tait McKenzie Centre.