(Hi-Lites) Lakehead 63 Western 49 (OUA Playoffs)

Fantastic finish - Tbnewswatch.com

Leith Dunick of Tbnewswatch on Lakehead's playoff win

Fantastic finish - Tbnewswatch.com

Lakehead Wins OUA Quarter Final Over Western

The Lakehead Thunderwolves had a packed Thunderdome crowd behind them tonight and did not disappoint. Key 1st and 4th quarters helped the 'Wolves top the Western Mustangs 63-49 in front of a sold-out CJ Sanders Fieldhouse.

The first half was ugly offensively as the two teams combined to shoot 18-67 including a 12-4 1st quarter in favor of Lakehead. At the half the home side led by 1, 22-21.

Western started off strong in the 3rd quarter taking a 6 point lead and forcing an early LU timeout. However out of the time-out Lakehead responded by going to Yoosrie Salhia who hit some tough shots in the paint to keep the 'wolves in the game. Salhia led all scorers with 19 points on 8-15 shooting and pulled down 8 boards.

Lakehead, usually reliant on its outside shooting, were ice-cold shooting 0-13 from downtown and missing its first 18 3pt attempts. Jamie Searle's late 3rd quarter three broke the ice and the 'wolves closed out the game by knocking down a couple of open looks when Western started focusing more on Salhia in the paint.

Jamie Searle, playing in his last career home game, played tough scoring 14 points and adding an incredible 14 rebounds to lead all players. Searle had 7 assists as well and 0 turnovers in 38 minutes of play.

Greg Carter set the tone in the first half on the defensive end picking up 4 steals and forcing 6 turnovers in the half from all-star Ryan Barbeau of Western. Carter's cold shooting forced him to the bench late when Ben Johnson continued the tough defense on Western's playmaker.

For the game the 'Wolves shot only 4-29 from 3pt range but made up for it in part by grabbing 15 offensive boards.

Lakehead advances to the OUA Final Four and will play the winner of Ottawa-Toronto in the OUA semi-final at 8pm Friday @ McMaster.

"I was proud of our guys for sticking to our defensive gameplan for the majority of the 40 minutes tonight. Also out team effort on the offensive boards was a major reason we were able to stay in the game given our poor shooting percentage. Western played us tough but in the end Jamie Searle made up for a poor showing last weekend to be the best player on the court tonight and lead us to this important win. Time to get focused on next week's opponent."

-Coach Scott Morrison

Play-Off Preview

Gametime is 7:00PM.

A sell-out is expected but tickets may still be available by calling the LU Field House.

Below is the weekly preview from Lakehead SID Hugh Mullally - The Hugh-man highlight reel.

Men's Match-up

The men's match up against Western will be a re-match against the team that Lakehead played in their final regular season game, which they lost in London. Exacting revenge and re-asserting some respect on their home court will no doubt be on the minds of Lakehead's line-up, and was confirmed by veteran point guard Jamie Searle in a casual interview earlier this week. The weekend loss to Western caused Lakehead to drop in the national rankings from 6 to 7 this past week. Andrew Wedemire, Western's veteran post,

Last Match-up Results

Lakehead split the season series with Western just one week ago in London, winning the first game 85-75, in a game that Western rested their starters, followed by a loss on Saturday night, 73-59, as Western got 24 points and 15 rebounds from veteran Andrew Wedemire in his final game at Alumni Hall. Both games saw Lakehead struggle to get much flow from their offense, which might have been attributed to Jamie Searle picking up early fouls in both contests in London. Greg Carter had 15 points in the win, while Cam Hornby had 15 points in the losing campaign. Guard Venzal Russell struggled from the floor all weekend, and is determined to pick up his game on Saturday night.

Coach Morrison's Message:

"Western is a veteran team that looks to beat you on execution and persistent post play. Both teams will have recent experience to draw on as we faced each other last week. We are working hard this week to improve our own execution and hopefully make some adjustments to improve on our defensive game plan as well. Most importantly we want to go out and give the maximum effort for our fans that have supported us all season long - we need to have the best "6th man" in the nation one more time on Saturday night."

Games can also be watched on SSN Canada, www.ssncanada.ca/games , and heard locally on LU Radio, 102.7 FM.

--

Hugh Mullally

Sports Information Director

Lakehead University Athletics

Office: 807 766 7157
Fax: (807) 343-8203

Team to beat - Tbnewswatch.com

An Early Preview of this Saturday's Action

Team to beat - Tbnewswatch.com

Lakehead Signee Robichaud Leads Team to HS Championship

Alex Robichaud, who recently announced his commitment to Lakehead University, leads Superior High School to their first ever city basketball championship.

