OSHAWA, Ont. – The Ontario Tech men's basketball team is off to the quarterfinals after beating the Lakehead Thunderwolves 89-78 in their first-ever playoff game.

The game started with a ceremonial tip-off from President and Vice-Chancellor of Ontario Tech University, Dr. Steven Murphy and the high-energy crowd of roughly 400 Ridgebacks fans was loud from the first whistle.

The three-headed Lakehead offence lived up to its billing early on as the two teams traded buckets in a nearly even quarter. Harold Santacruz led all scorers with 24 points and nine rebounds, and Chris Sagl chipped in 20 points of his own. While Lakehead was finding points, they struggled from the three-point line, where the Ridgebacks held them to just 17 percent shooting on the night.

Ontario Tech began to find some separation heading into the half, led by Zubair Seyed (Cambridge, Ont.), who had 19 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. Keon Baker (Pickering, Ont.) had 19 points, four steals, and two blocks, while Ayub Nurhussien (Hamilton, Ont.) had a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Lakehead continued to battle back in the second half, eventually bringing it to a five-point game in the fourth quarter, but the Ridgebacks held steady, and the Lakehead three-point shooting woes began to catch up to them as the time started to run out.

With their first playoff win now behind them, the Ridgebacks look forward to Saturday, February 24, where they will travel to the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport in the heart of downtown Toronto to take on the Toronto Varsity Blues for the right to move on to the semi-finals.