Ryerson Earns Massive Program Victory in Final Game at Kerr Hall, Advance to OUA Final Four!
NPH Top Performers
Ryerson
- Jahmal Jones- 22pts, 8rbs, 3ast, 3stl
- Aaron Best- 17pts, 7rbs (9/10 FT)
- Gabriel Dubue- 16pts 9rbs, 2ast, 4stl
- Mike L’Africain- 11pts, 7rbs, 3ast
TORONTO,ON– “For us, it has been overcoming adversity; with all our injuries and our set backs we still managed to pull it out and now we’re going to the OUA final four.”
These were the words of freshman wing, Aaron Best who accurately summed up the Ryerson Rams’ regular season.
After the program suffered injuries from key players including Aaron Best, Bjorn Michaelsen, Nem Stankovic, Greg Osawe and Ola Adegboruwa, the Rams regular season record suffered in the process in the first half of the season.
Despite early struggles, “mental toughness” as Head Coach Roy Rana would put it, and support is what glued everyone together.
“We really just pulled together and became one unit, one team. We supported each other through the rough times and now it’s showing on the court,” Best told NPH in the post game.
Jahmal Jones led the way over a tough Ottawa team by registering a game-high 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Aaron Best added 17 points and seven rebounds as Ryerson defeated Ottawa by a slim margin, 74-71.
Ryerson held on to the lead for the majority of the game, however the Gee-Gees would not lay down and give up on the road. Led by a collective effort, Ottawa continued to scrap to give themselves a chance to tie up the game at the buzzer.
Gabriel Dubue paced Ottawa with a team-high 16 points, nine rebounds, while freshman point guard Mike L’Africain chipped in with 11 points and seven rebounds.
It was a historical game for the Rams not simply due to advancing, but also bidding farewell to Kerr Hall as it was the final game before they move to Peter Gilgan Athletic Centre at the Gardens.
The Ryerson Rams will now advance to the OUA Final Four where they will join McMaster, Lakehead and Carleton to compete for a ticket to the CIS National championships in Nova Scotia!
When asked about the biggest test of the season that they will face in the final four, Best responded, “We have to play with everything and leave it all out on the floor…that’s it.”
Well said.
