AROUND OUA: McMaster beats Windsor for first time since 2008
The McMaster women's basketball team was facing the measuring stick in CIS competition and was able to defeat the Windsor Lancers 68-62 Wednesday night in the Burridge Gym. The win ends an eight-year drought for the Marauders, who had not beaten Windsor since winning the OUA West Division final in 2008.
SCOREBOARD
Marauders defeat defending champion Lancers
The McMaster women's basketball team was facing the measuring stick in CIS competition and was able to defeat the Windsor Lancers 68-62 Wednesday night in the Burridge Gym. The win ends an eight-year drought for the Marauders, who had not beaten Windsor since winning the OUA West Division final in 2008.
It looked like the tough times would continue for the Maroon in the game's early stages, as Windsor used its size advantage to jump out to a 10-2 lead off the tip. But behind Danielle Boiago, who scored eight points, the Marauders fought back to within a point at 16-15. With time winding down, Mac's Siobhan Manning converted a tough shot and was fouled to make it a 3-point play, and McMaster took a 20-19 lead after 10 minutes.
The second quarter saw the Marauders struggle to score and Windsor took a 27-21 lead, holding Mac to a single point over the first five minutes of the quarter. Neither squad shot the ball very well as defensive basketball was the focus for both teams. McMaster closed with a late run to trim the deficit to 33-28 at halftime, but scored only eight points in the quarter.
After the intermission it was the Lancers that struggled to score and McMaster tied the game at 40-40 late in the third quarter before grabbing a 46-42 lead heading to the final 10 minutes. The Marauders held Windsor to just nine points in the quarter.
In the final stanza Windsor fought back to tie the score at 54-54 and looked to have grabbed the momentum. But then Manning made another hoop plus the harm to put her team up by three, and when Linnaea Harper drilled a trey on the next possession, McMaster was up 60-54 with three minutes left.
Credit the defending champs for not quitting after getting down though, and Windsor was able to close to within 64-61 with 20 seconds to go. But McMaster made four free-throws in the dying moments to cement the victory.
Boiago was awesome, especially when points were hard to come by and her team needed her to score, and she finished with a game-high 24 points on 12 of 21 shooting. Manning was the next highest Marauder scorer with 18, including some key buckets. Andrea Kiss scored 20 to pace the Lancers.
Windsor won the battle of the boards, outrebounding McMaster 45-37 with 6-3 Lancer post Cheyanne Roger grabbing 17 of the total. Mac's Clare Kenny corralled 10 boards, including some key rebounds when Windsor was looking to retake the lead.
The Marauders now move to 8-2 in the OUA Central and will face the Western Mustangs on Saturday, January 23 as part of Marauder Weekend. Tip-off versus Western is set for 1-pm.
Source: McMaster Marauders
Western defeats Brock for third consecutive win
ST. CATHERINES, Ont. – With a 62-62 score and 15 seconds on the clock, Mackenzie Puklicz came through in the clutch, sinking a jump shot that proved to be the game winner and allowed the Western Mustangs to beat the Brock Badgers 66-62 on Wednesday night at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
Heading into the contest, the Mustangs and the Badgers had matching 6-3 records and both held second place in their respective divisions. Western's win moves the team into a tie with Windsor for first place in the OUA West, with the Mustangs also holding a game in hand on the Lancers.
The Badgers maintain their second place position in the OUA Central. They trail behind Western's next opponent, the McMaster Marauders, who sit in first place with 16 points.
With only a minute left the game the two teams exchanged baskets, with Victoria Heine sinking a three to put Western up before Brock's top scorer Melissa Tatti tied the game with 27 seconds left. Puklicz played the hero 12 second later, hitting a jump shot to give Western a 64-62 lead. Maddy Horst then hit a pair of free throws in the dying seconds to secure the 66-62 win.
Despite the fact that Wednesday was arguably one of the most intense for each team this season, the players were able to stay calm when they stepped up for free throws. The Mustangs sunk 12 of their 13 foul shots, and the Badgers connected on 20 of their 21 attempts.
Puklicz, went three for three for foul shots and was also the game's top scorer with 18 points on the night. Following closely behind were Caroline Wolynski with 17, and Victoria Heine with 14. Julia Curran led the defence, grabbing a big 13 rebounds for the purple and white.
On the home team's end, Chrissy Sirgnano led with 15 points. Kira Cornelissen and Melissa Tatti also scored double digits, netting 12 and 10 respectively.
Purple and white fans anticipated a tough match on Wednesday night, and from the tip-off, the Badgers delivered. Tough play in the first quarter allowed for each team to tally just eight points aside. The second set of 10 minutes played out in a similar fashion, with Brock holding a slight edge with a 31-30 lead at halftime.
Despite the Mustangs' accuracy, which was 41.4% compared the to Badgers 27.9% by the end of the match, the Badgers maintained their lead at the end of the third quarter with a 50-48 score.
The stage was set for an exciting final ten minutes of play and both sides certainly delivered on that promise, with the Badgers holding a slight edge until the final two minutes of the game. With Brock up by five with just under two minutes to go, Western took control and the final minute made all the difference, giving Western the 66-62 win.
Next up for the Mustangs is a trip to Hamilton to face the McMaster Marauders on Saturday, January 23 at 1 p.m. The Mustangs hope to add to their three game winning streak while the Marauders hope to add to their five game streak, so the match is sure to be a good one. Catch the action live on OUA.tv.
Source: Western Mustangs
