W-BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Ravens edge out Gryphons for home win
With the team shooting 46% from the floor (45% from three) the Carleton Ravens earned a convincing 66-59 victory over the visiting Guelph Gryphons on Friday.
Photo by Valerie Wutti
Friday, January 16
Guelph 59 @ Carleton 66
With the team shooting 46% from the floor (45% from three) the Carleton Ravens earned a convincing 66-59 victory over the visiting Guelph Gryphons on Friday.
The game started close, with both teams trading baskets early and the game tied at 6 after 6 minutes of action. Carleton would then put together a 10-4 run to finish the frame, turning forced turnovers into transition offense on the other end.
As the Gryphons struggled to get their offense flowing (the team would go just 2-15 in the first) and with six Ravens getting on the score sheet, Carleton would lead 16-10 heading into the second quarter. Ravens forward Heather Lindsay led the way with 6 points (on 3-3 shooting) and 6 rebounds.
Carleton extended their run in the second, with a three from Lindsay Shotbolt and a drive and finish from Lindsey Suprunchuk putting the Ravens up 25-13. More three balls from Elizabeth Leblanc and Stephanie Carr thanks to excellent ball movement gave Carleton a 36-22 lead going into halftime.
While Carleton rolled on offense the Gryphons continued to struggle, instead relying on free-throws to generate points. Guelph would shoot 18 free-throws in the half (34 in the game) shooting 68% from the line. The Ravens took just 6 free-throws in the half (17 in the game), hitting 65%.
Shotbolt led all as scorers with 7 points, with Abeer Farhat and Lindsay both chipping in 6 apiece. Guelph guard Barbara Inrig-Pieter provided the spark for the Gryphons with 6 points (including 4-4 from the free-throw line).
It was the third quarter that Shotbolt really got hot, going off for 8 points in the first 5 minutes of the frame. Shotbolt hit 12 in the quarter, and would finish with a game high 22 points to go with 9 rebounds.
Guelph finally found some consistent offense, with Bridget Atkinson and Katherine MacTavish each earning baskets inside. Carleton would maintain their lead however, up 54-40 after the third.
The Gryphons put together a valiant effort in the final frame, slowly closing the gap as their shots finally started to fall. Another big quarter from Atkinson (who would score 10 of her team-high 15 in the second half) and more trips to the free-throw line would bring Guelph within 7.
The Ravens were simply too much to handle however, hanging on for a 66-59 final.
Lindsay recorded her second double-double of the season, racking up 11 points and 12 rebounds in addition to 3 blocks. Farhat (8 points, 4 assists) and Becky Leblanc (8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks) would also post big games for the Ravens.
McMaster 91 @ Laurentian 60
The McMaster women's basketball team used a strong 4th quarter to pull away from the Laurentian Voyageurs and secure a 91-60 win Friday night in Sudbury. The win snaps a two-game skid for the Marauders, who fell to 10th in the national top-ten this week, after losing to WLU and Ryerson last week.
The Marauders entered play short-handed as Clare Kenney did not make the trip north, as she recovers from concussion-like symptoms after taking a hard knock versus Ryerson. Missing their second leading scorer and top rebounder in Kenney, the Marauders got a very balanced effort to win in a tough environment.
McMaster led only 19-14 after the first quarter, but got the transition game going in the second stanza and bumped their advantage up to 42-27 at intermission.
The third quarter was fairly even and a late three-pointer made by Voyageur Danielle Harris cut into the Marauder lead as Mac led 60-48 heading to the final quarter.
In the fourth, Marauder Danielle Boiago caught fire, scoring 10 points in the quarter to pace a 31-point explosion by McMaster. Over the first three quarters, McMaster had made only 1 of 13 attempts from beyond the arc, but nailed three of four from long range in the fourth to help build the margin. The biggest lead for the Marauders was 33 points at 91-58.
Boiago was the top shooter for McMaster with 24, followed by Ally Schweitzer who scored a career-high 17 as she filled in for the missing Kenney. Rachael Holmes and Hilary Hanaka each chipped in 11 for the Mac attack. Harris led Laurentian with 16 on the night.
McMaster paid improved attention to its rebounding, winning the battle of the boards 37-34.
Brock 70 @ Nipissing 40
Nipissing Lakers women's basketball head coach Marg Jones talked about how the team's mindset is to achieve program goals and improve every day.
As a first year program, it's impossible to measure the success by wins and losses because the OUA is so competitive and so physical, it takes a team at least a year to become accustomed.