Robichaud had 33 in the win including 24 in the first half. Leith Dunick covered the game for Tbnewswatch.com and the story link is below.

City champions - Tbnewswatch.com

Thunderwolves Hang in at #7 to Finish Regular Season

Lakehead stayed in the top ten this week to end the regular season but slipped one spot to #7 after splitting with Western last weekend.

CIS:BlackBerry - CIS Top Ten Tuesday (#22): Calgary, Regina ranked No. 1 heading into Nationals

The 'Wolves find out tonight who their Saturday night opponent is as #6 Guelph tips off vs #3 Laurier and #4 McMaster hosts #5 Western.

Lakehead will host the lowest remaining seed Saturday night February 26th at 7pm in the THUNDERDOME.

Thunderwolves' Fans Can Help "Raise the Rent"

Shelter House Thunder Bay, a long-standing partner of Lakehead Men's Basketball have announced a new campaign to attempt to "Raise the Rent" for those in our community that may not have the means to keep proper living arrangements.

The gist of the program is to raise $606 (an average one month rent) through cash donations between now and March 29. The Thunderwolves have only one home game remaining and ask the fans help to "Raise the Rent" at the Saturday Feb 26th home play-off game by collectively donating enough spare cash to equal $606 - or a month's rent for a family in need.

As with most OUA West home games, representatives of Shelter House will be on hand at Sanders Field House before and during the game to accept donations and share information.

Game time is 7:00PM.

Individuals, groups or businesses can also take part in the campaign themselves and accept the "Raise the Rent" challenge. For more information please contact Shelter House at the email listed with the subject "Raise the Rent". relay@shelterhouse.on.ca

Western puts it to Lakehead in Regular Season Finale

Andrew Wedemire came to play in his final regular season game torching the 'Wolves for 24 and 15 rebounds in 36 minutes. The 5th year post had his way with the Lakehead bigs and consistently drew fouls on L.U's post double team.

Lakehead was a step slow all game which led to frustrating and desperate play which only made matters worse as the game went on. Lakehead could not find the range from 3 point land going 5-26 and 18-56 from the field. The horrendez shooting was compounded by careless turnovers and forced shots (Lakehead was credited with a very generous 16 turnovers).

Western's starting 5 was big tonight. IN addition to Wedemire's big game, Marcus Barnett had 13 and 8 boards (shot 10-13 for the weekend), Ryan Barbeau had 12 and Peter Scholtes finished a strong weekend with 13 points on 4-6 shooting and a perfect 5-5 from the line.

Western shot 43 free throws, connecting on 26. Lakehead was 18-28.

Cam Hornby of Winnipeg was the lone Wolf connecting on shots as he hit 4-8 from 3pt land to lead the team with 15 points - the only Thunderwolf in double figures. ASide from Hornby, Lakehead shot 1-18 from outside.

"To say I am disappointed with the results tonight would be an enormous understatement. We started the game unfocused and refused to stick to the gameplan. When things got tough, we chose to play selfish and act like a bunch of spoiled brats rather than to dig down and work together as a team to come back. Our recent success has been built on hustle, execution of gameplan and team play... we have to get back to that formula if we desire a long play-off run."

-Coach Morrison on tonight's game.

The Thunderwolves have a first round bye on Wednesday night and await the lowest surviving seed next Saturday Feb 26th at home (7pm start). Lakehead's potential opponents include Guelph, Westerna and McMaster. Guelph qualified for the play-offs in the final game today on the strength of a 5 point win, with help from Waterloo who hit a buzzer beater to beat McMaster and force a 3 way tie for the last play-off spot which Guelph won. Had Waterloo not won the game, Brock would have advanced based on a 2-way tiebreaker with Guelph. A sign of an exciting couple of weeks ahead for OUA basketball.

'Wolves Open Weekend with 85-75 Win

The Thunderwolves overcame a rough start from the starting 5 and an early double digit deficit in the first half to battle back and come out with a tough, if not pretty, win at Western tonight.

Two early fouls on 5th year guard Jamie Searle and a sloppy start from fellow starters Greg Carter, Yoos Salhia and Ryan Thomson led the 'Wolves to go to the bench early and were rewarded with some strong efforts from the second string. Lakehead's bench went for 18 first half points and 35 for the game. Nathan Wainwright (1st year, Kapuskasing, ON) went 2-4 from downtown in Searle's absence in essentially his first OUA action. Matthew Schmidt had 11 off the bench for the game.

