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MBB: Marcus Upshaw vs. Queen's, Nov. 7, 2021
Photo by Curtis Martin
97
Ryerson RYERSON 0-3, 0-3
98
Winner Nipissing NIPISSIN 1-2, 1-2
Ryerson RYERSON
0-3, 0-3
97
Final
98
Nipissing NIPISSIN
1-2, 1-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT 1 OT 2 F
Ryerson RYERSON 23 17 26 11 12 8 97
Nipissing NIPISSIN 17 18 30 12 12 9 98

Game Recap: Basketball (M) | | Christina Flores-Chan

Rams suffer tough one point loss in double overtime to Lakers

NORTH BAY, Ont. - The Rams men's basketball team took a tough 98-97 loss Friday night to the Nipissing Lakers in a lengthy double overtime game. The defeat puts the team at 0-3 to start the season, and marks the end of the university's nine-game winning streak over the Lakers throughout the years.

Despite a disappointing outcome, the Rams showcased clear talent and perseverance on the court.

The first quarter saw the team making an extra effort to drive the ball to the net and passing to one another in order to get down the court. 

Rams guard Marcus Upshaw and forward Aaron Rhooms shot well in the paint, putting up seven points each, with Rhooms averaging one point per minute.

The team's defence also looked good, taking every opportunity to get back the ball with eight rebounds at the end of the first to lead the game 23-17.

The second quarter exposed the Rams' steep turnover rate. The team, while still getting the baskets they're so good at, let the ball get away from them as the Lakers collected six steals in the second quarter. By halftime, the Rams had allowed Nipissing 13 points off nine turnovers but managed to keep a five-point lead.

Offence was heavy in the third quarter. The Rams, a shooting team with a previous tendency to go for long-shot threes over driving to the net, put up 22 points in the paint and landed 75 per cent of their field goals without shooting a single three. At halfway through the quarter, the Rams had created a 14-point gap in the score. 

The Lakers, however, came back ready to shoot as well. Nipissing's Nick Gehlen and Danny Lakusa shot basket after basket, closing in on the Rams. By the end of the third, Nipissing had 30 points to the Rams' 26 to make it a one-point game.

Going into the fourth 66-65 Rams, the Rams maintained their lead for most of the quarter.

Rhooms, who had 21 points and was shooting 83 per cent of his field goals, picked up his fifth personal foul with two minutes left in the fourth and was ejected from the game.

After Tyler Sagl's lay-up with 58 seconds left, the Rams looked like they had snagged the win until the Lakers tied the score with one second left in the game with two free throws. 

Overtime saw both teams looking a little panicked. The lead changed four times throughout the five minutes, between a mix of personal fouls, rebounds, and second chance points.

Mouhamed Ndiaye supported the Rams offensively in the late minutes of the game, racking up 28 points, six rebounds, and five assists mostly throughout the fourth quarter and overtime minutes. 

Within the last two minutes, Rams guard Tom Dumont went in for a lay-up and instead hauled the ball over to Tyler Sagl, who landed a basket from downtown, putting the team in the lead before the Lakers tied the game again with a jump shot of their own to go into double OT.

Exhaustion on the court was obvious in double overtime, with the Rams letting the ball get away in turnovers and the Lakers losing possessions over escaped rebounds. 

With one minute left, Ndiaye went in for a lay-up and gave the Rams a four-point lead. 

Then, with 30 seconds left, Nipissing's David Bokanga shot a three-pointer out of left field. It landed, and suddenly it was 97-96.

But the lead didn't change until the last four seconds. The Lakers' Gehlen, who ended the game with 28 points, drove to the net for the lay-up and tipped the game-winner in.

The Rams face the Lakers again Saturday afternoon, and tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. 
 
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