NEWSWIRE

Women's Lions play
for a spot at national finals

The No. 6-ranked York Lions women’s basketball team is one win away from returning to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport National Championship. The Lions host the Queen’s Golden Gaels in the Ontario University Athletics East Final at 6pm, Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Tait McKenzie Centre. The winner earns a spot in the national finals tournament at Memorial University next month and will battle either McMaster or Guelph for the OUA title. Ticket prices for the OUA East Final are $8 for adults and $5 for all students. No season passes are accepted.

After earning first-round playoff byes, both the Lions and Golden Gaels overcame their respective opponents earlier this week to advance to the OUA East Final. York defeated Toronto, 64-54, on Feb. 21, while the Queen’s downed Laurentian, 64-58.

York swept the regular season series with Queen’s, defeating the Golden Gaels 66-45 on Jan. 5 and 55-42 earlier this month. In the first game, Brenan Rurak scored a game-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Kim Gibbs put up 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Lions went 6-of-14 from three-point range in the win and held the Golden Gaels to only 16 points in the first half. In the second meeting, York’s stubborn defense troubled Queen’s once again. Laura MacCallum ignited the Lions, pouring in a game-high 17 points in 22 minutes, while Emily Van Hoof notched 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four helpers.

Dating back to the 2002-03 season, the Lions and Golden Gaels have met only twice in the playoffs and ended up splitting the games with one win apiece. Their last playoff showdown came in the 2004-05 OUA East Quarterfinals, where the Lions claimed a 40-36 win. Rurak scored a game-high 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win.