Box Score TORONTO- The Windsor Lancers men's basketball team will return from the Wilson Cup Final Four empty-handed.  After falling to Ottawa in the OUA semi-finals one night before, the Lancers were topped by the Lakehead Thunderwolves 78-64 in the conference bronze medal match on Saturday at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Joseph Jones had a game-high 23 points off the bench for Lakehead, while Lien Phillip tallied 15 points and a contest-high 13 rebounds in a losing cause for the Lancers, who struggled with their offence for the second night in a row, shooting just 31.9% from the floor compared to 51.8% from their division rivals. 

With the victory, Lakehead qualifies for the CIS Final 8 next weekend in Ottawa.  The loss means Windsor's last chance to qualify for the national championships will have to come through the final wild card seed.  However, with AUS's Acadia and Cape Breton ranked higher than the men in the CIS Top 10 rankings, there is a good chance the men's season has come to a close.

Rotimi Osuntola Jr. picked up Windsor's first four points, but the shooting woes seemed to carry over from Friday night, as the Lancers hit just three of their first 15 shots from the field.  After a similarly poor shooting performance in their semi-final, the Thunderwolves had moments where they found their offensive touch in the first quarter, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to take a six-point lead as Windsor still struggled to rotate on their perimeter defence. 

After another three by Joseph Jones, coach Chris Oliver decided a timeout was necessary to stem the Lakehead tide.  However, the Thunderwolves used four baskets from beyond the arc  and a 28% shooting efficiency from Windsor to take a 19-12 lead after the first quarter despite committing seven turnovers. 

The second-seed in the West stretched the lead into double-digits early in the second stanza.  Phillip (St. Marks, Grenada) got on the board with two made free throws, and Ismar Seferagic (Toronto) notched a bucket from beyond the arc to bring the Windsor within three.  Phillip persevered through his slow start on offense, grabbing his own rebound and making a strong move to the basket to pick up his first field goal. 

However, the Thunderwolves strung together another 7-0 run, topped off with a corner three from Dwayne Harvey.  Phillip responded with a big three after a penetration and kickout by Josh Collins (Toronto).  The OUA West player of the year continued to keep his team within striking distance with two more foul shots.  However, the Lancers would face a 34-29 deficit heading into halftime. 

Windsor shot 26.5% from the field and were 57% from the free-throw line in the first half. 

The Thunderwolves looked to put the game out of reach early in the second half, going on a 6-0 run to garner their largest lead of the contest at 11.  Phillip responded once again with two more foul shots after getting put on the line once again, following that with a tip-in off a Michael Petrella attempt.  However, Harvey picked up a ball in transition off a Lancers turnover, and nailed the basket while being fouled.  His free throw make gave Lakehead a 13-point advantage.  Lakehead maintained its spread throughout the third, and headed into the final quarter up 57-46. 

Windsor faced a 16-point deficit after the Thunderwolves drained another three.  After a quiet first three quarters, Enrico Diloreto knocked down four straight points for the Lancers in an attempt to keep them close.  However, Lakehead opened things up on offense, tallying back-to-back fast-break points that increased the lead to 20. 

The Lancers would be unable to put together a substantial comeback bid, falling to the Thunderwolves for the second time this season and holding a post-season record of 1-2.