The York University Lions basketball teams played host to the McMaster Marauders on Wednesday night, five days after the teams met in Hamilton on Friday. York split their most recent games against the Toronto Varsity Blues last Saturday, with the women recording a 32-point victory 

The women entered play Wednesday holding the OUA's final playoff spot. They were looking to split the season series with the Marauders, who beat them 87-80 on Friday night, which would go a long way towards bolstering York's postseason hopes with three games left to play.

Women's Game:

The Marauders opened the game with an 8-0 run before York got on the board thanks to a Bilan Khadar bucket. Alexis Grewal had three rebounds, while Gabriella Di Pietro added a three-pointer in the opening quarter. However, McMaster took a 21-9 lead entering the second.

The visitors continued to control the game in the second quarter, scoring outscoring the Lions 27-9. Kiara Leveridge led the team in scoring with five of the nine points, as McMaster held a 48-18 advantage at the half.

The third quarter saw the Lions find some rhythm offensively. Leveridge scored six points and Di Pietro added four. The teams scored 16-apiece in the third, as McMaster led 64-34 after three.

York outscored the Marauders 22-18 in the fourth quarter. Tianna Bailey and Di Pietro both hit two three-pointers, while Leveridge showed her defensive prowess with two steals and a pair of blocks. Despite a strong offensive showing in the second half from York, McMaster walked away with an 82-56 win.

Men's Game:  

The Lions had a big first quarter. Reigning York male athlete of the week Liam Rietschin scored six points and Travon Hamilton scored five while adding three rebounds. York held the visitors to ten points in the quarter, leading 25-10 after one.

McMaster turned the tables to start the second, going on a 14-0 run to cut it to 25-24. The home side would get back on their feet, with Elias Panagiotopoulos scoring six points and Nathan Carr adding four. The Lions closed out the half on a 9-2 run to enter halftime with a 39-33 lead.

The teams went back-and-forth in the third as each tried to take control of the contest. York's efforts were led by Nate Makolo, who came off the bench to score all five points in a 5-0 run to close the quarter, staking the Lions to a 54-53 lead through three.

The game came down to the wire in the fourth. McMaster opened with a 7-0 run before Panagiotopoulos broke the ice with a three-pointer to tie the game at 60 with just under six minutes remaining. The teams would trade scores, with Travon Hamilton responding to a Riaz Saliu dunk with a tough layup to tie the game at 68 with 43 seconds left. The Marauders, however, would take the lead on another Saliu basket with 24 seconds to play. They salted it away with three late free throws to take home a 73-68 victory.

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Lions will make another trip downtown to face the TMU Bold on Saturday night, opening a home-and-home. The women's game is set to tip-off at 6:00 pm, while the men's action starts at 8:00 pm.