Hosting the Guelph Gryphons and Lakehead Thunderwolves to open up this year’s men’s basketball season, York was able to mark a tally in each column after beating the Gryphons in an exciting offensive show on Friday night 100-96, and losing to the Lakehead Thunderwolves in a scrappy Saturday night match that ended 79-73.
York took advantage with an early lead against Guelph, outscoring the Gryphons 28-22 in the first quarter. All five starters scored in the first quarter, with four out of five starters scoring in double digits by the end of the game.
This sturdy foundation was built by starting forwards, Ryan Ejim, Daniel Tulloch, and Nick Tufegdzich. Together, they created a formidable presence in the paint on both ends of the floor, making a combined defensive effort for all seven blocked shots by the Lions, including four by Ejim. They also led the Lions in scoring, with 56 points between the trio.
Rookie Nathan Culbreath also performed well coming off the bench, contributing 14 points. The young player is tall for a guard at 6’5, but demonstrates confidence with the ball and the ability to manufacture his own shot, making an exciting and-one that was just one of many moments that lifted the crowd from their seats.
Guelph was forced to get their points from outside. Playing small ball often with a four-guard set, the Lions had trouble keeping up with Guelph’s fast ball rotation around the perimeter, which allowed Guelph’s sharpshooters to keep the Gryphons alive. The Gryphons totaled 13 three-pointers and finished the game with over a 50 per cent success rate from beyond the arc.
This success from a distance, plus the 25 York turnovers allowed the Gryphons to catch up at halftime, tying the score 50-50. The game got more physical after the half as both teams displayed a renewed sense of urgency.
The action-packed game saw six lead changes and boiled down to the final minute where Nidun Chandrakumar scored two to keep the Lions ahead, followed by a pair of free throws from starting point guard Richard Iheadindu. With one more Guelph possession left, Tufegdzich hit one-for-two free throws to extend the lead 100-96, making it highly unlikely that the Gryphons could recover the game in the final seconds with a four-point-play.
Returning Head Coach Tom Oliveri says he appreciates the win, but saw a messier game than he would have liked from his players.
“For my blood pressure, I appreciate not having to grind it out so much,” he says, smiling.
He hopes winning games in the future will not be as bloody as it was on Friday night. “But at the end of the day, it’s about the win.”
Much to their disappointment, Oliveri’s hopes would not be realized the following evening.
York struggled against the Thunderwolves’ suffocating defensive pressure on Saturday night. They spooked the Lions’ ballcarriers with their full-court man-on-man defense all game. With this strategy, they forced turnovers and pulled ahead of the frantic Lions 18-10 by the end of the first quarter.
The 16 turnovers against Lakehead was an improvement from the 25 the night before, which is something Oliveri wanted his team to work on going into the second game.
After the half, which the Lions started with an 11-point deficit, there were moments that began to look like a rally for York. Shots began to fall for the Lions, scoring 18 points in the third quarter and a whopping 34 in the fourth after just 21 in the entire first half. Iheadindu made two difficult three pointers, Ejim and Rados got to the line, Culbreath continued driving to complete two and-one plays, and most exciting of all, Tulloch rose to the sky making a monster block that shook the stands.
Unfortunately, getting within six points was as close as the Lions would get. The Lions were frustrated, best exemplified by their coach who stepped onto the floor during a dead ball and engaged the referees in a personal shouting match. Oliveri was ejected from the game after being called for a double technical.
The box score shows the Lions outplaying the Thunderwolves in many aspects with more rebounds, more blocks, fewer fouls, and fewer turnovers. However, the Lions scoring troubles from the first half haunted them. They were held to an under 32 percent field goal percentage in the contest to Lakehead’s 44.
These two games will no doubt be a learning experience moving forward into their match against the Windsor Lancers on November 8. Though losing by six points is a respectable defeat, winning by just four is also too close a win, and the team will have to play more consistently to achieve Oliveri’s goal of finishing in the top four in the OUA this season.
Alex Hum
Senior Staff
