W-BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Quarter-finals set for Wednesday
RMC Paladins @ Laurentian Lady Vees
SUDBURY, ON - In the final week of the season, and the Vees already eliminated from playoff contention, there was little on the line for Friday night’s game against RMC Paladins. However, each team brought forth valiant performances that showed their fighting spirit, and provided an entertaining game for all. When all was said and done, it was the Laurentian Lady Vees that were able to emerge the victor, with a well deserved 61-43 win.
The start of the second half saw a continued display of dominance from the Vees. Coming out with 7 unanswered points, and growing a solid lead. There was still life left in the Paladin offense, who began to find some form towards the end of the quarter. They were able to claw back to only a 9 point deficit, entering the final quarter down by a score of 40-31.
Erin Simpson (Sudbury, Ont) was the standout performer of the evening. Her offensive strength was shown through her 16 points on the evening, and her 5 defensive rebounds helped keep the Vees lead safe throughout the game. 12 of these points came in the second half, as the Vees expanded their deserved lead towards the end of the game.
When all was said and done, the Vees emerged victorious by a score of 61-43. They will be looking to bring this solid game play into tomorrow evenings game against Queens University, where they will be looking to finish the final game of the season on a high note.
Source: Laurentian Athletics
TORONTO (February 17 2012) - The Queen's Gaels (11-10) put in a dominant performance against the York University Lions (7-14) this evening in Toronto and earned a 20 point victory. The final score of the game was 69-49.
After just four minutes of play, the Gaels found themselves down 14-5 to the Lions, but a jumper from Brittany Moore of Hannon, Ont. and a pair free throws from Liz Boag of Kingston, Ont., ignited the Gaels offense. They went on a 17-4 run, leading the Lions 26-18 by then end of the quarter, and did not look back.
They steadily built their lead for the remainder of the game, including an impressive fourth quarter where they held the Lions to only seven points.
The Gaels shot 80 percent from the line and controlled the defensive glass. They held York to six second chance opportunities in the contest. The Gaels also moved the ball well, dishing out 16 assists, five of which came from Boag. She finished the night with 10 points and five assists.
Moore led the way with 16 points for the Gaels which gives her sole possession of second place on the OUA's all-time scoring list. Moore had moved into a tie for second last weekend in the Gaels matchups against the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens.
The Gaels look to continue their success tomorrow evening against the Laurentian Voyageurs in Sudbury. Tipoff is set for 6:00 pm.
Source: Gaels Athletics
The Gee-Gees showed flashes of the type of play that has made them a dominant squad this season, but a persistent Ryerson squad hung around and caused some sloppy play by the talented Gee-Gees in the middle quarters of the game. The game was up for grabs until the Gee-Gees took control early in the fourth quarter, taking a twenty point lead before sitting the starters and finishing with an 85-67 victory.
“We started to execute – we know that we have the ability to play like that,” explained Andy Sparks, referring to the fourth quarter play. However, he also noted that, “A little bit of that was related to where they were at that point. They didn’t have the minutes from their bench like we did so they were a little tired. Full credit to them for the effort that they put in, for sure.”
The Gee-Gees pounded ball inside early, taking advantage of their size with first Sunley-Paisley, then Lennox, then Gilbert scoring for uOttawa from inside the paint. The Gee-Gees opened up a 13-6 lead, causing a Ryerson timeout. Ryerson tightened up defensively out of the timeout, denying the middle. The Gee-Gees hit a couple of outside shots to keep their lead, but the increased Ryerson defense forced a number of bad passes, and Ashley MacDonald’s outside shooting kept them close. Ariane Lachance-Scantland hit a three to close the first period with the Gee-Gees up by four.
Even with Teddi Firmi draped all over her for much of the match, Ashley MacDonald was able to hit step-back shots and poured in 14 first half points for Ryerson. She was silenced in the third by a zone setup by the Gees, but finished the game with 20 points.
“Teddi had a big job to guard [MacDonald] and she did a very good job on her after the first quarter, but it may have affected the offensive end,” said Coach Sparks in an effort to explain his team’s strumbling points. “I don’t think we were reading the play very well today. Still, it was a solid performance.”
The Gee-Gees found success when Kellie Ring drove the lane, she went coast to coast and finished or made opportunities for her teammates to pick up easy put back baskets. One such drive sparked a Gee-Gees run at the end of the third quarter – the Gee-Gees went on an 8-1 run with a minute to go to give themselves a cushion heading into the fourth.
