Matt Dionne | Editor-in-Chief
Featured image: The women’s winning streak ends at two, while the men lose their 11th in a row. | Courtesy of Anton Mak
A pair of teams from the nation’s capital were in town this weekend, as the Lions played host to the Ottawa Gee-Gees and top-ranked Carleton Ravens on Friday and Saturday.
The women were hoping to extend their winning streak to three games on Friday. Standing in their way? The red-hot Gee-Gees, who were riding a six-game winning streak themselves.
The game didn’t start out well for the Lions, as they only mustered five points in the opening quarter, while giving up 18 points to Ottawa, who closed the quarter on an 8-3 run.
York’s offense finally managed to get the lid off the basket in the second, as they put up 16 points.
Unfortunately, their defense couldn’t get many stops, and they gave up another 24 points to the Gee-Gees, who took a 42-21 lead into the break.
The Lions defense finally woke up in the third, holding Ottawa to just seven points in the frame while pouring in 18 of their own to cut the lead to 10 points going into the fourth.
The Lions fought valiantly in the final frame, managing to cut the lead to just two points with just over five minutes left in regulation. However, a 5-0 run by Ottawa put the game out of reach, and they went on to win by a score of 57-53.
York was lead by Lindsay Shotbolt, who notched her third-straight double-double with 17 points, 21 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block on 56 per cent shooting.
Immediately after the women’s game, the men hoped to end their nine-game losing streak against the third-place Gee-Gees.
Much like the women, the men failed to get the lid off the basket in the first half, giving up 46 points while only managing 22 of their own. However, unlike the women, they were unable to muster a comeback in the second, as Ottawa cruised to an 87-44 victory.
The Lions were lead by Chevon Brown, who came off the bench to score 16 points on 25 per cent shooting.
Both teams were hoping for better results Saturday when they faced the first-place Ravens.
The women found themselves in a shootout early, as both teams recorded double-digit points in the opening quarter. However, Carleton’s defense tightened up in the second, and they turned the two-point lead they started the quarter with into an 11-point lead going into the half.
The third quarter was a defensive battle that saw both teams score 14 points.
Down by 11 going into the final frame, the Lions refused to give up, and battled all the way to the final whistle. Despite outscoring Carleton in the quarter, the Lions were unable to complete the comeback, falling by a score of 68-62.
The Lions were lead by Chante Clarke, who shot 46 per cent from the field, and was perfect from both beyond the arc from the line to the tune of 22 points.
Saturday’s game was another slow start for the men, as they gave up 25 points while only managing to score 13 of their own. However, both their offense and defence picked up in the second, as they poured in 19 points while holding Carleton to 19 as well.
The Lions showed a lot of heart in the third, as they outscored Carleton 19-14, cutting the lead to single digits. However, the Ravens showed why they are number one in the country in the fourth, as they outscored the Lions 20-17 en route to the 78-68 victory.
The Lions were led by Brown, who recorded 20 points eight rebounds, an assist, and a steal off of the bench.
The women’s team is now fifth in the OUA East standings, six points back of fourth-place Ottawa, while the men are in last in their division with just four points.
Both teams will look to rebound next weekend when they’ll be traveling East on the 401 to take on their cross-town rivals, Ryerson and U of T. Tip-off is 6 p.m. for the women and 8 p.m. for the men.