Another goal the Lakers achieved Friday night versus Brock, was recording the most points for they have in their history – hitting the 40 mark.
While the result of the game was still a 74-40 loss, the 40 points and an impressive second half are things to build on for the Lakers, who will look for success Saturday against McMaster.
The Lakers were outscored by only one point in the final 20 minutes of the game, anchored by Claire Abbott's 14 points and Kelsey Balong's nine.
The difference in the game was fast and strong start by the Badgers, who put up over 20 in each of the first two quarters.
One of Nipissing's strengths was actually rebounding the ball on the defensive side of the ball, as they accumulated 23 defensive rebounds, six more than the Badgers.
Stats aside, the second half of the game is something the Lakers will want to build on as they are set to face the McMaster Marauders Saturday night.
Lakehead 69 @ Ottawa 65
A Katie Ulakovic three-pointer with 29 seconds to go proved to be the final dagger to a Gee-Gees team that bent all game long only to break in the final minute losing 69-65 to the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
The final trey was Ulakovic's eighth of the game, tied for the most threes in a single game in the CIS this season. The Gee-Gees could find no answer for Ulakovic's outside shot as she only missed two from beyond the arc and only took two shots inside the three-point line.
For the most part, uOttawa dictated the flow of the game as they lead for all but 1:34.
The Gee-Gees got off to a good start on defence holding Lakehead scoreless for nearly the first four minutes. But the Gee-Gees were unable to build a lead of any substantial size in response.
Lakehead took their first lead one minute into the second half, but it would only last 23 seconds as the Gee-Gees responded with 11 straight points. That allowed them to build their biggest lead of the game of 12 points midway through the third frame. The lead quickly dwindled to two by the late stages of the quarter.
Lakehead took their second lead at the exact same moment in the fourth quarter but this time it only lasted four seconds. The Gee-Gees benefited from a few turnovers as a result of their pressure on the ball. Ottawa scored 23 points off turnovers in the game but they were clearly walking a thin line.
Lakehead's third attempt at the lead came with two minutes to go in the fourth. The Gee-Gees shook it off and tied things up again before Lakehead took the ball with less than a minute to go and executed a perfectly designed passing play that left Jylisa Williams open for the layup and the two point lead.
The Gee-Gees came right out of a timeout to hit Krista van Slingerland with the inbound pass underneath the basket to tie it. Ulakovic then stepped up and drained the eventual game-winning three from the top of the arc. Stephanie MacDonald had the ball with 10 seconds to go in an effort to tie it but couldn't find open shot.
"It just didn't seem to be in us. Some of our best players didn't play their best today," said Gee-Gees head coach Andy Sparks. "I don't think it was a real problem from a defensive perspective. I think offensively we didn't execute the game plan very well. They had three or four kids hit shots down the stretch and we didn't."
CIS leading scorer Williams struggled against the Gee-Gee defence and missed an uncharacteristic 13 shots, a lot of them in-and-outs, and turned the ball over six times. Ulakovic finished with a game-high 24 points, picking up Williams's slack.
The Gee-Gees' inability to secure rebounds compounded their problems. Lakehead won the battle on the glass 43-25.
"Number nine [Ulakovic], not one time did we get out and defend her," added Sparks. "She didn't once go to the rim. So that's defensive execution in a key situation. We wanted to take Williams out of the game, and I think in general, we did a good job of that."
"I think it was about shutting down their shooters," echoed Danielle Marion, who was matched up with Williams one-on-one for the balance of her 25 minutes on the court. "We knew coming in that some of their shooters can go off so we didn't make sure that we contained them. We needed to guard those threes."
MacDonald and van Slingerland both put up 17 points to lead the Gee-Gees who will try and make amends when they're back on court to host the Guelph Gryphons Saturday at 6 p.m. at Montpetit Hall.
"New game. New day. We just have to forget about this one and take down Guelph," said Marion.
Ryerson 63 @ Algoma 31
In their first true home games of the season at the GLC, the Algoma Thunderbirds basketball teams suffered losses at the hands of the CIS top 10 Ryerson Rams.
Despite a short bench due to injuries, the Algoma Thunderbirds women's squad opened strong, keeping it close with the CIS Number 9 team. Applying a full court press, Ryerson pulled away by 7. After an Algoma timeout, the Thunderbirds regrouped, relying on outside shooting to chip into the deficit, down by only 3. A late bucket for Ryerson gave them a 17-12 advantage going into the second. Ryerson's momentum continued, driving the ball to the post, pulling ahead in the second, 30-15. Algoma tired and went cold, trailing 35-17 going into the third. Both teams struggled to put up points early in the third. Two shots beyond the arc from Ryerson put the game beyond Algoma late in the third, allowing Ryerson to run away with a 63-31 win.
