NORTH BAY, Ont. - The Rams men's basketball team finally found their rhythm on the court Saturday afternoon in their 43-point win against the Nipissing Lakers, their first win of the season after a rocky 0-3 start.

Ahead of this weekend's series, head coach Dave DeAveiro said the team would be working on "defence, protecting the paint, and being selfless with the ball". 

And following Friday night's double-overtime loss, the team came back to put their coach's words into action, operating as a unit and tapping into the group's full potential and talent.

The Rams dominated the first quarter, keeping the ball in control and picking up speed since Friday. 

Collecting the rebounds and travelling across the court as a team, the Rams put up 22 points in the paint while the Lakers went 20 per cent in three-pointers. They worked quickly to widen the scoring gap, creating a 12-point lead by the end of the quarter.

The second quarter looked like more of the same energy from the Rams, as the Lakers searched for a run that the team wouldn't allow. The Rams stayed tight on defence and hot at the net, maintaining at least a three-possession game throughout the quarter. 

The team only let one turnover slip away from them, and after a missed lay-up from the Lakers, Rams forward Aaron Rhooms caught the defensive rebound to have Tyler Sagl land a shot from downtown. Sagl and Rhooms led team scoring, putting up 12 points each. 

The Lakers stopped working as a team to find the ball in the third quarter, just as the Rams caught a run and ran with it. 

Tom Dumont was all over the court, shooting 75 per cent in field goals, grabbing steals and landing his threes. 

The Rams gained a 33-point lead five minutes in and maintained it. With a few seconds left, Nipissing's top scorer Nathan Riley fouled out, ending the third with the Rams leading 71-33.

While the Lakers put up a good fight in the last quarter, landing 80 per cent of their three-pointers, it wasn't enough to beat the Rams, who played consistently like a team throughout the entire game and finished off with a clean last quarter. 

DeAveiro has been patient for a victory, pointing out that considering the circumstances (more than half the roster being new and only training for two months ahead of the season due to COVID restrictions in Toronto), the team was progressing well.

"As long as we're seeing progress, with the talent we have, I think we'll be a pretty good team by the time Christmas rolls around," DeAveiro said.

Now that they've gotten a look at the caliber at which they can play together, the Rams will look to increase their winning streak on Nov. 24 in Oshawa, when they play the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. and you can watch live at OUA.tv