The story of the second half was junior Greg Carter (Ottawa) who led the team with 15 points (10 in second half) shooting 6-7 from the free throw line down the stretch. Carter added 5 assists to 1 turnover and hit a big three late in the game. Carter also did a solid job on all-star Ryan Barbeau holding the Belleville product to 2 points in 27 minutes of play. Venzal Russell added 13 and 6 rebounds and Yoosrie Salhia led all players with 9 rebounds in 22 minutes.

Freshman Peter Scholtes was a force for the purple and white as he led all scorers with 18 adding 4 offensive rebounds. Marcus Barnett added 14 shooting a perfect 6-6 from the field. 5th year guard Brett Lawrence had 10.

IN the game, both teams were just about 52% from the field and each had 15 turnovers. Lakehead will have to improve its free throw shooting (13-25) and continue to knock down open looks from 3 pt land (10-22). Venzal Russell sprained his ankle late in the 4th and will be questionable for tomorrow's game.

"This was not the prettiest win but still a win that we are happy to get. Western is banged up and gave a great effort tonight to outplay us for much of the game. We have to do a better job on D and take more care with our offensive possessions to play a more efficient game tomorrow night and work to finish the regular season on a winning note."

- Coach Scott Morrison

'Wolves Finish Regular Season At Western this Weekend

The Thunderwolves arrived in London, Ontario today after a stop along the 401 for a team practice. Gametimes are the usual 8pm Eastern on Friday and Saturday nights.

See below for the "skinny" from Lakehead SID Hugh "Czar of the Feed" Mullally

Men's Match-up

The Western team has much more to gain in these final two regular season games than do the 'Wolves. The Mustangs currently sit in 5th place in the OUA West, and are slated to play McMaster in the first round of the playoffs (who beat them both times in reg season play). Two wins for Western would mean home court advantage in that playoff game. Western's biggest weapon is post Andrew Wedemire, along with veteran guard Ryan Barbeau (18.3 and 15.4 Points per game, respectively). They are an effective combo that get to the free throw line, and it's worth mentioning that as a team, Western is 4th in the nation in FT %, shooting 74%, and have gotten there at least 18, and as many as 46 times in a game this season.

Last Match-up Results

Last year Lakehead split the series in Thunder Bay, losing Friday's game 60-59 (Wedemire 21 pts), and redeemed themselves Saturday in an 89-65 victory (Jamie Searle 28 pts). It's worth noting that Wedemire was injured during the first game and did not play in Saturday's game.

Coach Morrison's Message:

"We are looking to finish the regular season strong and head into the playoffs on a positive note. We have our work cut out for us in Wedemire and Barbeau as possibly the toughest 2 man game in the league."

Games can be watched on SSN Canada, www.ssncanada.ca/games

CIS:BlackBerry - CIS Top Ten Tuesday (#21): National leaders get set for playoffs

'Wolves Remain at #6 in CIS and CISHoops.ca polls for 3rd straight week

CIS:BlackBerry - CIS Top Ten Tuesday (#21): National leaders get set for playoffs

Highlights from Saturday's Game vs Brock

Division champions - Tbnewswatch.com

Halifax's own Leith Dunick with the post-game report for TBNewswatch.com

Division champions - Tbnewswatch.com

Lakehead Clinches 1st OUA West Regular Season Championship

The Lakehead Thunderwolves have clinched the regular season OUA West championship and #1 play-off seed for the first time in school history.

The 'Wolves (16-4) put together a better game on Saturday night and won 78-59 over Brock highlighted by an 18-9 4th quarter. Yoosrie Salhia was huge for the 'Wolves scoring on 12-15 field goals for 24 points and 6 rebounds (tipped out about 8 other boards) to lead all scorers in the game. Jamie Searle, one of three graduating seniors honored before the game recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ven Russell had 14 and 8 assists and Ryan Thomson was the 4th LU player in double-digits with 10 points 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Andrew Hackner, also playing in his last regular season home game, added a solid 15 minutes with 4 points and 3 rebounds. Hackner and Searle were given a standing ovation twice - once in a pre-game ceremony and again as they subbed off the floor with just over a minute to play in regulation.

Brock was led by Michael Cruikshank who had 16 and Mark Gibson who had 10 but was held to 0 rebounds by Salhia and company.

