Alexander Colle | Sports Editor
Featured image: The men hope to end their losing streak this weekend in Kingston. | Courtesy of York Lions
It was a tough week on the court for York this weekend, as the men’s and women’s basketball teams failed to obtain a victory in both their matchups against the Western Mustangs and Windsor Lancers at home.
Looking to build off last week’s success against the Laurier Golden Hawks and the Waterloo Warriors, the Lions women’s basketball team played host to a 4-3 Western squad that they had defeated last season by a score to 48-41.
The first half of the game was a battle of the guards, as Lion Chante Clarke and Mustang Mackenzie Puklicz scored 10 and 11 points respectively, with Puklicz draining three of four triples to start the game.
After a first quarter that saw the Lions lead by a score of 15-14, the Lions began to take a clear lead due to a strong rebounding effort on the offensive glass, as they tallied eight second-chance opportunities compared to Western’s zero. This allowed the Lions to increase their lead.
Despite having shot 37 per cent from the field—five per cent less than Western—York took a 34-25 lead into the break.
The third quarter saw an explosion of offense on both ends, as both teams managed to score over 20 points in the frame.
Holding a 56-46 lead going into the fourth quarter, the wheels fell off for the Lions on both ends of the floor. York allowed the Mustangs to score a staggering 27 points in the frame, while only being able to muster 11 points themselves. In a half that saw the Mustangs shoot 58 per cent from the field, York only hit on 25 per cent of their shots. While Western had three players score 10+ points in the half, only one Lion, Lindsay Shotbolt, was able to score in the double-digits, as she recorded 15 points in the half.
The result was a 73-67 victory for the Mustangs, who were led by the performance of Puklicz, who fell just short of a double-double with 29 points and eight steals in the win. Shotbolt and Clarke scored 19 and 16 points respectively in the loss.
After a 70-63 loss to Western on Friday, the men looked to snap their five-game losing streak on Saturday against a 2-5 Lancers team that had defeated the Lions last year by a score of 83-78.
The Lions got off to a hot start in the game, outscoring the Lancers 20-12 in the first quarter. Leading the way was Lion Gene Spagnuolo, who netted 14 points on 5 of 6 shooting in the first half.
Despite stumbling on the offensive end in the second quarter, the Lions managed to go into the half with a four-point lead thanks in part to their defense, which limited the Lancers to just 26 per cent shooting in the half.
The Lions continued this effective defensive play in the second half, but failed to create many scoring opportunities down the stretch, as they only managed seven field goals on 37 attempts in the half.
The one bright spot for the Lions was guard Prince Kamunga, who scored 18 of York’s 25 points in the half.
Despite poor performances on the offensive end for both teams, the difference in Saturday night’s game came down ball handling, as the Lancers outscored the Lions in points off turnovers 23-9.
The result was a 65-61 victory for the Lancers, who handed York their sixth-straight loss on the campaign.
Both teams look to end their semester on a high note before the break, as they take on the Queen’s Gaels in Kingston on Wednesday. Tip-off is at 11 a.m. for the women and 1 p.m. for the men.