With a season-high 19 rebounds, Hannah Sunley-Paisley is now only four rebounds away from becoming second on the all-time OUA rebounding list. She would be the second Gee-Gee to surpass the previous record this season.
The win gives Ottawa sole possession of first place in the OUA East heading into the playoffs, setting up a home playoff date on Saturday February 25th, and the chance to host the OUA Final Four the following weekend if they are able to win on the 25th.
Source: Gee-Gees Athletics
Toronto Varsity Blues @ Carleton Ravens
The No. 5 nationally ranked Carleton University Ravens women’s basketball team’s offence came alive in the second half to sink the visiting University of Toronto Varsity Blues 66-45 Friday night.
Point guard Alyson Bush (Ottawa) led the offensive outburst in the third quarter with six straight points – all coming from wide drives to the hoop. Her nine points in the frame led the Ravens to a 47-31 advantage before the final quarter.
That was enough to string eight Carleton wins together and establish a 16-5 record, as the Blues only drained 14 points in the last frame.
Both teams started sloppy, missing the majority of their shots and passing inaccurately. The Ravens made only four of 16 shots from the field, while the Varsity Blues only sunk two of their 14.
Carleton’s Kendall MacLeod (Brockville, Ont.) seemed to be the only player on her game in the first, as she drained three points to go along with three boards, a block and a steal.
Bush sparked her Ravens in the last minute with a strong drive to the net and a lay-up. It led to a three-point play on their next possession to build a 13-4 lead heading into the second frame.
The Ravens started with a 5-1 run before the Varsity Blues took control. They drew within 11 points, forcing Ravens head coach Taffe Charles to call a timeout.
But it didn’t slow down the Toronto attack, as its quick passing plays caught the Carleton defence flat-footed. Jill Stratton (Etobicoke, Ont.) knocked down six points in the quarter while grabbing a couple rebounds to cut the Ravens’ lead down to 26-19 before the final half, when Carleton’s offence began to click.
She led her team with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Krista Van Slingerland (Waterloo, Ont.) and Ashleigh Clearly (Kemptville, Ont.) notched game-highs with 15 points each. Bush ended with 13 points and a game-high four assists.
Source: Ravens Athletics
Guelph Gryphons @ Lakehead Thunderwolves
The Guelph Gryphon women’s basketball team defeated the Lakehead Thunderwolves 83-63 tonight in game one of the weekend doubleheader in Thunder Bay.
With playoff implications on the line, the Gryphons dominated the game and led from start to finish moving their record to 10-11 on the season. The Thunderwolves fall to 9-12.
The Gryphons are now in a tie for fifth place in the West Division with the McMaster Marauders at 10-11. Lakehead is seventh at 9-12
The halftime score was 34-31 Guelph, with the Gryphons committing 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes compared to the 'Wolves 8.
The game would be decided in the final six minutes when Guelph, whose lead was at five points, went on a run, thanks to impressive jumpers from Dana Van Balkom, Ali Dzikowski and Marlee Freeman, who were dead-eye in clutch time. Lakehead did not have an answer and would go down swinging from there, with Guelph creating a larger margin due to free throws and a decidedly defeated T-Wolves group.
Guelph had six players score in double figures, led by Marlee Freeman with 15 (3-4 from three), followed by Jasmine Douglas and Samantha Russell with 14 points each. Douglas also had 12 rebounds and 3 assists.
Lakehead was led by Lindsay Druery with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Carolyn Fragale had 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 35 minutes. Kelsey Bardsley and Sierra Guy would add 9 points each.
Source: Gryphons Athletics
Laurier Golden Hawks @ McMaster Marauders
The McMaster women's basketball team locked up a date in the first round of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs with a 65-60 defeat of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks Saturday afternoon at the Burridge Gymnasium.
Taylor Chiarot finished with a game high 17 points to increase her McMaster all-time career scoring record to 1289 points.
The ball game was fairly even in the opening quarter with both teams exchanging baskets. At the sound of the first quarter buzzer the game was tied 18-18.
The Marauders opened the game up in the second quarter going on an 11-2 run with Vanessa Bonomo and Liz Burns getting a number of good looks in transition.
The Marauders would head to the locker room up 34-26 at the half. Hailey Miligan and Chiarot each had seven points in the first half. Bonomo had six points.