"I am pleased and proud of our players for finishing a strong weekend and clinching the #1 seed in the play-offs for the first time in school history. It has been a long journey for our 3 seniors (Hackner, Searle and Andrew Quirion) to go from worst in the league to first is a major accomplishment and one they deserve after their years of dedication and perseverance. "

- Coach Morrison on clinching 1st place and the graduation of Hackner, Searle and Quirion

"Tonight we played a much more efficient game on the offensive end and did a better job establishing a presence in the paint. We have one more weekend to improve our weaknesses and get our intensity to a play-off level. Some excellent goals have been accomplished, but not yet the goals we set out to reach in September. We have a lot of work left to do."

Lakehead 69 Brock 57 Game 1 Highlights

Thunderwolves Crack 20 Win Plateau with Victory over Brock

It was not the prettiest or most well played win of the season, but it still counts the same for the Lakehead Thunderwolves. Lakehead took advantage of some cold Brock shooting to sneak out a 69-57 win after gagging through a 15-8 3rd quarter that saw the Badgers get back in the game for the stretch run.

Brock out-rebounded Lakehead all night including doubling up the Thunderwolves on the O glass by a 16-8 total. 9 Badgers earned 2nd chances on the O glass. Brock also did a great job of ball-pressuring the L.U. guards forcing 17 turnovers to Brock's 9.

The advantage Lakehead was able to use for the win was a better shooting night. LU shot 23-61 overall to Brock's 21-77 and from 3pt land Lakehead was 7-21 to Brock's 7-36.

Mark Gibson had a strong first game back from injury for Brock with 13 and 6 rebounds while Andrew Kraus and Mike Cruikshank had 11 a piece.

Lakehead was led in scoring by Ryan Thomson who had 14 and 4 rebounds getting double-digit performances from Yoosrie Salhia (11 and 8) and Ven Russell (10 and 8). Jamie Searle sat most of the 1st half with 2 quick fouls. Ben Johnson had a great game defensively off the bench but shot a rough 1-12 from the field. That being said, his 1 3pt bucket was a big one with just over 2 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter to put Lakehead up 5.

Brock guard Joel Whitty suffered a likely concussion after taking an inadvertant elbow on a loose ball scrum. The 3rd year Badger was taken to hospital on stretcher with just under 8 minutes remaining. Lakehead was without juniors Brendan King and Joe Jones both still working their way back from injuries.

"To win like that where we get outplayed in many facets of the game is a good thing - but not something we can get accustomed to doing if we hope to contend for the conference championship. Tomorrow we need to handle Brock's pressure and rebound much better to stay in the game. Our thoughts and prayers are with Joel Whitty for a speedy recovery from his injury tonight."

Thunderwolves Host Badgers in Final 2010-11 Home Games

With play-off implications riding on every game in the OUA West, the Lakehead Thunderwolves take the Thunderdome court for the final time in the 2010-11 regular season this Friday and Saturday night. Not only does the weekend represent big games for both teams but also the honoring of three Lakehead Seniors who have represented the team for five or more years.

Please see below the summary from Lakehead SID Hugh "Two Scoops" Mullally

(Includes notes on the graduating players to be honored Saturday night)

Men's Match-up

Brock boasts one of toughest and most experienced back courts in country with returnee Mike Cruikshank and transfer Andrew Kraus (who both average 15 PPG). They run an uptempo offense with plenty of guys who can shoot the 3 and run the floor, and have been propelling the Badgers to some big wins of late (Windsor), and although they have lost their last 3 games, it has been only by a total of 9 points. A hungry Brock team is surely on their way to the Thunderdome.

Last Match-up Results

Lakehead swept the two game series in St. Catharines last year, winning 64-45 and 72-53. Yoosrie Salhia had big games for LU in both affairs, scoring 14 the first night followed by 20 points and 12 rebounds in the second game. No Brock players had exceptional individual performances in either game, although Mike Cruijshank had 13 points in the second game, and almost all of Brock's roster did get on the scoreboard in both games.

Coach Morrison's Message:

"Like all of our OUA West opponents, Brock will be a tough matchup. They have strong guards that can really take over a game and an improving core of posts that will command some extra attention from our defense. We have had a good season thus far but will be measured on how we do over the next month and need to be both prepared and energized for each game this weekend."

With regards to recognizing the work of veterans Searle, Hackner, and Quirion over the last 5 years, Morrison notes:

"I am proud to have coached our three seniors for the duration of their career. They are the perfect representatives of our athletic department both on and off the court. Just like our program they have remained dedicated in tough times and have survived to enjoy more successful chapters in their career because of their hard work and persistence. I would personally like to thank these three young men for their contributions over the past 5-6 years and for being such major parts of the historic turn-around we have made here with Lakehead Basketball."

