WEEKEND RECAP: Gee-Gees sweep Home Opener weekend against York

The Gee-Gees men's basketball team opened the 2021-22 regular season with two wins over the York Lions on Friday and Saturday at Montpetit Hall. 

In front of a capacity crowd on Friday, the Gee-Gees earned a hard-fought 80-76 win that came down to the wire against the Lions. A hot start from York had them holding a 31-25 lead at halftime.

Following the break, the Gee-Gees stormed back, outscoring the Lions 32-19 in the third quarter. In a thrilling close, made three pointers from Gage Sabean and Guillaume Pépin sealed the win for Ottawa.

In all, four Gee-Gees scored in double-figures, led by Pépin who had 21 points and six rebounds. Josh Inkumsah added 15 points, while Quincy Louis-Jeune and Maxime Boursiquot added 11 and 10 points each.

"First game of the season, in-front of our crowd so we had to do it for them," said Pépin after Friday's game. "In the OUA, we're in the best conference and we have to take every team seriously, we have to be locked in and focused."

On Saturday evening, the Gee-Gees responded with a 41-point blowout against the Lions, winning 92-51 on their home floor.

Shooting 48 per cent from the field throughout, Ottawa ratcheted up the defensive pressure, as York turned the ball over 20 times. The Gee-Gees were dominant in the paint, scoring 52 points down low. 

"It's huge, we came out flat in the first game but we learned from our mistakes early," said Inkumsah. "We had to protect home court, so we came out and played hard defence and did what we do best. I'm glad we came out with a win."

Pépin once again lead the way for the Gee-Gees with 19 points and six rebounds. Boursiquot was a perfect 7-7 from the field in only 18 minutes of action, while Inkumsah added 11 points in the win. 

In the later stages of the game, Louis-Jeune led an impressive showing for the team's young talent. In the end, the first-year guard finished with 16 points and four rebounds, assists, and steals, closing off an impressive first weekend in league play. 

"It's amazing to have that trust as a first year, for my coaches and my teammates trust me to just play my game and be myself," said Louis-Jeune. "I'm so grateful for that. I know my teammates and coaches have my back no matter what."

Up next, the Gee-Gees will travel to Oshawa to take on Ontario Tech on Friday and Saturday at 8 and 5 p.m. respectively. Both games are streaming live on OUA.tv.