W-BASKETBALL PLAYOFF ROUNDUP: Blues and Rams head to Ottawa for east semifinals
Guelph Gryphons (6) @ Laurier Golden Hawks (3)
WATERLOO, Ont. (February 22, 2010) - Hoping to punch their ticket to the OUA Quarter-finals, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks came from behind to defeat the Guelph Gryphons 75-73 in overtime, despite trailing by as many as 16 points in the third quarter.
Laurier and Guelph spent much of the first quarter feeling each other out, and neither team was able to pull away from the opposition until Guelph scored 10 straight points to end the period. At the conclusion of the quarter Guelph held a 21-12 lead.
In the second quarter the Gryphons stretched their lead to 12 at the midway point of the quarter, an advantage they still held by the time the horn sounded to signal the end of the first half as they led 35-23 at the break.
Guelph continued to pull away from the Golden Hawks in the third quarter, with Jasmine Douglas' (Guelph, Ont.) layup three minutes into the quarter giving Guelph a 41-25 lead. Shelby Kurt of Waterloo, Ont., scored five points in less than 30 seconds for Laurier to give the Golden Hawks a crucial boost which helped them overwhelm the Gryphons in the waning minutes of the quarter to, giving them a chance going into the final quarter.
In the fourth, Laurier continued their comeback as they evened the score on a pair of Kurt free throws with five and a half minutes remaining in the game.
The last few minutes of the final quarter were thrilling for both team. With two minutes remaining, a Guelph layup gave the visiting side a three-point edge that was immediately wiped off the board with a minute remaining in the quarter. With 38 seconds remaining Guelph made a pair of free throws to go ahead by two. This lead was cut in half four seconds later when Kimberley Yeldon of Ottawa, made one of her two free throws. With 10 seconds left Christa Mancino of Port Colborne, Ont., brought down an offensive rebound and was fouled with six seconds remaining and she made one of her free throws to send the game to overtime.
Laurier's momentum carried over into overtime as they jumped out to an early lead that was as big as five at one point. However, Felicia Mazerolle of Elliot Lake, Ont., still needed to make her two free throws with 21 seconds remaining to give Laurier the 75-73 victory.
Kurt was instrumental in leading the Laurier comeback with 20 points and six rebounds on the night. Mazerolle tallied 15 points and six assists while Christa Mancino had 10 points. Kimberley Yeldon also posted a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Douglas led the attack in the loss for the Gryphons with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Alyssa Short of Waterloo, Ont., had 14 points while Samantha Russell of Paradise Valley, Ariz., and Marlee Freeman of Orillia, Ont., both added 12 points.
Laurier will travel to St. Catherines to take on the second-seeded Brock Badgers in the OUA Quarter-finals on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Western Mustangs (5) @ McMaster Marauders (4)
HAMILTON, Ont. – The Western Mustangs women’s basketball team jumped all over the McMaster Marauders in the first half of Wednesday night’s playoff game, outscoring the home team 41-25 in the first two quarters en route to a convincing 77-59 win.
With the win, the Mustangs will advance to an OUA West Quarter-Final matchup on Saturday – opponent to be determined later tonight.
Katelyn Leddy and Rebecca Moss combined to score 21 of the 41 first-half points for the Mustangs, who opened the game with a 10-0 run. A Moss three-pointer and a pair of free throws by Leddy in the final minute of the half sent the Western women into the break with a 16-point advantage. There was no looking back in the second half, as the Mustangs maintained their strong play to earn a spot in the next round of the playoffs.
Western displayed a well-balanced offensive attack on Wednesday night, as five different players finished with double-digit scoring totals. Jenny Vaughan had 16 points, six rebounds and a team-high seven assists, while Leddy had 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Moss and Lacey Knox had 13 points apiece, while Annabel Hancock finished with 11.
Taylor Chiarot struggled from the floor for the Marauders, going 6-for-19 and finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds. Elizabeth Burns also endured shooting struggles, going 3-for-14 for 13 points and eight rebounds. Hailey Milligan had 11 points and six boards for the home side.
The story of the night was the shooting woes of the hometown Marauders, who finished just 26.7% (20-for-75) overall and 18.8% (3-for-16) from three-point range. The Mustangs, meanwhile, shot 44.8% (26-for-58) overall and 40.9% from beyond the arc. Western also did a good job on the boards, matching the Marauders with 39 rebounds overall.
Source: Mustangs Athletics
Ryerson Rams (5) @ Queen’s Gaels (4)
KINGSTON, Ont.- Ashley MacDonald tallied a game-high 25 points, and Angela Tilk was a monster in the paint, dropping 24 points and tallying an incredible 19 rebounds, as the two veterans carried the Ryerson Rams women's basketball team to a 71-66 victory over Queen's on Wednesday night, earning a berth in the OUA Quarter-Finals this weekend.
MacDonald (Port Colborne, Ont.) shot 9-of-24 from the floor, and hit all four of her free throws, and third-year Dayana Gechkova (Sofia, Bulgaria) added 11 points and five assists in the win.
Fifth-year Brittany Moore scored 19 points, and Sydney Kernahan added a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in the loss for Queen's, who had defeated the Rams in both regular season meetings before being halted by Ryerson on Wednesday at home.
This is also the second-straight loss the Gaels have been dealt by the Rams in the first round of the post-season. Last year, Ryerson held serve on their home court, defeating Queen's 62-51 at Kerr Hall Gym. The Rams have now qualified for the OUA Quarter-Finals (East semi-finals) four years in a row.
This year, the women will be looking for a different result when they kick off the Quarter-Finals in Ottawa on Saturday, as Ryerson has been defeated in their last three appearances in the Quarters.
Their opponents will be the first-place Ottawa Gee-Gees (19-3), who are currently the CIS No. 6-ranked team in the country. The Gee-Gees defeated Ryerson in both meetings this season, most recently topping the Rams 85-67 at home last Friday.
Saturday's Quarter-Final gets underway at 6:00 p.m. at Monpetit Hall.
Source: Rams Athletics
The Varsity Blues women’s basketball team advance to the OUA East semifinals with a 64-37 win over the York Lions on Wednesday, February 22 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
Toronto will head to Ottawa this Saturday, February 25 to take on the second-seeded Carleton Ravens. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Fifth-year forward Megan Stoncius of Mississauga, Ont., was named the Varsity Blues player of the game after tallying a double-double of 13 points and a career-high 15 boards.
Sophomore forward Julie Longauer (Whitby, Ont.) recorded a game-high 15 points, while veteran guard and Toronto native Joanna Medri added 12 points off of four three-pointers in the win.
It was a tale of two quarters in the first half. The Lions built a 16-6 lead after the first 10 minutes of action, thanks to a combined 10 points from Brittany Szockyj and Hayley Finn; however, Toronto responded with an 11-0 shut out in the second to gain a narrow 17-16 advantage at halftime.
The Blues found their game in the third with Medri leading the way from beyond the arc, and outscored the Lions 21-8 to gain a 41-24 lead heading into the final frame.
York was led by Hayley Finn’s nine-point performance, while Samantha Ernest had five points and 11 boards in the loss.
Source: Varsity Blues Athletics
OUA SCHEDULE & RESULTS
February 25, 2012 – OUA Divisional Semifinals
2:00 pm – Laurier (3) @ Brock (2)
5:30 pm – Toronto (3) @ Carleton (2)
6:00 pm – Ryerson (5) @ Ottawa (1)
7:00 pm – Western (5) @ Windsor (1)
