THUNDER BAY – SPORTS – The Lakehead men’s and women’s basketball teams are back in action this weekend and on the road as they take on the Ryerson Rams on Friday night followed by the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday night.
Women’s Basketball (2-5)
“It’s been some time since we have played so we are excited to get things going. The start of 2017 sees us matched up against another top 10 opponent in Ryerson and a U of T team that is playing much better then the last time we saw them in Alberta,” says Coach Jon Kreiner.
The Ryerson Rams (6-1) are one of the top 2 teams in the OUA East and Ranked sixth overall in the U Sports Top 10.
Coach Kreiner states, “Ryerson has one of the top post players in the country in Sofia Paska while point guard Kellie Ring is one of the toughest players in the league and is playing at an All-Canadian level.”
“Toronto is an extremely athletic team that will get up and pressure us. They are a strong rebounding team with many weapons and are led by guard Rahshida Atkinson.”
The Toronto Varsity Blues (4-4) are third in the OUA East and have won four of their last five games in the Fall semester. Rahshida Atkinson leads her team with 11.9 points per game. Lakehead faced the Blues earlier this season during non-conference play, coming up with a 75-70 win.
“We are looking forward to the 90+ Lakehead University Alumni attending our game Friday as well! Go Wolves!” concludes Coach Kreiner.
The Thunderwolves have not played since November but they successfully wrapped the Fall semester with a 65-47 win over York University.
Men’s Basketball (2-5)
The Ryerson Rams (7-0) are currently first in the OUA East and fifth overall in the U Sports Top 10. They have proven to be a tough match up as they have won all their games by ten plus points so far this season.
Toronto is going into this weekend 5-3 and have multiple athletes averaging points in the double digits including fifth-year Devin Johnson, who currently averages 21.4 points per game, ranking third in the OUA. Toronto’s Christopher Barrett and Sage Usher are both in the top 5 of highest 3pt percentages in the province.
“Ryerson is athletic and long and can score very quickly. Toronto has one of the leading scores in the OUA, and as a team, are shooting very well from the 3 point line,” shares Coach Manny Furtado.
The men’s team have recently played at the Wesmen Classic before the New Year, where they successfully competed against 3 teams, coming out with a 2-1 record.
“We’re going to need our best efforts on both ends of the floor this weekend,” says Coach Furtado.
Webcast will be available via OUA TV
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Jan 6 vs. Ryerson @ Mattamy Athletic Centre
6:00pm – Women
8:00pm – Men
Saturday, Jan 7 vs. Toronto @ Goldring Centre
6:00pm – Women
8:00pm – Men
