Coming off three straight road losses to begin 2024, the York University Lions men's basketball team made its long-awaited return to the Tait McKenzie Centre for a key Central division duel with the Brock Badgers.

The Lions were looking to earn a season series split with Brock and, in so doing, avenge a tough 76-69 loss to the Badgers back in the second game of the season on Nov. 5. 

With a win Friday, the Lions would have equalled their victory output from last season with eight games remaining.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Josh Noton scored the first bucket of the night for the Lions. That was followed by a 13-3 run from Brock, catapulting them to an early 13-5 lead. The Lions, however, responded with a run of their own – to the tune of 16-7 – thanks in large part to three straight triples from Travon Hamilton, and trailed by only one after one.
• The second was all Lions, with the starting and closing of the quarter were key to a big offensive frame for the home side. The Lions began the second on a 7-1 run to take a 26-21 lead. They then proceeded to close the half on a 15-2 run – punctuated by six consecutive makes on their final six possessions – and took a 55-41 lead to the locker room.
• York didn't let up out of the break, scoring the first five points of the third quarter to take a 60-41 advantage. The Badgers cut the lead to 13 by the end of the third, with the score 83-70 in favour of the Lions
• York faced its first sustained offensive drought of the night, scoring only two points over a period of 6:43 in the fourth quarter. However, their defence, which was superb most of the night, stood tall. Though the Badgers trimmed the lead to five in the final minute, five key free throws from Noton salted it away, and the Lions came away with a 95-89 victory. 
• Evan Shadkami once again led his team in points with 27, but he was far from the only one delivering the goods on this night. Hamilton led the reserves with 18 in 35 minutes along with four boards and eight assists. Meanwhile, Liam Rietschin had a quietly productive night, putting up eight points in 16 minutes, also off the bench

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Lions have little time to bask in the glory of this one, as their late-season playoff push continues with another critical home game with a long-time division rival, namely the McMaster Marauders. Tip-off is 8:00 pm.