It wasn't the homecoming the Nipissing Lakers men's basketball team was hoping for.

Coming off losses in Ottawa against the country's two top teams, the Lakers were hoping for a rebound game against the York Lions, a team that is consistently strong, but wasn't a bad matchup for the Lakers.

Despite a strong first quarter, the Lakers couldn't keep pace with the Lions and came up short, losing 81-62 in the end.

The teams ended the first quarter 16-16, but the second quarter was the difference in the game.

York outscored Nipissing 20-12 in the second and put them behind eight-ball at halftime, trailing 36-28.

While the score remained within reach, the Lions put up 45 points in the second and in the final quarter especially, ran away with the game.

The Lakers offence had moments of brilliance and kept pace, but the team struggled to get key stops when they needed them and came up short.

In the second half, Nipissing manage 33 points, but it wasn't enough.

A positive from the Lakers side is their balanced scoring, which was seen throughout the game, with different players taking and making key shots.

Joey Puddister picked up a game-high 18 points, while Marcus Lewis had 11 and Jerron Rhodes added 10 points for Nipissing.

Only two players didn't register a point for the Lakers, who received 15 points from their bench.

The Lakers are back on the court Saturday night versus Queens at 8 p.m.