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MBB: Wolves cruise to playoff win over Guelph

The easy task is in the books. It’s the next round that’s going to take some work. Not that the Guelph Gryphons are a men’s basketball pushover.
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Lakehead's Mor Menashe, who finished with 12 points, tries to work his way around Guelph defender Jean-Leandres Beugre Wednesday night at the Thunderdome.

The easy task is in the books.

It’s the next round that’s going to take some work.

Not that the Guelph Gryphons are a men’s basketball pushover. They just didn’t offer up much resistance on Wednesday night as the Lakehead Thunderwolves cruised to a 69-48 victory to open the OUA playoffs on a winning note.

For now, Dwaye Harvey and company will bask in the glow of the win, likely the last time he’ll set foot on the Thunderdome hard court in competitive play.

“It was kind of a special moment, playing here three years, graduating from here. It was good to get a win and go on to the next round. It’s even better to win on your home court.”

Harvey went out with a bang, tied with fellow graduating senior Anthony McIntosh with 14 points. He also grabbed seven boards and dished out seven assists, with nary a turnover.

He’s going to need to step his game up yet another notch on Saturday, when the Wolves hit the nation’s capital to take on the nation’s No. 1-ranked – and four-time defending national champion – Carleton Ravens.

The Ravens, seeded second in the OUA playoffs under the new RPI ranking system, doused Lakehead 105-58 earlier this semester and have only two losses on the season, one to Ottawa, the other to Windsor.

It won’t be easy, Harvey said, but getting there was the first step.

“You’ve got to give it to Guelph. They’re a tough team. They play really physical, but I felt our team really wanted to get this game. All week we’ve kind of pushed defence and we held them to 20 points at the half,” Harvey said.

“It was really good to win and we know we’re going to in for a tough match (on Saturday).”

About the only thing coach Manny Furtado could find fault in was their shooting from beyond the arc. The Wolves hit just once in 19 attempts, but were 28-for-43 in two-point territory.

“It’s every possession times two now against Carleton, because they’re going to make you do things you don’t want to do,” Furtado said. “Shooting the ball 1-of-19 isn’t a good sign for us and hopefully we can get that fixed in the next day or two and get ready for Saturday,” Furtado said. 

But all in all he was pleased with the way the Thunderwolves competed all game long.

“I’m happy for the guys, working all year. They’ve competed and to have a home game today kind of put the best situation possible where we’re at,” said Furtado, who spent two years as an assistant under Carleton coach Dave Smart.

“We got the win and right away we’ve got to start preparing for Carleton.”

The Wolves, who went 11-8 in the regular season, outscored the Gryphons in all four quarters and outrebounded their opponent by a 45-21 margin. They took a 28-20 lead into the half, and pounced on the Gryphons in the third, outscoring them 24-12 to increase the lead to 20.

McIntosh scored three straight times for Lakehead to open up a 13-point lead, then Jamar Coke took over, completing a 7-0 run late in the period then scoring five straight points to close the quarter. He would finish with 12, one of five LU players in double digits.

Adam Kemp had 14 to pace the Gryphons, the lone Guelph player to hit double digits.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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