W-BASKETBALL WEEKEND ROUNDUP: Algoma beats northern rival Nipissing for first OUA win

Friday, January 23

Ottawa 79 @ Western 43

LONDON, Ont. - On the hunt for their second home win in a row, the Western Mustangs women's basketball team came out aggressively against the visiting Ottawa Gee-Gees. But Ottawa's strong offence would leave the Mustangs with a 79-43 loss Friday night at Alumni Hall.

With the loss Western moves to 3-9 on the season and remains tied for third place in the OUA West division. Ottawa extends their record to 8-4 and continues to sit in first place in the OUA North division

Western had three players putting up double digits with points as Mackenzie Puklicz led the way with 13, followed by Maddy Horst with 12, while Caroline Wolynski rounded out the list with 10.

Although they were able to collaboratively take down 23 off the glass, the Mustangs ran into trouble on the boards as only one of those rebounds was on the offensive side.

Head coach Brian Cheng said that finishing off possessions is integral to both the defence and the offence."We didn't get the offensive rebounds," he said. "That puts us in a position where we're playing transition defence, and that's tough to do."

The Mustangs kept Ottawa's defence on its toes to start the first quarter, moving the ball dizzily around their end of the court. Their quick movements allowed Horst to sneak to the corner unguarded to make a comfortable three-point basket for the first points of the game. Horst led scoring in the quarter with her aggressive drives to the basket and another smooth three-pointer to help put the Mustangs up 17-12 at the end of the first frame.

The Mustangs went into the second quarter shooting 41% from the field compared to the 21% effort put together by the GeeGees. But the visitors, led by Ottawa guard Stephanie MacDonald, started to crack through and shine offensively. MacDonald, who ranks top-five in OUA scoring, put up 10 in the second quarter to help Ottawa pull ahead with a 36-27 lead at the halfway mark.

After the halftime break, the Gee-Gees went straight on the attack with their first three scoring chances translating for nine points. The first Western points for the second half came after nearly four minutes when Horst took matters into her own hands and ran the full court from the inbound for an aggressive layup. Western was able to sneak through the offence a few times during the quarter but only for six points. The score favoured Ottawa 55-33 at the end of the third.

The Gee-Gee offence did not let up in the fourth, as they matched their second quarter output with 24 points. They were able to hold the Mustangs to 10 for the last frame, and ultimately left victorious, 79-43.

As the women prepare for their next game, head coach Cheng says his team will have to play consistent defence and hone in on their strengths to match up against the defensively sound Ravens. "Every game is a learning experience. We have to find out what the positives are and focus on that."

The Mustangs will take on the Carleton Ravens Saturday, January 24 at Alumni Hall. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on OUA.tv.

Source: Western Mustangs

Carleton 48 @ Windsor 62

Windsor, ON - The Windsor Lancers women's basketball team got back in the win column by topping the Carleton Ravens 62-48 on Friday night at the St. Denis Centre.
 
Korissa Williams tallied a game-high 19 points as three Lancers hit double-digits on the evening. Jocelyn LaRocque had 12 points while Kristine Lalonde grabbed ten. Williams also had the game's only double-double adding 10 rebounds in the victory.
 
Statistically the game was close as the The Lancers (10-1) shot 35% from the field while Ravens had 36% efficiency. The No. 1 squad in the country edged the visitors on the glass, recording 39 rebounds compared to 36 from Carleton. 
 
Heather Lindsay tallied 11 points in a losing cause for the Ravens (6-6), who drop to the .500 mark and are in second place in the OUA North division.
 
On Saturday, the Lancers will welcome the Ottawa Gee-Gees (8-4) for an evening contest that will pit the top squads in each of their respective divisions against one another for the first time this season.  The Gee-Gees are coming of a dominating 79-43 win over the Western Mustangs Friday night in London.

Source: Windsor Lancers

Ryerson 71 @ York 26

TORONTO – The No. 8 Ryerson Rams women's basketball team dominated from start to finish on Friday night, defeating the York Lions 71-26 at the Tait McKenzie Centre. The 45-point margin of victory is tied for the third highest differential in team history.

Mariah Nunes (Ajax, Ont.) led a balanced offensive attack with 14 points while Siki Jez (Kitchener, Ont.) had a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds. Keneca Pingue-Giles (Winnipeg, Man.) also reached double figures with 12 points.

Ryerson and York met just nine days ago and despite a 66-49 Rams win, coach Carly Clarke wasn't entirely pleased with her team's performance that night which must have been fresh in the Rams' minds in Friday's rematch.

The Rams jumped out to a 17-6 lead after ten minutes of play and extended that lead to 33-17 at the half. Ryerson's defence tightened even further in the second half, allowing just nine Lions points in the final 20 minutes, including just a single point in the fourth quarter.