Games can also be watched on SSN Canada, www.ssncanada.ca/games , and heard locally on LU Radio, 102.7 FM.

Additional Notes on Retiring Seniors Jamie Searle, Andrew Hackner and Andrew Quirion:

Jamie Searle - Belleville Moira HS

- went essentially unrecruited by CIS level schools except for Lakehead out of high school

- was one of 9 pure freshmen on the roster in 2006-07, (only one to complete 5 years of eligibility)

- went 1-31 overall as freshman, Lakehead was last in RPI nationally (43) (Came off bench that year)

- grew as player along with team, went 28-9 last year and is currently 19-10 this year

- was major part of turn-around as team captain 3 years and OUA West 1st team all-star last season

- team's leading scorer for second consecutive year

Andrew Hackner - Thunder Bay FWCI

- walked on as an unrecruited red-shirt freshman 2005-06.

- one of 10 players using 1st year of eligibility 2006-7 (1-31 year)

- worked his way up from red-shirt, to 12th man, to traveling player to starter

- started every game of 2009-10 season that saw LU qualify for the CIS championships for first time in 33 years

- led CIS in 3pt % in 2009-10

- last ever CIS player from FWCI

Andrew Quirion - Thunder Bay St Pats

- walked onto team in 2006-07, one of 10 first year players

- developed into a solid back up post player contributing regular minutes by his 3rd season

- played with injuries for most of career including shoulder problems that eventually cut short his playing career

- last game played was Lakehead's November 2009 win over #1 ranked Carleton

- has continued on with the team assisting with coaching, post player development and working with the Lakehead camp and Blaze club ball.

Last Edited: February 10th, 2011

Lakehead Remains #6 in CIS Rankings

For the second consecutive week the Thunderwolves have remained at #6 in both the CIS Coaches Poll and the CIShoops.ca Poll.

Here is the link for the weekly top ten release by the CIS

CIS:BlackBerry - CIS Top Ten Tuesday (#20):

"While the top ten rankings are an excellent source of conversation and debate amongst fans and followers throughout the country, all of our stakeholders are aware that championships are decided on the court and not on paper or by popular vote. We are honored to be considered a 'top ten team' but have our focus firmly on Brock this weekend. We need an 'A Game' effort from our entire roster of players and loyal Thunderdome faithful this weekend."

-Coach Morrison

Lakehead Salvages Split with 65-58 Win over Waterloo

The Thunderwolves cranked up their defense tonight and contained a versatile Waterloo offense to 58 points including 27 in the 2nd half. Using a different array of match-ups from the previous night, Lakehead held the host Warriors to 36% FG (down from 47 Friday) and 15% (2-13) 3pt shooting. The 'Wolves moved stopper Greg Carter back to defending the ball and he forced Luke Kieswetter to a 1-7 night following a strong 5-7 on Friday. To his credit, Kieswetter handled Carter's ball pressure to the tune of 4 assists and 0 turnovers in a team high 33 minutes.

The major story of the night was 5th year senior Andrew Hackner, who broke out of a 2nd semester slump 4 points, 5 rebounds (3 offensive) and a pair of key blocks in 26 minutes of play. Hackner drew the assignment of guarding Waterloo Senior Tim Rossy and held him to 4 points on 1-6 shooting after the Winnipeg native lit up the Thunderwolves for 26 in Waterloo's opening night win

Lakehead's other 5th year senior, Jamie Searle, was the best offensive player on the court netting 24 points on 9-14 shooting (6-9 3pt) adding 5 rebounds in 39 minutes of play. Searle also stepped up his defense Saturday playing a major role in containing Cam McIntyre to 2-10 shooting (3-19 on the weekend).

Here is the report from Lakehead SID A.K.A "Sherwood's Finest" Hugh Mullally.

LU Men Go 1-1 Against Waterloo

February 5th, 2011

Basketball - Men's

General News

Author: Hugh Mullally

The Men's Thunderwolves basketball team was able to scrape out a win in Waterloo, winning 65-58 Saturday evening. Lakehead led 50-45 heading into the 4th quarter, and managed to finish stronger than they had done in Friday night's loss.

