Weekend wrap: Women’s basketball Lions run win streak to three with victory over Lakers

Lions Basketball Women
Lions Basketball Women

The York University Lions women’s basketball team escaped with a thrilling victory on Saturday night as they took down the Nipissing University Lakers by a score of 68-64 for their third straight win.

Outstanding performances by Katrina Collins-Samuels and Ishanaa Seupersadsingh were the catalysts for the completion of an absolute thriller and a great comeback after trailing by nine points in the third quarter.

With 26 seconds left, Collins-Samuels gave her team the lead with an astoundingly athletic three-point play. She finished with 14 points and five rebounds in the game, and the Lions are now in the midst of their longest winning streak of the season. The victory improved their record to 5-9 on the year. More details on the York Lions website.

On Friday night, the Lions held on down the stretch to pick up a 65-61 win over the Laurentian University Voyageurs. Trailing by three with time expiring in the fourth quarter, the Voyageurs attempted to advance the ball past half court. As the Laurentian forward effortlessly and obliviously advanced the ball, York’s Sandra Nagowska used her sleight of hand to pick-pocket and return the ball back into scoring position. Dribbling with the ball outside of the arc and the clock ticking down from 0:12, Nagowska found and fed an awaiting Seupersadsingh for a quick layup and the game-icing points. More details.

Men’s hockey Lions defeat Thunderwolves again for fourth straight victory

The No. 10 nationally ranked York University Lions men’s hockey team picked up its fourth straight victory on Saturday night with a 3-2 win over the Lakehead University Thunderwolves at Memorial Gardens in Thunder Bay, Ont.

The Lions have now played in five straight one-goal games and have improved their record to 17-6-2. They sit comfortably in second place with 36 points, seven ahead of third-place Windsor.

The Lions wasted little time getting on the board as defenceman Derek Sheppard scored just 90 seconds into the contest for an early 1-0 lead. More details.

As part of the trip north, the two teams also played on Friday night, with the Lions pulling out a 2-1 double overtime victory. The winning tally came off the stick of Dexter Bricker, who scored at 2:07 of the second extra frame to secure the important second point in the standings.

Just over eight minutes into the game, Billy Jenkins scored to give the Thunderwolves a quick 1-0 lead. The Lions outshot Lakehead 18-11 but could not beat goaltender Devin Green. More details.

Men’s volleyball Lions riding three-game win streak after defeating Waterloo and Guelph

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team continued its strong season this weekend with a pair of victories over the University of Waterloo Warriors and University of Guelph Gryphons on the road.

Alex Duncan-Thibault was dominant in both matches, putting up 21.5 points in each to carry his squad to victory. The Lions have now won three in a row and eight of their last nine after starting the season 0-2.

Against the Warriors, the Lions grabbed the first set 25-22 but then took their foot off the gas and allowed the Warriors back in. Waterloo took full advantage and evened the match at one set apiece with a 25-15 win. More details.

Women’s volleyball Lions fall to Warriors and Gryphons in weekend action

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team suffered a pair of losses in road action this weekend, falling to the University of Waterloo Warriors 3-1 and the University of Guelph Gryphons 3-0.

Against the Warriors on Saturday, the Lions took the first set 25-21 and led the second set 16-13 at the technical timeout, but momentum soon shifted over to the Warriors and they held on down the stretch to take the set 26-24.

From there it was all Waterloo, as they took the third set 25-12 and the fourth 25-21 for the victory. More details.

Men’s basketball Lions lose heartbreaker in final minute to Lakers

The York University Lions men’s basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 65-63 loss to the Nipissing University Lakers on Saturday night at the Tait McKenzie Centre after the visitors scored the go-ahead points in the final seconds of the game.

The Lions jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a huge block in the opening minutes from Jayden Frederick, which energized his teammates to start dominating early. In the first quarter alone, Frederick recorded 12 points and he would finish the game with 22 points while also recording eight rebounds. The Lions exited the first period of play with a 25-12 lead. More details.

The Lions also lost a 79-58 decision to the Laurentian University Voyageurs thanks to a highly-effective shooting day by the Voyageurs. The high-flying Frederick contributed with his seven points in the first half. However, it wasn’t enough to extinguish a hot half of shooting for the Voyageurs. More details.

Track and field Lions post impressive results at Saginaw Valley State Invitational

The York University Lions track and field team posted a number of impressive results, including nine podium finishes, at the Jet’s Pizza Invitational hosted by Saginaw Valley State University in Saginaw, Michigan.

Leading the way was Mikeisha Bobb, who won three medals and set a new personal best in one event. She won the gold medal in the 200m and the 60m hurdles, setting a personal best time of 25.15 seconds in the first event and with a time of 8.71 seconds in the other.

In addition to Bobb’s gold medals, long jumper Holly Pitters continued her strong season with another first-place finish in the event. She won with a distance of 5.99 metres, which set a new fieldhouse record. Pitters wasn’t the only jumping gold medallist as Nicholas Fyffe accomplished the same feat, winning the men’s triple jump with a distance of 14.78 metres, good enough to surpass the U SPORTS standard for this year’s championships. More details.