Coming off a monumental win over the then-No. 4 ranked Carleton Ravens in their final game before the holiday break, the York University Lions men's basketball team began the 2024 portion of its schedule Saturday night in Hamilton against the McMaster Marauders.

This was an extremely important game for both teams in a tightly-contested OUA Central division. McMaster came into this one 6-4, with York sitting just a game back of the Marauders at 5-5. A win would have moved York into a tie with McMaster atop the division as teams jockey for playoff positioning over the final six weeks of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Marauders took an early 9-2 lead in the opening quarter. They led by as many as 11 in the first, and owned a 23-14 lead after the first 10 minutes of action.
• York opened the second quarter on a 7-1 run to cut the lead to three at 24-21. The Lions had several spurts in the second to try and get back even, but each one was countered by a quick McMaster run, and the home side took a 48-40 lead to the break.
• A Kevin Mervart three-point play midway through the third quarter cut McMaster's lead to four at 57-53. However, a 9-2 Marauder run immediately thereafter extended the lead back to 11. York responded with a 9-2 run of its own to cut the lead to four before a three was made as time expired in the quarter by McMaster, and they led 71-64 through three.
• The Lions rallied to tie the game with a 7-1 run to start the fourth, punctuated by a Travon Hamilton layup. From there, it was all McMaster. They went on an 11-0 run to make it 83-72, and never looked back, finishing the game on a 21-5 run to take a 93-77 victory.
• The Lions were led by their leading scorer, Evan Shadkami, who posted 18 points in a losing cause. Josh Noton had 16 points, while Tyler Pryce had 13 off the bench. Mervart also made an impact off the bench with seven points, while also tying a season-best with 14 boards.

LOOKING AHEAD: 

The Lions will look to get back in the win column Friday night when they battle the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 pm from Oshawa.