OUA Quarter-Final Preview: Lakehead Thunderwolves vs. Ontario Tech

OUA Quarter-Final Preview: Lakehead Thunderwolves vs. Ontario Tech | February 22nd 2025

Date: Saturday, February 22nd, 2025

Time: 7pm Tip-Off

Venue: Thunderdome

Stream: OUA TV

Tickets: https://luathletics.lakeheadu.ca/GuestPass/GetProducts

OUA Quarter-Final |Men’s Basketball:

Playoff basketball returns to Northwestern Ontario February 22nd, as your Lakehead Men’s Basketball team hosts one of the four OUA Quarter-finals at 7pm. The team will be taking on the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks in the first home OUA playoff game since 2023. The last time the Thunderwolves hosted an OUA playoff game was in the 2022/23 season, with the team losing out to Guelph in Round-1 of the post season.

Ontario Tech earned their spot in the Quarter-Final by qualifying for the playoffs with a 10-12 record in the East and defeating the higher ranked Brock in Round-1 on Wednesday.  Tech have been paced by the offensive prowess of Zubair Sayed. The senior guard was influential in the team’s Round-1 victory of the Badgers, notching 26pts in a low-scoring affair, accounting for 50% of the teams total points on the night (52).

Your Thunderwolves finished the OUA Central Division in 1st position, with the 2nd best overall record in the OUA, and were ranked 10th in USPORTS at the culmination of the regular season. The Thunderwolves have been led by a 4-pronged attack this season with Nathan Bilamu (19.7ppg), Harold Santacruz (16.8ppg), Chris Sagl (11.7ppg) and Adrian Nowak (11.4ppg) all averaging double-digits for points across the season. The team will hope to spread the wealth once again when the Ridgebacks travel north.

The two teams met up earlier this season in Oshawa with the Thunderwolves coming away with the 85-68 win. The next closest meeting was in last year’s post-season, with Ontario Tech taking the Round-1 matchup 89-78.

Make sure to come on out to catch this exciting post-season matchup as your Thunderwolves look to exact revenge for last year’s playoff defeat. Tip is set for 7pm with doors opening at 6pm.

Stat Leaders:

• Scoring
  • Wolves: Nathan Bilamu – 19.7 ppg | On. Tech:  Zubair Sayed – 19.3 ppg
• Assists
  • Wolves: Chris Sagl – 5.7 apg | On. Tech: Zubair Sayed – 4.8 apg
• Rebounds
  • Wolves: Harold Santacruz – 7.5 rpg | On. Tech: Emmanuel Okonkwo 6.0 rpg