AROUND OUA: No. 10 Gee-Gees upset No. 4 Rams in OT 76-73
TORONTO – The Ryerson Rams women’s basketball team lost a heartbreaker in overtime on Saturday night, falling 76-73 to the No. 10 ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
SCOREBOARD
No. 10 Gee-Gees upset No. 4 Rams in OT 76-73
TORONTO – The Ryerson Rams women's basketball team lost a heartbreaker in overtime on Saturday night, falling 76-73 to the No. 10 ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
BOXSCORE
Ottawa's Julia Soriano hit a three pointer with 5.1 seconds remaining in the extra frame and the Rams couldn't answer with their own long range shot as the Gee-Gees came away with the victory.
"Their last shot went in and our last shot didn't go in, that's how close the game was today," said Rams head coach Carly Clarke after the game. "(If) we clean up a couple things in terms of discipline and fouling on rebounding then we come away with the win."
The Rams started the game with lots of energy at both ends of the floor and jumped out to a 19-8 lead after the first ten minutes. From there, the Gee-Gees made some adjustments on defence and Ottawa countered with a 21 point performance in the second quarter to narrow the halftime deficit to just three points as the Rams led 32-29.
"More than anything, our defence lost some intensity. They scored 21 points after having only eight in the first. We just weren't energized the way we started the game," said Clarke on the change in momentum in the second quarter.
The two teams matched each other point for point in the third as both squads put up 16 points which gave the Rams a 48-45 lead going into the final frame.
The scoring was slow to start the fourth as both teams could manage just two points each through the first four minutes but the intensity began to pick up again down the stretch.
Ottawa took a 62-58 advantage with 1:10 remaining as Soriano hit one of her six three-pointers on the night but the Rams stayed composed down the stretch and tied the game at 64-64 to send the game into overtime.
In the extra frame the Rams took a three point advantage but Ottawa erased that and then took a 73-73 lead on a pair of Soriano free throws. Mariah Nunes then came down and got her running shot to fall to tie the game again at 73-73.
With 28 seconds left in the game the Gee-Gees ran down the clock and Soriano connected from three with 5.1 seconds remaining. After a Rams timeout, Keneca Pingue-Giles attempted to extend the game once more but her long range shot hit the front rim and bounced out, leaving the Gee-Gees victorious.
Soriano and Kellie Ring finished with game-highs of 20 points in the win for Ottawa while Pingue-Giles finished with 17 points in the loss.
The Rams move to 7-3 on the season while Ottawa improves to 9-1. Ryerson returns to action on January 29 when they travel to Sudbury to face the Laurentian Voyageurs.
Source: Ryerson Rams
Mustangs spoil the Marauders party
It was Marauder Weekend when all the alumni come back to support the McMaster basketball teams, but the Western Mustangs women didn't get the memo and defeated the Marauders 68-63 to snap the team's six-game win streak.
It was Western that took the early lead and after 10 minutes the Mustangs held a 16-12 lead.
The Marauders stepped up their defense in the second stanza and held Western to just six points, while scoring 14 to take a 26-22 lead into intermission.
The second half started with Western tying the game up at 26-26, but the Marauders regrouped and eventually opened up a nine-point lead at 44-35. That's when Western Coach Brien Cheng called a great timeout, and coming out of it Western outscored McMaster 10-2 to end the third quarter down by a single point at 46-45.
The final period saw Western maintain the momentum and the Mustangs took a 63-59 lead with less than two minutes left in the game. Cue the maroon comeback and a driving basket by Danielle Boiago tied the game at 63-63, but she missed the ensuing free-throw that could have given McMaster the lead.
Western's Mackenzie Puklicz scored on the next possession to go up by two, and though McMaster had two good looks to tie or take the lead, the shots would not fall and Western made some late free throws to seal the victory.
McMaster got a massive game from Clare Kenney, who scored 23 and grabbed 12 boards. Boiago was her steady self with 18, and Linnaea Harper was solid off the bench with 12 points and 10 boards. Western got a strong game from Puklicz, who finished with 20 to lead four Mustangs that scored in double-figures.
The Marauders fall to 8-3 in OUA competition, but are still in first-place in the Central Division. The team will next head to Thunder Bay for games at Lakehead University on January 29 & 30.