Ryerson shot 40.8% from the floor on 29-of-71 shooting and limited York to just 42 shot attempts and a 23.8% clip. The Rams also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Lions 41-27 including 12-4 on the offensive end.

York's Ishanaa Seupersadsingh had a team-high seven points and six rebounds in the loss.

The Rams improve to 10-3 on the year, surpassing their win total from last season, and remain atop the OUA east standings. Ryerson is back in action on Saturday evening when they take on the Queen's Gaels (8-3) who sit second in the east and are winners of their past six games. Tipoff from Kingston is at 6:00 p.m.

Source: Ryerson Rams

Laurentian 80 @ Nipissing 47

Once again, the Nipissing Lakers women's basketball team can take positives from their latest game despite coming up short on the scoreboard.

The Lakers fell Friday night to their northern rivals, the Laurentian Voyageurs by a final of 80-47, however, for three quarters the teams were neck and neck.

A slow start saw the Lakers down 19-7 after the first, but had one of their best quarters of the season, mounting a comeback in the second frame.

Outscoring the Voyageurs 17-15, the Lakers trailed by just 10 after 20 minutes of play and looked to be in good shape heading into the second half.

Unfortunately, the Voyageurs came out in the third quarter and their shooting got hot as they outscored Nipissing 29-12 to pull away and get a comfortable lead.

From there, they cruised in the fourth quarter and the Lakers were unable to keep up.

Claire Abbott had another impressive night, to add to her impressive season as she scored 19 points.

Emma Vanderlee put up nine and Kelly Dunk had eight to help out offensively for the Lakers, who will build off a lot of positive things they did in this game.

They will look for a win Sunday, as they hit the road and travel to Sault Ste. Marie for an afternoon tilt against the Algoma Thunderbirds.

Both teams are learning on the go, as the Thunderbirds are in just their second season in the OUA, while the Lakers are in their inaugural season.

Game time for the Lakers and T'Birds is 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon

Source: Nipissing Lakers

Toronto 77 @ Queen's 79 (OT)

KINGSTON, Ont. (January 23, 2015) – With a second half comeback, the Gaels (8-3) won their sixth consecutive game 79-77 over the Toronto Varsity Blues (6-5) in overtime on Friday night at the ARC.
                                                             
Emily Hazlett (Fredericton, N.B.) led the Gaels with 20 points while Abby Dixon (North Vancouver) had a standout performance for the Gaels scoring all 15 of her points in the second half. Queen's saw big nights from post player Robyn Pearson (Toronto) with nine rebounds and 17 points as well as Liz Boag (Kingston, Ont.) with eight points. On the Blues side, Jill Stratton led all scorers with a double double, grabbing 11 rebounds and 31 points. She was followed by Rahshida Atkinson who contributed 17 points to her team's score.
 
The Gaels had a slow start which the Blues took advantage of, breaking down the Gaels defence and nearly doubling them in rebounds to grab a 21-14 lead going into the second quarter.  The Blues continued to answer every one of the Gaels plays by running the seams and hitting layups, stretching their lead to 15 points.  The Gaels kept close behind throughout the first half with Jenny Wright (Kingston, Ont.) sinking a buzzer beating three point shot to shrink the deficit to a 40-30 Blues lead at halftime.
 
The Blues got the first basket of the second half with their momentum carrying them to get ahead of the Gaels with a game high 17 point lead. The Gaels responded with an 11-2 run led by Dixon to come within five points of Toronto going into the final frame. The Gaels improved second half defence forced the Blues to rearrange giving Queen's all the opportunity they needed to score their first lead of the game with two minutes on the clock. It was see-saw action for the last minutes of regulation time with both teams trading baskets to push the game into overtime, tied 71-71.
 
There was a lid on the basket for the Blues for the first three minutes of overtime action as the Gaels pushed ahead with unanswered baskets. With 40 seconds on the clock Hazlett sealed the deal with a layup and as the Blues scrambled to tie it up once more, the Gaels ran out the clock with a 79-77 victory.
 
"Since I've been on the team, we haven't lost an overtime game," Hazlett commented on heading into the extra frame. "We were pumped going in and we had the momentum. Our focus was on our defence and we really buckled down there, which is what got the offence going on the other side."
 
"It's routine," said Head Coach Dave Wilson. "It's what we do. The longer the game goes, the better it is for us because we can outrun everybody."
 
The Gaels will try to extend their winning streak tomorrow night when they host the No.8 Ryerson Rams at 6:00 pm in the ARC Main Gym.

Source: Queen's Gaels

Other Scores: Algoma 30 @ Lakehead 61

Saturday, January 25

Laurier 72 @ Brock 67

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. (January 24, 2014 ) -  The No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's basketball team continued thier winning ways on Saturday as they held off Brock to earn their 11th straight victory, a 72-67 decision over the Badgers.