Ryerson improved to 9-3 while Algoma fell to 0-11. Algoma shot 29 percent against Ryerson's 39 percent. Keneca Pingue Giles led the Rams with 21 points while Sydney Reschearned 12 in the Thunderbirds' losing effort.
In the men's action, Ryerson jumped out to an early 7 point lead. Algoma struggled to keep pace with the Rams precision inside and outside shooting. Relying on outside shooting, Algoma chipped into the deficit trailing by only two to the CIS Number 3 ranked team. The Rams charged ahead leading 24-16 going into the second. Algoma and Ryerson exchanged buckets keeping the game within 10. Increased physicality saw both teams shoot from the free throw line. A three-point shot from Ryerson down the stretch gave the Rams a 13 point lead and the chance to pull away 42-28 going into the second half. Unable to continue the momentum, Algoma trailed by 20 with 6 minutes left in the third. Ryerson continued to pull away, winning 99-56.
Ryerson improved to 10-2 while Algoma fell to 0-11. Jean-Victor Mukama led Ryerson with 13 points. Terrell Campbell and AJ Andre Barber both had 11 for the Thunderbirds. Ryerson shot an impressive 60 percent.
Saturday, January 17
Waterloo 70 @ Western 80
After a tough start to 2015 on the road, the Western Mustangs women's basketball team were happy to return home and even happier to walk away with an 80-70 victory over the Waterloo Warriors at Alumni Hall, Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Mustangs snap a four game losing streak and improve to 3-8 on the season. Waterloo shares the same 3-8 record, putting both teams in third in the OUA West Division standings.
Mackenzie Puklicz had a career game, scoring a personal best 30 points which included three 3-pointers and 11 of 14 free throws. She also picked up 13 rebounds and stripped the ball for four steals. The hometown guard cites the Mustangs' preseason loss at the hands of the Warriors as inspiration for her performance.
"They beat us in the preseason when we had players out," she said. "I didn't play and I took it personally. I was like, 'Hey you beat us, but don't think you're going to come in here and win again.'"
It was also a big game for Caroline Wolynski, who scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the glass.
"She works really hard," Puklicz said of her teammate. "We had some nice passes to each other and it worked and it looked good. From now on I think we need to remind ourselves of how we played this time."
Western came out strong in the first quarter with high-energy and ball movement. While they've had trouble making offensive impacts early in games this season, those struggles seemed to be behind them when they put up a score of 17-13 after the first frame.
The Warriors were kept on their toes with the ball movement in the second quarter. With 2:54 left to play, Puklicz grabbed a defensive rebound and lobbed to Julia Tennant, who dished out to Maddy Horst for a good jumper in the paint. This style of play helped the Mustangs maintain a 32-26 lead at the end of the first half.
It was the third quarter where the Mustangs broke out. Puklicz scored 12 of Western's 26 points in the third quarter in a high-energy run that saw them pull ahead 58-41.
That energy carried through into the fourth quarter, but the Warriors responded in kind. Waterloo outscored the Mustangs 29-22 in the fourth and climbed within six points with 50 seconds left on the clock. The Warriors turned to successive fouling against the Mustangs to keep them in check, but the squad remained resilient to come out ahead 80-70 for their first win at home for the season.
Head coach Brian Cheng said his team spent the week working on defense, which was the backbone of the victory.
"It started from point one," said Cheng. "We came out with a mentality to defend. We were just playing and making sure that if we didn't score we did a good job of making sure they didn't score. I think that mentality stuck through."
Laurier 60 @ Windsor 53
The No. 1 ranked women's basketball team lost their first game of the season on Saturday afternoon 60-53 to the No. 8 ranked Laurier Golden Hawks at the St. Denis Centre.
Windsor is now 9-1 on the season, while the Hawks improve to 10-1 and jump ahead of the Lancers in the OUA west division standings. The Lancers, however, have one game in hand of the Golden Hawks.
The loss also marks the Lancers first loss on home court since November 2010, when they fell to the Toronto Varsity Blues in their season opener.
The game was an even match for most of the contest and in just about all statistical categories, but the visitors shot an impressive 71.4% from the three point line, while the Blue & Gold shot only 18.2%. The Laurier defense was also on fire in the second and third quarters, keeping the four-time defending champions to single digits in each frame.