Out of the break the Golden Hawks responded with Laura Doyle sparking a rally on some hot shooting to cut the Marauder lead to 38-34. Laurier would go on an 18-10 run to open the quarter and tie the game at 44-44 with just over three minutes left in the third.
Despite some cold shooting from the field and Haily Milligan sidelined with her fourth foul the Marauders made all six of their free throw attempts in the remaining time to hold a narrow 52-51 lead at the third quarter buzzer.
With Milligan on the bench Chiarot had to handle the interior herself and she opened the quarter with a basket to give the Marauders back a three point lead. The Golden Hawks immediately responded with a basket by Christa Mancino and a three from Courtney Bruce to take their first lead since early in the game.
Fortunately for the Marauders, Burns would tie the game after a long scoring drought and Abby Hurd would drain a timely three to reestablish a three point McMaster lead. A lead they would not relinquish down the stretch.
Burns was named the Big Mac Player of the Game finsihing with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
Laura Doyle was the Player of the Game for Laurier scoring 11 points. Kimberley Yeldon was the top scorer for the Golden Hawks with a 13 point 12 rebound double double performance.
With the win Marauders concluded their conference schedule at 11-11 and will advance to the first round of the OUA Playoffs on February 22. Laurier finished just ahead of McMaster in the standings at 13-9.
Source: Marauders Athletics
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University women's basketball team (15-7 OUA) ended the regular season with a 74-38 victory over the Waterloo Warriors (1-21 OUA) at the Bob Davis Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
At halftime, the Badgers honoured five graduating seniors Devyn Cuncic (Carlisle, Ont.), Jessica Del Signore (Brantford, Ont.), Emily McKay (Toronto, Ont.), Tara Giallonardo (Fonthill, Ont.), Sarah Mallen (Fonthill, Ont.) and student trainer Emilee Gagnier.
With all five graduating players starting, Brock opened the game with a 16-4 run in the opening four minutes and led 40-18 at the half.
Brock had three players in double figures led by junior Samantha deJong (St. Catharines, Ont.) who recorded 14 points and four rebounds. McKay added 13 points, six rebounds and three steals with junior Nicole Rosenkranz (Niagara Falls, Ont.) contributing with 12 points and six rebounds in the victory.
Leading Waterloo was Madison Behr who added 11 points in the loss.
For the game, the Badgers shot 36.4% (24-for-66) from the field and 82.6% (19-for-23) from the charity stripe. Waterloo was held to just 27.5% (14-for-51) from the field. Brock also forced Waterloo to 38 turnovers leading to 30 points off turnovers.
The Badgers will host an OUA West semi-final game next Saturday, February 25th at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
Source: Badgers Athletics
The Windsor Lancers Women's Basketball team wrapped up another outstanding regular season as they defeated the Western Mustangs 76-57 on Saturday afternoon at the St. Denis Centre.
With the victory, the Lancers finish the regular season with a 20-2 record and in first place in the OUA West division for the fourth straight year.
The Lancers will now get a bye through the OUA West Quarter-Finals and will host the OUA West Semi-Finals on Saturday, February 25th at 7pm at the St. Denis Centre.
Saturday afternoon was also Seniors Day for the Lancers as they honoured their two fifth year graduation seniors Emily Abbott and Iva Peklova before the game.
Against the Mustangs, the #2 ranked Lancers jumped out to an early 14-10 first quarter lead and held a 35-27 halftime lead. The first half was a tightly contested affair with both teams playing tough defense and fighting hard for each basket.
In the third quarter, Western tried to mount a charge as they outscored Windsor 19-16 in the quarter and trailed by only five points heading into the fourth.
However the Lancers would pull away in the final ten minutes as they dominated at both ends of the court and outscored the Mustangs 25-11 to earn the 76-57 win.
In the victory, Miah Langlois led all scorers with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists while Jessica Clemencon added 12 points and 9 rebounds. Bojana Kovacevic added 11 points and 9 rebounds while Korissa Williams and Iva Peklova each chipped in with 10 points apiece.
The Lancers will now begin preparations for the playoffs and will host the OUA West Semi-Finals next Saturday night at 7pm at the St. Denis Centre.
Source: Lancers Athletics
SUDBURY, Ont. (February 18, 2012) - The Gaels (12-10) beat the Laurentian Lady Vees (4-18) this Saturday evening in Sudbury. The final score was 64-58 for the Gaels who close out the regular season having won two games in as many days.