Brock was doing their best to hold back the Golden Hawks right from tipoff, but the Hawks staked out a clear lead and ended the first quarter up 17-12. 

The purple and gold were presented by a tough Badger defence in the second, however, and the teams went almost shot-for-shot throughout to keep the tally close with Laurier holding a 30-26 lead going into the half.

Throughout the second half, the Hawks struggled to maintain the lead despite some strong offensive play from centre Whitney Ellenor (Pickering, Ont.) and guard Lee Anna Osei (Toronto, Ont.). The two fifth year players notched 10 points each in the second half alone for the Hawks.

Driven by the chance for an upset win, the Badger women played strong defence and made the sure shots (47 percent on field goals) to keep pace with the Hawks. 

Forward Kira Cornelissen (Aylmer, Ont.) stepped up for her team, recording 11 points and three rebounds in the second half for the Badgers. 

With only two minutes left in the fourth, the Golden Hawks found themselves trailing by a single basket, but the Hawks performed well under pressure and brought home the game 72-67 for their 11th consecutive win.

Ellenor finished with a game-high 16 points and added seven rebounds, while Osei recorded 14 points and eight rebounds.

Brock's Cornelissen ended the game with a team-high 15 points and five rebounds.

The Hawks now return home with an 11-1 record and will take on hometown rivals the Waterloo Warriors in their next game on January 28th. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Athletic Complex.

Source: Laurier Golden Hawks

Ryerson 79 @ Queen's 71

KINGSTON, Ont. (January 24, 2015) – Despite a strong second half showing, the Gaels (8-4) lost 79-71 against the No. 8 Ryerson Rams (11-3) this Friday night at the ARC.
 
The Rams exploded onto the court and sent the Gaels, who had a slow offensive start, scrambling to only shoot 2-21 in the first quarter putting them behind 23-5. Although the Gaels were able to find some momentum halfway through the second quarter with their shots finally following through, the Rams still dominated to end the half with a comfortable 42-17 lead.  
 
The Gaels got the first basket of the second half which set the pace for the rest of the game as they picked up their shooting percentage and outscored the rams 29-15 in the third, aiming to close the gap. The Rams managed to stay ahead heading into the final quarter up 57-46. The Gaels dominated the court until the buzzer but were unable to come back from the deficit at halftime. Despite coming within eight points of catching the Rams, the Gaels met the buzzer down 79-71 against Ryerson who clinched their eleventh OUA regular season win.
 
The Gaels were led by Abby Dixon (North Vancouver) with her 17 points and six rebounds and by Jenny Wright (Kingston, Ont.) who added 12 points of her own. Andrea Priamo (Guelph, Ont.) was right behind them with 11 points and eight rebounds. On the Rams side, Keneca Pingue-Giles led all scorers with 21 points while Mariah Nunes put up 19 points.
 
With this loss, the Gaels end a 6-0 winning streak. They will continue their OUA season action on the road next weekend when they travel to Windsor to play the Windsor Lancers on January 30 at 6:00 pm.

Source: Queen's Gaels

Toronto 66 @ York 45

The York University Lions women's basketball team lost 66-45 to the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday (Jan. 24) at Tait McKenzie Centre.
 
The Lions started out strong with three-pointers from Jackie Koudys (Smithville, Ont.) and Hayley Finn (London, Ont.). However, fouls by the home team gave the Blues an advantage. The first quarter ended with the Blues leading by 17-12.
 
At the second quarter, the Blues forced multiple turnovers extending their lead to 20 points. Jill Stratton beat the buzzer with a hopeful long shot from outside the line to give her team a 13-point lead by half time at 37-24.
 
The Lions found little space to score a basket in the third quarter. However, the Blues kept up the pressure by scoring 19 points to the Lions eight.
 
Ishanaa Seupersadsingh (Markham, Ont.) broke away from defenders but overestimated her shot in the layup at the final minutes of the quarter.
 
Koudys was impressive in the final quarter, scoring three-point shots and contributing two steals. Koudys ended the match with 11 points, four assists and three steals.
 
Despite outscoring the Blues 13-10 at the final frame, the Lions were unable to catch up with their opposition.
 
Stratton recorded a game-high of 19 points and seven rebounds and Emily Piccini made 14 points and eight rebounds for the Blues.
 
Seupersadsingh finished the game with eight points, five rebounds and four assists. With Erin Sarapnickas (Wallaceburg, Ont.) out with an injury from Friday's game against Ryerson, Finn stepped up and recorded six points and three rebounds.
 
The Lions will be on the road against the Western Mustangs on Friday (Jan. 30) beginning at 6pm.

Source: York Lions

Waterloo 67 @ McMaster 81

The McMaster women's basketball team got a balanced attack and displayed some nice long-range shooting in an 81-67 victory over the Waterloo Warriors Saturday night at the Burridge Gym.

