Matt Dionne | Sports and Health Editor
Featured image: The Lions open their season with an 83-74 victory over Queen’s. | Anton Mak
It’s been a couple of years since both the men’s and women’s basketball teams won their season openers, and standing in their way in 2016 were the Queen’s Golden Gaels.
The Lions and Lionesses opened their season on Friday against Queen’s at Tait McKenzie. The women played first, and it was Queen’s who opened the scoring, getting a 9-4 lead in the first quarter.
Both teams would settle in and trade baskets, but the first quarter ended with Queen’s in front, 18-15.
Turnovers would prove disastrous in the second for York, as Queen’s opened with a 10-0 run that extended their lead to 28-15. This was finally halted by a Shauney Fischer jump shot for York.
After Queen’s extended their lead to 30-17, York would go on an eight-point run of their own to cut the lead to 30-25 for the Gaels.
However, Queen’s would close the half on a 13-2 run to make the score 43-27 at the break.
Turnovers and sloppy play hurt the Lionesses again in the third, as Queen’s was able to extend their lead to nearly 30 points.
In the fourth, the Gaels were on cruise control en route to an 85-54 victory.
Ishanaa Seupersadsingh lead all Lionesses in scoring with 13 points on six of 14 shots from the field. She also had four steals and a pair of rebounds.
In the men’s game, York opened the first with a 21-4 run that saw four different Lions get on the scoresheet. Queen’s finally responded with a three-point shot from Tanner Graham.
In the second quarter, back-to-back three-pointers from York’s Julio Vasquez and Jayden Frederick gave the Lions a 37-18 lead midway through the quarter.
However, Queen’s would end the quarter on a 14-6 run that would cut the Lions’ lead to just 13 points at the break.
Both teams came out hot in the third, trading jumper for jumper, and Queen’s managed to cut the Lions’ lead to just seven going into the fourth.
The Gaels continued to battle in the final frame, and with just over five minutes left, Sukhpreet Singh hit a clutch jumper that cut the Lions lead to just five. That was as close as Queen’s would get, as the Lions would go on to win the game by a score of 83-74.
York’s leading scorer was Frederick, who went nine for 14 from the field, including five of seven from beyond the arc and four of eight from the line. Frederick also tallied four rebounds, a steal and a block in the win.
The Lions will be playing again at home on Friday where they’ll be taking on Waterloo. Tipoff for the women is 6 p.m., while the men’s game will be starting at 8 p.m.