The Gaels got off to a great start in tonight's game, going on a 17-5 run to kick things off. They finished the opening quarter off with a 20-9 lead. In the second quarter, the Lady Vees fought back, closing the gap by six points. Queen's managed to hold their ground and remain composed and the Lady Vees would not get any closer in this one.
Christine Wallace of North Gower, Ont. led the Gaels with 13 points. Brittany Moore of Hannon Ont. and Kingston's Liz Boag added 10 apiece. Boag also had 5 assists. Sydney Kernahan of Toronto was a point shy of a double double contributing nine points and hauling in 12 boards.
Moore now finishes the regular season with 1,652 career points placing her second all-time in the OUA and setting the bar for the Gaels all-time scoring record at that benchmark.
"It was a very physical game between the two teams tonight but we are very happy to come out with the win and secure home court in the opening round of the playoffs." said head coach Dave Wilson after the win.
Up next the Gaels will host the Ryerson Rams on Wednesday February 22.
Source: Gaels Athletics
The York University Lions women's basketball team finished its regular season on a high note Saturday (Feb. 18), as it defeated the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins by a score of 51-39 at Tait McKenzie Centre, snapping a three-game losing skid in the process.
Veteran guard Kayla Pangos (Holland Landing, Ont.) led all scorers with 18 points and was solid defensively as well, picking up a game-high three steals.
Samantha Ernest (Oakville, Ont.) also chipped in nine points, and Brittany Szockyj (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.), playing in her final regular season game with the Lions, contributed eight points and one block. Szockyj is in her fifth year of eligibility and will be graduating at the end of the school year. She, along with Emily Van Hoof, who played for the Lions from 2004-08 and holds the school record in career field goal percentage at 47.1% and is second all-time in rebounds with 491, were honoured in a pre-game ceremony.
Kim Egert (Westport, Ont.) led the Paladins with 10 points, while Abby Edmison (Carleton Place, Ont.) contributed six points to go along with a game-high two blocks.
With the win, the Lions finish the season a respectable 8-14 and will take on their cross-town rivals, the Toronto Varsity Blues (14-8), on Wednesday (Feb. 22) in the first round of the OUA playoffs.
Neither team played great in the opening quarter, combing for just seven points in the first five minutes of play and 19 in total.
The Lions, however, were slightly better through the first 10 minutes and put up 14 points as a result. Pangos led all scorers with six points and was the sparkplug for most of the Lions' offence. She scored all six of her points in the final five minutes of the frame, including two at the buzzer, to give the Lions a 14-5 lead heading into the break.
Both teams would continue to struggle offensively in the second, combining for just 11 total points in the frame, down eight from the first quarter.
Once again, however, the Lions would come out on top thanks to four points from Pangos, which helped the Lions to a 21-9 lead at halftime.
All seven of the Lions' points in the quarter came from the charity stripe, where Pangos went 4-for-4; Ernest, 2-for-2; and Hayley Finn (London, Ont.), 1-for-2.
Sandy Edmison (Carleton Place, Ont.) and Samantha Bayne (Ottawa) were the only two players to hit a field goal in the frame, and their four combined points accounted for the entirety of the Paladins' offence in the second.
Things would pick up in the third, as both teams would surpass their point totals from the second quarter within the first five minutes of play.
Szockyj opened the scoring in the quarter with her first field goal of the game. Then, moments after Egert cut the Lions' lead to single digits with her team's first three of the game, Szockyj would hit a long three of her own to put the Lions up by double-digits once more at 29-16.
The Paladins would pull to within nine midway through the frame on back-to-back scores from A. Edmison, but the Lions would escape the frame with their 13-point lead in tact thanks to three late points from Pangos and a pair of free throws from Courtney Osborne (Markham, Ont.).
That big lead would all but disappear early in the fourth, however, as the Paladins opened the quarter on an 11-0 run, capped by Egert's second three of the game, closing the gap to just one score at 36-34.
Like a true leader, however, Szockyj would step up and end the Paladins' drive with her second three of the game. That score had an instant calming effect on the rest of the squad, and they would go on to outscore the Paladins 12-5 in the final minutes of play and cruise to the 51-39 win.
Pangos and Finn had five points apiece on the game-ending drive, while Egert led all scorers in the quarter with seven points, four of which came late and helped keep the Paladins within striking distance. Her great individual effort was not enough to overcome the Lions' balanced scoring attack, however, which proved to be the difference late in the game.
