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‘Wolves Host Ryerson and Toronto
The final set of regular season games in the Thunderdome are slated for this weekend, with the Ryerson Rams and U of Toronto Varsity Blues taking the floor Friday and Saturday.
Friday night’s games are in support of the Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative, or SAMHI. Lakehead basketball alum Jessica deHaan has been working with SAMHI locally to open the dialogue surrounding mental health and student athletes.
Lakehead Women (5-10)
The Ryerson Rams (12-3, CIS #4) will play Friday on short rest, having to play Guelph on Wednesday before making their way to Thunder Bay. The Rams easily dispatched Algoma, 103-35 over the weekend, and won last season’s meeting with the Thunderwolves 83-75 down in Toronto.
Keneca Pingue-Giles is the driving force for the Rams, and ranks first in the OUA in field goals (110), points per game (19.1) and steals (66).
The Varsity Blues’ (6-9) top scorer is Rashida Atkinson with nearly 14 points per game. Lakehead won last year’s match-up vs the Blues, 89-69, in Jylisa Williams historic 50-point game.
Coach Jon Kreiner:
“We’ll have our hands full with Ryerson, they’ve returned all their players this year. We’re hoping we can get back to shooting the ball well. Toronto’s a team that will challenge us on the boards, we need to rebound the ball well and contain their guards off the dribble.”
Lakehead Men (9-6)
The Ryerson Rams (14-1, CIS #1) are the new team to beat in the OUA, and for good reason. They rank in the top three across most statistical categories, including 1st in points per game (91.7), free throw percentage (78%) and three-pointers per game (11.2). The Rams have an arsenal of offensive threats with five players averaging over 10 points per game, led by Aaron Best with 17.9.
The Varsity Blues (5-10) are aggressive on the glass, currently ranked 2nd in the OUA in offensive rebounds per game (13.9). Blues fourth year senior Devin Johnson is the third-best scorer in the OUA at 22.5 points per game.
Coach Manny Furtado:
“It’s no surprise Ryerson’s the #1 team right now. They’ve got length in their lineup and depth on the bench. We gotta make sure we do a good job boxing out and rebounding the ball. Their guards are dynamic and can score from the perimeter or off the dribble, really like nothing else we’ve seen so far this season. Toronto’s a different challenge, they’ve got some nice pieces and Coach Campbell’s always got his players working hard and playing tough. There’s no easy games in the OUA.”
“We’ve got to take advantage of the situation we have before us. The Thunderdome crowd has been great for us and we appreciate their support. It’ll be nice to play in front of them again this weekend.”
Webcast will be available via OUA TV
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Feb 19 vs Ryerson Rams
6:00pm – Women
8:00pm – Men
Saturday, Feb 20 vs Toronto Varsity Blues
6:00pm – Women
8:00pm – Men