Jamie Searle came up with another big performance, hitting 6 threes and finishing with a total of 24 points and 5 rebounds. Venzal Russel was next with 13 points. Yoosrie Salhia wasn't the usual rebounding force Thunderwolf fans are accustomed to, only grabbing 4, but he made up for it with a game-high 5 assists. Most of LU's most important plays didn't show up on the stat sheet, as Andrew Hackner came in to play a season-high 26 minutes of tough defense against Tim Rossy, the Warrior who had scored 26 points the night earlier. Rossy finished with 4 on Saturday. Waterloo's top scorer, Cam McIntyre was draped by LU defenders all weekend, only scoring 7 total points (5 tonight), after going into the weekend averaging close to 20 PPG.

Lakehead led 60-54 with 2:46 remaining, and kept their guards up to the end, as Venzal Russell came up with a critical steal with less than 2 minutes left which he took in for an uncontested layup. Greg Carter followed that up by digging a steal from Wayne Bridge on a post up with 30 seconds remaining.

Happy to get a road win on the second night, LU Coach Scott Morrison expressed his thoughts about his Thunderwolves:

"I was very proud of our guys for battling hard tonight over 40 minutes. Waterloo is a strong offensive team and clogged the paint well on the defensive end. It was a big win for us as we were short-handed and did not play our best but toughed out a win."

Lakehead will next turn it's focus to their home games versus the Brock Badgers Feb 11-12

Waterloo Ends LU Win Streak at 5

The Waterloo Warriors took it to the visiting Lakehead Thunderwolves winning 79-65. Lakehead started and ended the game poorly with Waterloo jumping out to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter, and then out scoring Lakehead 27-11 in the 4th quarter with the game on the line.

Tim Rossy continued his strong offensive play dropping 26 and 7 on 8-15 shooting against a variety of Lakehead defenders. Brendan Smith and Wayne Bridge both had 10 and 7 while Luke Kieswetter had a solid game going for 11 points and 4 assists on 5-7 shooting. Waterloo shot 31-65 for the game. Lakehead was a poor 23-72, or in layman's terms... 31%.

The Thunderwolves were led by Jamie Searle who had 18 on 6-17 shooting and Ven Russell who had 16 on 5-12 shooting. Yoosrie Salhia led all players with 13 boards.

Lakehead turned it over 12 times to Waterloo's 6 and only beat Waterloo in one statistical category - offensive rebounding by a total of 16 to 5 (likely aided by 49 missed shots). The other potential positive was the defense of Greg Carter who held Cam McIntyre to 1-9 shooting and 2 points but the Warriors found scoring other places.

"Waterloo out-played us tonight especially in transition. They beat us down the floor for 40 minutes and when we did get back and set on D, we allowed middle penetration like it was going out of style. Credit to the Waterloo guards for pushing the ball consistently and drawing help early in their offense to create good looks for their bigs. We knew Rossy was going to be a very tough match-up, and he was.... We are going to have to come up with a gameplan to contain him as well as find the intensity to do a better job slowing down Waterloo's transition."

The two teams meet again tomorrow night at 8pm.

Lakehead Travels to Waterloo for 2

Lakehead SID Hugh "Le Grand Mange" Mullally's take on the Upcoming Series

Men's Match-up

Waterloo has potent offense led by Cam McIntyre who has had a couple of 40 point outings this year, and is averaging 19.8 PPG. Alan Goodhoofd has been a "Lakehead killer" over the years and provides a tough 2nd option for Waterloo. He is currently averaging 12.8 PPG and 7.2 rebounds per contest. Lakehead will be without Brendan King and Joe Jones, both out with injuries.

Last Match-up Results:

Lakehead swept the season series last year, 63-58 and 65-61, and knocked Waterloo out of the playoffs in the second round with a 64-59 win. In the first game, Jamie Searle had 25 points and 9 rebounds, while Alan Goodhoofd dropped 15 for Waterloo. In the playoff game, Ryan Thompson had 20 points, and Yoosrie Salhia had a double-double with 13 and 10.

Coach Morrison's Message:

"Waterloo is a well coached team that play hard and put a number of threats on the court. They have a number of strong outside shooters and have added some athleticism over the last couple of recruiting seasons. We are going to have to contain their transition offense and work to have a team effort on the glass. We are a little short handed with injuries this weekend which is not an excuse but something our players are going to have to overcome with some increased effort off the bench."

Games can be watched on SSN Canada, www.ssncanada.ca/games

Thunderwolves Move to 6th in CIS Top Ten

Thunderwolves Move to 6th in CIS Coaches Poll

CIS:BlackBerry - CIS Top Ten Tuesday (#19): 3-time champ UBC back on top in women’s VBall

Lakehead is also 6th in the CISHoops Poll and 6th in the national RPI.