Windsor was led by Korissa Williams with 19 points and 7 rebounds, while Laurier's Kaitlyn Schenck also had 19 points for the Hawks.
Guelph 61 @ Ottawa 64
The Gee-Gees pulled out a win with determined inside play down the stretch, topping the Guelph Gryphons 64-61 at Montpetit Hall. Ottawa led through much of the game, but a tense fourth quarter which began with Ottawa ahead 41-39 saw the score tied up four times.
Krista van Slingerland led the Gee-Gees with 14 points including three vital free throws to ice the win. The fourth-year guard made one of two on her first set of pressure filled shots, then chased down her own rebound to earn two more. The Waterloo, Ont. native was also in the spotlight as the organizer of the evening's fundraiser for the Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative (SAMHI).
"This was something that needs to be done, and there aren't many people who are willing to take it on," said Gee-Gees head coach Andy Sparks of van Slingerland. "She's managing to have an enjoyable experience with us this year and it's because of a lot of work by a lot of people but Krista deserves the maximum amount of credit."
The Gryphons pushed hard in the fourth, trying to achieve the same back-breaking rally that the Lakehead Thunderwolves had on Friday night. "We learned a lot from the game tape from last night, and we were in better control tonight," said Sparks. "We got some offensive rebounds that were really big to help us out there as well."
Second-year Gee-Gee Akpene Kwame was tasked with defending Guelph's Krista MacTavish and limiting the impact of Guelph's size advantage in the starting five. Ottawa showed strong ball movement with cuts through the paint and countered with pressure on the Gryphons bringing the ball up the court.
"You have to contribute in your own way and today Akpene really contributed a lot," said Sparks. "She was active and really did a great job."
Guelph scored in transition early in the second quarter, sensing that Ottawa was disorganized on the run. Rookie guard Ariane Lefevbre provided a spark on both ends, allowing the Gee-Gees to hold a 27-24 halftime lead despite shooting 32 per cent from the field compared to Guelph's 47 per cent clip. MacTavish had 12 first half points but was limited to 16 overall.
An and-one by Stephanie MacDonald midway through the third extended the Ottawa lead to 36-30, but the garnet and grey offence stalled there and Guelph tied things up at 36-36 with 1:49 to play in the third. Kellie Ring came back with an inside bucket to stop the Gryphon run, but the tug of war had begun.
With things tied up at 50-50 with 4:25 to play, a Julia Soriano jumper made it 52-50. Then Kellie Ring drove to the hoop to go up 54-52. A Ring stop-and-pop jumper from the block added a vital four point cushion at 59-55, which was enlarged by a MacDonald put back.
Guelph was at the line for much of the final two minutes, earning trips from the floor on bonus shots. The Gryphons shot 9-for-12 from the charity stripe in the final frame and closed the gap to 61-59 before van Slingerland countered.
Brock 80 @ Laurentian 54
The Brock University women's basketball team (4-6 OUA) finished with a four-point weekend after defeating the Laurentian Voyageurs by the score of 80-54 Saturday night at the Ben Avery Gymnasium.
Brock led 18-13 after one quarter, and opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run, to go up 25-13 with 7:32 remaining in the opening half. The Badgers closed out the final three minutes of the half on a 7-1 run, taking a 16-point lead after 20 minutes, 43-27.
The two teams would play an even third quarter with Brock leading 59-43 after 30 minutes. In the final frame, the Badgers together an 8-3 run early to take a commanding 21-point lead, on route to their fourth regular season conference victory.
The Badgers used a balanced offense led by freshman Aryn Finley (Dresden, Ont.) who recorded a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds. Rookie Melissa Tatti (Ancaster, Ont.) contributed with 15 points and five assists, including three 3-pointers. Sophomore Kira Cornelissen (Aylmer, Ont.) added 13 points and eight rebounds, while senior Jenalyn Yumol (London, Ont.) chipped in with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Senior Katie Harpur (NOTL, Ont.) added a game-high 13 rebounds.
Laurentian's lone player in double digits was Meghan Forestell who finished with 11 points.
The Badgers shot 38.8% (26-for-67) from the field, 31.6% (6-for-19) from beyond the arc and 71.0% (22-for-31) from the charity stripe. Laurentian went just 18-for-74 (24.3%) from the field, including 6-for-32 (18.8%) from three-point land. They also shot 80.0% (12-for-15) from the free throw line. The Badgers dominated the glass, outrebounding the Voyageurs by a 57-32 margin.