Source: Lions Athletics
Toronto Varsity Blues @ Ottawa Gee-Gees
On seniors’ night, Hannah Sunley-Paisley had another memorable performance at Montpetit Hall, registering her twelfth double-double of the season and moving into second place all time in the OUA career rebounding books. Sunley-Paisley finishes her regular season career with 993 rebounds, and seventh in OUA career points at 1,483. She is the all-time uOttawa leader in both of those categories.
The Gee-Gees also honoured fifth years Bess Lennox and Teddi Firmi after the match. “Every girl on the team has learned so much from these two players,” said Sparks.
Ottawa’s inside help limited Toronto to outside shots for most of the first half. Toronto’s mid-court pressure failed to disrupt the Gee-Gees’ offense, as the ball found its way around the horn to Jenna Gilbert for four first half three pointers. Toronto struggled from the floor in the first half, shooting only 27 per cent. Ottawa held a 41-23 lead at halftime, and though the Varsity Blues came within 10 during the third quarter, that was as close as they would come.
Ottawa finishes the regular season atop the OUA East for the sixth time in program history, and the first time they have not shared the spot with another team. The Gee-Gees will host an OUA Quarter Final game on Saturday February 25 at 6 p.m. Their opponent will be decided on Wednesday the 22nd.
Alyson Bush (Ottawa) gave the Carleton University Ravens women’s basketball team and its graduating veterans a performance to remember as they beat the Ryerson University Rams 80-42 at the Ravens’ Nest Saturday night.
With the win, the Ravens finish the season with a 17-5 record, good for second place in the OUA East and earning them a first round bye. They will await the results of Wednesday night’s playoff games to see who they will face in the quarter-final on Saturday, Feb. 25.
The game was one way traffic from the get go. The Ravens breezed out to an 18-10 lead after the first quarter.
The points didn’t flow as easily in the second, with the Rams making a desperate stand beneath their basket, limiting the Ravens scoring opportunities.
But the stand would only last to the midway point as Bush unlocked the defence and sank an easy lay-up to start the point rush. She had the crowd on their feet in the third quarter, sinking a three-point basket and following it up with a steal and another basket.
The Ravens took a 55-30 lead into the final quarter, where the game, which had been relatively clean, took a surprising turn with MacLeod, Genavieve Melatti (Brampton, Ont.) and Jessica Resch (Ottawa) all fouling out for Carleton. Two Rams would also foul out.
But the fouls didn’t derail Carleton’s final quarter push, and they cruised to the 80-42 win.
Source: Ravens Athletics
Guelph Gryphons @ Lakehead Thunderwolves
The women's basketball team fought valiantly to a 82-68 win over the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday evening. Despite the 14-point win, the spread was not enough to earn the split versus Guelph, who won Friday's match-up by 20 and thus seal their 6th place finish in the OUA West and advance to the playoffs.
With the Thunderwolves knowing that they must win by 21 to extend their season, they pushed with all their might from the opening tip; they played with more urgency than ever before this season. They would outscore the Gryphons by 3 in the first quarter, tie them (17-17) in the second, win the 3rd (20-19) and the 4th quarter 27-17. The last 2 minutes of play were as frantic as any this season, with 'Wolves diving, flying and fighting tooth and nail at both ends of the court. It no doubt made the ending a lot more sweet than bitter for the Thunderwolf faithful in attendance who cheered with delight until the final buzzer.
Druery scored 24 points (11-17 shooting) and collected 12 rebounds (5 offensive), fitting for a player who was no stranger to the 'double-double' stat line throughout her career. Carolyn Fragale (Thunder Bay,ON) had 16 points and 5 assists while Ayse Kalkan (Winnipeg, MB) scored 15.
Guelph's top scorer was Jasmine Douglas with 22 poitns and 9 rebounds. Alyssa Shortt and Ali Dzikowski had 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Coach Jon Kreiner had praise for his team and graduating players, Druery and Lacey McNulty: "Not many teams in the CIS get to win their last game. The way we played the 4th quarter was a great final chapter to a great season for our Team. We have a very tough division & we competed hard all season. Lindsay's final game as a Thunderwolf was one of her best. Just the fact that Lacey got into the game and provided a spark was a real proud moment & her teammates rallied around her. It's tough to be out when you still think you have more to give but we gave our best and ended on a great positive for our program."
Source: Thunderwolves Athletics
