Gee-Gees down York in opening round, face Ryerson Saturday
Exacting some revenge on the Lions, the Gee-Gees came away victorious by a 92-77 margin.
In the first round of the OUA Playoffs, the U SPORTS eighth-ranked Gee-Gees men's basketball team took on the York Lions in a third versus sixth-seed matchup at Montpetit Hall on Wednesday night.
Exacting some revenge on the Lions who upset them in Toronto two weeks prior, the Gee-Gees came away victorious by a 92-77 margin.
Sprung by an impressive 35-points scored in the opening frame, the Gee-Gees looked focused on advancing to the quarterfinals. Despite the Gee-Gees' hot start, the Lions responded fairly well, trailing by 10 at the end of the first quarter.
Both offences slowed slightly in the second frame, as York was able to adjust to the Gee-Gees' feverous attack slightly, however the Gee-Gees remained in control, riding a 15-point performance from Gage Sabean, and 14 points from Guillaume Pépin into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Lions slowed the game down, playing a solid two quarters to close out the game. They outscored Ottawa 21-15 in the final frame, however, despite York's comeback attempt, the Gee-Gees maintained their lead throughout and capped off the 15-point win.
Pépin was the leading scorer on the night for the Gee-Gees with 21, to go along with five rebounds and three steals. Sabean was not far behind with 20 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Brandon Robinson and Mackenzie Morrison closed out other Gee-Gees in double-figures with 12 and 11 respectively.
Up next, the Gee-Gees will travel to Toronto in a quick turnaround and take on the U SPORTS third-ranked Ryerson Rams in OUA quarterfinal action.
The Rams came away victorious in both of the teams' meetings in the regular season, first a blowout victory in Toronto, followed by a tighter 10-point win at Montpetit Hall on Jan. 25.
If the Gee-Gees are able to upend the Rams, they will be in position to take on the highest-remaining OUA West seed next week, with a possible trip to the U SPORTS Final 8 on the line.
Action at Ryerson is set to get underway at 8 p.m. and will be streaming live on OUA.tv