McMaster 86 @ Nipissing 34
There's no question the Nipissing Lakers women's basketball team wants to pick up that elusive first win, but as they've alluded to before, there's more to their progress than wins and losses.
The team has continued to earn small victories throughout games and throughout weekends, which has helped the team move forward in a number of different areas.
The Lakers fell to the McMaster Marauders 86-34 Saturday night, but once again, will find positives to build on moving forward into two northern matchups next weekend.
The Marauders came out shooting pretty well and built up a 17-6 lead after the first quarter and extended that lead in the second with a strong second.
The Lakers did have their best offensive quarter in the second, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to close the gap.
In the second, McMaster put things out of reach with a strong final 20 minutes.
The Lakers were once again led by the strong shooting of Claire Abbott, who put up 14 points.
They also got contributions from Mackenzie Bahm and Leisa Wierenga who scored seven points apiece.
Looking forward, the Lakers will prepare for the Shoot for the Cure game next Friday at home against their northern rivals, the Laurentian Voyageurs.
Lakehead 52 @ Carleton 40
Due to their struggles getting shots to go down, the Carleton Ravens dropped their match-up to the Lakehead Thunderwolves 52-40.
Despite an early bucket for Lindsay Shotbolt, the Ravens simply could not generate offense in the early going. Early turnovers from Carleton (10 in the first quarter) caused by an aggressive Lakehead defense, pressuring the ball handler and denying passing lanes.
Even as the Ravens crashed the boards, grabbing 5 offensive rebounds, shots just wouldn't fall. Carleton would hit just two baskets as the team shot just 13% in the quarter. The Ravens trailed 16-4 after one.
As expected, standout guard Jylisa Williams was the lynchpin for the Lakehead offense, both in transition and in the half-court. On a mix of lay-ups, jumpers, and fast-break baskets Williams would score 15 points in the half on 15 shots (as a team the Thunderwolves took 31 shots).
Though Carleton looked solid on the defensive end, they continued to struggle to get easy looks to fall. After a Natasha Plaskacz lay-up early in the second, it would be 3 minutes before the Ravens would find points again – this time a pair of free-throws by Shotbolt.
An aggressive take by guard Stephanie Carr, and an offensive rebound and put-back from forward Heather Lindsay, forced Lakehead into a timeout. Despite Lakehead missing their last 5 shots of the quarter, Carleton would still trail 28-14 at half.
Carleton dug themselves into a hole early, missing all 8 three-point attempts, shooting just 21% in the from the floor, and turning the ball over 17 times. Lakehead meanwhile had 11 team assists with just 6 turnovers in the half.
The third quarter proved no better for the Ravens. As the Thunderwolves stayed their course, forcing turnovers and challenging shots, they would outscore Carleton 16-4 in the frame. The Ravens missed all 10 of their shots (earning all 4 points from free-throws) despite good looks thanks to their rebounding.
Carleton finally found their offensive rhythm in the fourth. A jumper from Shotbolt, more free-throws from Leblanc, a three from Brianne Hamilton. But it was too little late. Despite their surge (outscoring Lakehead 22-6 in the quarter), the Ravens would lose with a final score of 52-40.
The Ravens dominance on the boards was on full display, as they outrebounded the Thunderwolves 50-37 (including 20 on the offensive end). However, Carleton shot just 24% from the floor, and 1-14 from downtown. Shotbolt (12 points, 7 rebounds) led the Ravens in scoring, while Lindsay (7 points, 4 rebounds) chipped in from the post.
For Lakehead, Williams finished with 28 points (she is averaging 27.8 on the season) to go along with her season-high 6 steals. Forward Essa Jacobsen (2 points, 8 rebounds) and guard Corina Bruni (4 points, 5 assists, 4 steals) also played well for the Thunderwolves.
Toronto 81 @ Algoma 32
Second-year guard Emily Piccini notched a career-high 16 points in leading the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball team to an 81-32 victory over the Algoma Thunderbirds on Saturday night (Jan. 17) in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
With the win, Toronto's second straight, the Blues improve to 6-4 and remain in third place in the OUA East division.
Piccini went 7-for-9 from the floor, while adding four rebounds and two steals on the night. Three other Blues hit double digits in the win. Fifth-year guard Jill Stratton had 13 points, six rebounds, five steals and two assists, while Alanna Garner notched 12 points and four boards.
Liane Bailey tallied 11 points, with Vanessa Wallace notching nine and Abena Addo recording eight in the win.