Source: McMaster Marauders
No. 9 Gaels pick up 87-75 win over Lions
The Tait McKenzie Centre was electric on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 23) despite a 87-75 loss taken by the York University women's basketball team against the No. 9 nationally ranked Queen's Gaels for their annual "Shoot For The Cure" game.
The Lions were extremely energetic from the tip off and dominated the first quarter with a 24-14 score. Ishanaa Seupersadsingh (Markham, Ont), Erin Sarapnikas (Wallaceburg, Ont.), and Shauney Fischer (Wallaceburg, Ont.) each had several moments of brilliance offensively, while the whole team played as a solid unit defensively.
In the second quarter, the Gaels picked up the pace and played a more structured defensive game. Marianne Alarie had a great sequence midway through the action with a charge to the basket that beat a number of Lions off of the dribble. She was rewarded with two points from a completed layup.
Despite the Gael's improvements, the Lions were able to finish the second quarter with a 37-32 lead. Sandra Nagowska (Peterborough, Ont.) and Jackie Koudys (Smithville, Ont.) put up some crucial points to the board to keep the Lions ahead.
In the third quarter the Gaels were able to narrow the gap in scoring to 58-54, but the Lions held a steady lead throughout the quarter. Nagowska successfully swiveled around a defender to grab two points off a jump shot and Nina Guzina (Toronto) collected six points from the three-point line.
In the fourth quarter the Gaels pulled it together and were able to finish the game twelve points ahead of the Lions. Robyn Pearson tallied the most points for both teams with 15. She sunk five out of six baskets from the field and made all five attempts from the free throw line.
For the Lions, Koudys finished with the most points on the team with 14, hitting five field goals, two three-pointers, and two free throws. Nagowska also put up 13 points, followed by Seupersadsingh with 12 points. Both ladies grabbed five buckets from the field and two from the free throw line.
With the result, both teams hold their places in OUA East Standings. The Lions sit in fourth place with 4 points and a 2-8 record, while the Gaels stay seated in the top spot with 19 points and a 9-1 record.
Next week the Lions will return to the court to take on the Carleton Ravens on Jan. 29 (Friday). Action will be underway at 6pm in Ottawa, Ont.
Source: York Lions
T'Wolves prevail 66-45 over T'Birds
The women's basketball team was successful in their first game of 2016, defeating the Algoma Thunderbirds 66-45 on Saturday afternoon.
Algoma hung tough with the 'Wolves for the first quarter, with Lakehead leading 21-20 after 10 minutes. Three straight 3's to open the second quarter created the separation Lakehead needed, and the 'Birds would not close the gap again for the remainder.
"Good first game after the break," said coach Jon Kreiner. "Everyone got in and contributed. Jerika continued to share the ball and create shots for her teammates, and Bridget's shot was on target from the outside. It was also nice to see Katelyn Andrea have a solid game coming out of the break."
Lakehead hosts the McMaster Marauders next weekend in an OUA Central Division doubleheader, Friday-Saturday.
Source: Lakehead Thunderwolves
Shorthanded Lakers fall short again
While they won't use injuries, illness and a few other issues as an excuse, the Nipissing Lakers women's basketball team is truly fighting adversity.
The lack of a completely full lineup bit them a little bit against the Waterloo Warriors, as Waterloo used a big second half to escape North Bay with a slight 64-58 victory over Nipissing.
The team has been banged up for a number of games and while they continue to battle, they aren't 100 per cent healthy in anyway. And to make matters worse, one of their top players, Rachel Jaworowicz went down with an injury Saturday night.
In the first quarter, the Lakers came out strong. They were able to run the court well, their shot pretty well and their zone defence stood tall against Waterloo, who was riding high after a win Friday night.
Nipissing trailed 13-6, but closed the gap to 13-11, however, that was as close as they would get – the two point separation – as they finished the opening 10 minutes down 19-17.
Offensively, Nipissing stayed consistent, posting another 17 points, but in the second quarter, it was the defence that stepped up.
In their own end, the Lakers limited the Warriors to just nine points and took a 34-28 lead into half-time.
The third quarter was almost the exact opposite of the second, as Nipissing went cold offensively, while the Warriors took over the game scoring 17 points and took the lead.
After three, the Warriors led 45-42 and the game remained up for grabs heading into the final period of play.