The Marauders entered the contest without two of their regular starters, as Clare Kenney and Linnaea Harper were dealing with medical issues.  That meant a short bench for Mac Coach Theresa Burns, who had to manage the minutes carefully.

In the opening quarter, the Marauders held a narrow 7-6 lead through the early minutes, before going on a 12-0 run to end the quarter in front 19-6.  

The second quarter saw Waterloo start to control the play and the Warriors were able to trim the deficit to just 34-30 by halftime.  Hilary Hanaka knocked down back-to-back treys midway through the quarter to help keep the Warriors at bay.

McMaster stepped up the defense in the third quarter and built the lead back up to double digits at 55-43 after 30 minutes.  

Heading to the fourth quarter the Mac staff had to keep an eye on the foul situation and be mindful of fatigue as the team was working with a reduced roster this night.  

The Warriors fought hard in the final quarter, but McMaster got solid contributions in the fourth from reserves Lexie Spadafora, Erin Burns, and Michaela Ionni, who all scored some important points.  The Marauders were able to win the quarter and close out the 81-67 decision.

All five McMaster starters scored in double figures, led by Hanaka with 16.  Danielle Boiago and Siobhan Manning both had 15, which was a career high for Manning.  Rachael Holmes with 11 and Ally Schweitzer with 10 rounded out the scoring tally for the starting five.  Waterloo got an 18-point performance from Amy Jarvis to lead the attack.

The Marauders shot an impressive 9 of 18 (50%) from beyond the arc, with Hanaka and Manning each knocking down three shots from downtown.   After being out-rebounded in the first-half, McMaster took better care of the boards over the final 20 minutes to finish with a 33-31 edge.

McMaster improves its OUA record to 9 and 4 and will go back on the road for its next game on Wednesday, January 28 versus the Guelph Gryphons.

Source: McMaster Marauders

Carleton 54 @ Western 63

LONDON, Ont. - With 23 points, Caroline Wolynski broke her personal best scoring record set just one week ago to help lead the Mustangs women's basketball team to a 63-54 victory over the Carleton Ravens, Saturday night at Alumni Hall.

The win is the second in a one-week span for the Mustangs, and comes a day after a tough loss at the hands of the Ottawa GeeGees. Head coach Brian Cheng credited his squad's maturity and willingness to learn and grow for the victory. "I give credit to our kids. The resolve has been there. We haven't always been there, but we've always been able to rebound. I had confidence that we would see character in our team. I didn't expect anything less.

The win moves Western's record to 4-9 on the year to sit them in third place in the OUA West division. Carleton falls to 6-7 for the second slot in the OUA North division.

Maddy Horst followed Wolynski with 11 points in addition to nine rebounds. Mackenzie Puklicz was not far behind with 10 points, and Victoria Heine shot for eight points and nine rebounds.

Wolynski set the tone early by downing her first of three 3-point shots on the quarter to give Western a lead they would not let go of for the remainder of the game. On the other side of the court, she made her defensive presence known by putting pressure on the Carleton playmakers and getting in the way of the passing lanes.

Like Friday's game against Ottawa, the ball moved all over the offensive zone for the Mustangs, and it was their quick style of play that helped counter a Ravens team that was heavy in the post for rebounds. Despite Carleton's movement around the glass, Western's 58% shooting percentage from the field kept them ahead 18-11 going into the second quarter.

That success from the field continued throughout the second quarter. Wolynski stayed dominant, making 80% of her shots for 14 points in the first half. On the other side of the court, the Mustangs countered a Ravens team known for their defensive prowess by moving quickly on transitions and sticking to their pairings. Meredith McLeod was particularly speedy in following the ball, and creating a presence in front of the Carleton point guard. The home team finished the half with a 33-21 advantage.

Trouble started in the third quarter for the Mustangs when a rejuvenated Carleton defense known for limiting points held Western to just six. This effort was coupled by a collaborative offense who put together 14 to bring the game a bit closer at 39-35.

A tense moment hit the court almost two minutes into the fourth quarter when Carleton forward Lindsay Shotbolt went down with an injury. Though she was able to walk to the bench, she would come out for the remainder of the game.

When play resumed, the Carleton offense clawed back to within a point of the Mustangs thanks to a Heather Lindsay layup. Sitting at 44-43 with three minutes left in the half, victory was on the tip of both team`s fingers until Wolynski drained a three-pointer with 1:43 left to play and gave the Mustangs enough momentum to finish the night ahead. In the end, they ran out the clock for a 63-54 victory in front of a supportive home crowd.

The home stand continues on Friday, January 30 against the York Lions at Alumni Hall, where the Mustangs will Shoot for the Cure in its annual breast cancer awareness game. It is just one of many varsity events happening for Mustang Days running January 29-February 1. Tip off is at 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on OUA.tv.