A three-game losing streak comes to an end in a revitalizing win to help secure playoff position
Everything seemed to click for the Lions in their win against cross-town rivals, University of Toronto’s Varsity Blues, on Friday, January 18, which put an end to their three-game skid with a score of 97-72.
From the start of the game, the Lions kept their steady lead, pulling further ahead at the end of each quarter.
They forced turnovers, getting 18 of their points off fast-breaks, led by the tireless defensive effort of Lions guard Nidun Chandrakumar.
Their eight-point lead at the end of the first became a 10-point lead at the end of the second, 38-28, sparked by the hot hands of Lions forward and co-captain, Aaron Rados, and guard Raheem Isaac. Together, Rados and Isaac hit back-to-back baseline three-pointers that initiated the momentum of the Lions’ offense halfway through the second quarter.
Varsity Blues forward Ben Garvin and guard Alex Hill dropped 14 and 22 for the night respectively, including two makes from behind the arc for each of them. Point guard Arun Kumar helped with 13, including two of his own from the three-point line.
But Lions star point guard and co-captain David Tyndale proved to be too much for the Varsity Blues to handle. Tyndale put in 28 points for the night, getting hot in the third quarter with all three of his three-pointers. But head coach Tom Oliveri says that Tyndale’s excellent ball handling was more important in getting the win.
“[Tyndale’s] points were great, but we should look the seven assists and three turnovers. He had a better than 2:1 assist-turnover ratio. That’s how your point guard has to play,” says Oliveri.
Oliveri has encouraged his team to pass the ball more and look for the open man, and it finally came together tonight. The Lions totalled 18 assist—four more than their last two games combined.
“When we share the ball and make the extra pass, we are a much better basketball team. We shared the ball, we penetrated against the defense, and we found people,” says Oliveri.
Every Lion pulled down at least two rebounds, except for guard Akeem Isaac who took a hard foul and sat after just one minute of play, and the team finished with a total 42 rebounds to U of T’s 20.
The Lions were able to convert on second and third-chance opportunities—something the Varsity Blues struggled to do.
In the final minutes of the game, Isaac was clotheslined and hit in the nose by the elbow of U of T guard, Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo, who was immediately ejected for the flagrant foul. Isaac was in obvious pain as he quickly dropped to the ground, blood gushing from his open wound, but then collected himself and walked off the floor.
This was an important game for the Lions, who are holding onto the last playoff spot. Before tonight, U of T was two wins behind them, which has now been stretched to a three-game differential, giving the Lions more breathing room as they continue the fight to hold onto their position.
“We knew that if we lost, we would be in jeopardy of missing a playoff spot, so it was a much bigger meeting,” says Oliveri. “We’ve played them pretty tough here traditionally the last couple of years. The challenge is going to be in a couple of weeks when we go back down to their place.”
Alex Hum, Features Editor