With the score48-45, Waterloo went on a run, extending their three point lead to an 11 point lead and from there, they wouldn't look back.
Nipissing did close the gap to five points late and four points with 12 seconds to go, but it was too little too late, as the Warriors came away with the victory.
Claire Abbott led the Lakers with 23 points, while Michaela Branker chipped in with 11 and Maeve Theriault added 8 points.
The Lakers will look to bounce back from two tough losses when they host two more games next weekend, welcoming Toronto and Ryerson to North Bay for games Friday and Saturday night.
Source: Nipissing Lakers
Blues fall just short against Ravens
First-year guard Keyira Parkes led all players with 23 points as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball team dropped a narrow 67-63 decision to the Carleton Ravens on Saturday, January 23 at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
With the loss, the Blues drop to 3-7 but remain in third place in the OUA East division, while the Ravens improve to 6-4 and sit second in the North division.
Parkes went 9-for-18 from the floor, while adding two rebounds and one assist on the night. Third-year guard Diedre Edwards added 12 points and led the Blues with both six steals and six rebounds. Rookie Charlotte Collyer recorded eight points and five boards, with Alanna Garner and Emily Piccini notching six points in the loss.
The Ravens got out to an early 7-2 lead, but the Blues rookies came onto the court and took control, as two nice jumpers from Parkes and Smith gave Toronto a 12-10 lead. The veterans retook the court and some nice work from Edwards helped Toronto to a 17-15 lead after the first.
The Blues opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run, highlighted by a nice three from Parkes, and led 26-15 midway through the frame. The Ravens battled back with a 10-0 streak of their own, but the Blues took a 27-25 lead into halftime.
Both teams traded baskets in the third quarter and Toronto went ahead as De La Durantay drained five free throws to give the Blues a 46-41 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Carleton rallied early in the fourth quarter, evening the score at 48-48 in the first two minutes of the frame. A back-and-forth battled ensued and with the game tied at 63-63 with under a minute remaining, the Ravens sealed the victory with five straight free throws.
Third-year forward Heather Lindsay led the Ravens with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds in the victory.
The Varsity Blues return to the court next Friday, January 29 as they head to North Bay to take on the Nipissing Lakers. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
Golden Hawks edge out Voyageurs 71-66 on the road
SUDBURY, Ont. (January 24, 2016) – The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's basketball team claimed a 71-66 win over the Laurentian Voyageurs on Saturday night to sweep their two-game Northern Ontario road swing.
The Hawks got off to a slow start in this contest as the Voyageurs (3-7) got the jump on them from the opening tipoff, draining 11 points before the visiting team put up their first two half way through the quarter. Second year guard Meghan Forestell was a major contributor to the early Laurentian lead as she found the basket from beyond the arc three times to assist her team to a 19-11 first quarter score.
The Hawks responded in the second with some strong play by third year guards Sarah Dillon of Welland, Ont., and Nicole Morrison of Hamilton, to chip away at the Laurentian lead.
By the half way mark, Dillon had recorded 10 points and two rebounds, while Morrison notched eight points and two rebounds to combine for 18 total points for the Hawks.
Forestell led with a game-high 12 points and added three rebounds to help earn her team the 38-34 halftime score.
The Golden Hawks (6-5) continued their positive play in the second half, working the boards on defence to limit the Voyageurs and continuing to generate some offensive movement. Halfway through the third quarter, the purple and gold tied it up at 44 and the tug-of-war for the lead continued right until the final minutes of play in the final frame.
However, on this night, tt was Laurier finding the steam for a final push to take the 71-66 victory as the clock wound down. Morrison finished with a team-high 17 points and added four rebounds while Dillon finished the night with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Hawk guard Kaitlyn Schenck (Kitchener, Ont.) contributed 10 points on the night to reach another career milestone. The senior athlete is the seventh in program history to break 600 career points as she now has 609 over her four years with the purple and gold.
For Laurentian, Forestell finished the night with her 12 points and three rebounds while fifth year guard Adrienne Moreau (Midhurst, Ont.) earned a game-high 19 points and added nine rebounds.
The Golden Hawks return home next week to host the Windsor Lancers on Wednesday, January 27th as they aim for their third consecutive victory. The game is set for 6 p.m. in the Athletic Complex Gym.
Source: Laurier Golden Hawks
