AROUND OUA: Blues edge Voyageurs in OT
Rookie guard Mahal De La Durantaye drained a layup with two seconds remaining as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball team defeated the Laurentian Voyagers 60-59 in overtime on Saturday night (Jan. 30) in Sudbury, Ont.
SCOREBOARD
Rookie guard Mahal De La Durantaye drained a layup with two seconds remaining as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball team defeated the Laurentian Voyagers 60-59 in overtime on Saturday night (Jan. 30) in Sudbury, Ont.
With the win, the Blues improve to 5-7 and remain in third place in the OUA East, while Laurentian drops to 3-9 and sits third in the North.
Team co-captain Alanna Garner topped the Blues for the second straight game, notching a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds, while third-year guard Diedre Edwards had 11 points, six boards, two assists and two steals on the night.
De La Durantaye added nine points, while Rahshida Atkinson had eight points in the victory.
Toronto led Laurentian 26-25 at halftime, but the Voyageurs surged ahead and led by as many as seven in the third quarter. Toronto rallied, outscoring Laurentian 15-9 to tie the game at 51-51 and force overtime.
Laurentian was led by Danielle Harris, who tallied a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds.
The Varsity Blues return to the court next Friday, February 5 as they host the Brock Badgers at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
Mustangs continue winning streak with win over Golden Hawks
LONDON, Ont. – The typically purple and white Mustangs were dressed in full pink uniforms on Saturday afternoon when they defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks 77-60 in Western's annual Shoot for the Cure game at Alumni Hall.
The win marks Western's seventh consecutive victory and keeps them in sole possession of first place in the OUA West with a 10-3 record, two points of the five-time defending CIS Champion Windsor Lancers. The loss keeps Laurier in third in the division with a 6-7 record.
Second-year guard Maddy Horst, who contributed nine points and five assists on Saturday, commented on what's driven the team's success during their winning streak.
"We're just a very hardworking team," said Horst. "Making sure that that's consistent I think is what's gotten us that success so far."
Mackenzie Puklicz was the top-scorer yet again for the home team, notching 32 points off of 11-19 field goal shooting and a perfect 8-8 at the free throw line. Her point total against the Golden Hawks is the second-highest single game mark of her CIS career, coming second only to a 36 point effort against Toronto earlier this season.
First-year forward Julia Curran was the next top-scorer with 12 points. She also managed to grab 10 rebounds to earn herself a double-double in the win. Captain Caroline Wolynski was also key at the basket, leading the team in rebounds with 11.
For the Golden Hawks, four different players achieved double digits on the scoreboard. Nicole Morrison led with 16, followed by Kaitlyn Schenck and Heather Payne with 12 each, and Sarah Dillon with 11.
After missing Wednesday's game against the Warriors, Puklicz marked her return by sinking the first basket of the game, a three-pointer just 21 seconds in. She proceeded connect on every shot she took in the quarter, contributing 10 of the Mustangs' 20 points. After a three-pointer at the buzzer by Morrison, the quarter ended with the home side up 20-12.
Western's superior shooting helped widen their lead in the second quarter, as the Mustangs outshot their opponents 39.5% to 27.8% to take a 37-24 lead into the half.
Moving into the second half, Laurier managed to out-score Western in the third frame, tallying 24 points to Western's 22, but it wasn't enough to end the Mustang lead.
"We left open their shooters. They're a very good team at shooting," said Puklicz. "For some of them that's all we can do, and we just didn't respect that."
With a score of 59-48 heading into the last ten minutes, the Golden Hawks attempted to make a comeback. However, the Mustangs outscored their opponents 18-12 in the final quarter, including holding them off the board completely for the final two minutes of the game, to walk away with a 77-60 win.
Western has just under a week to prepare for their next pair of games, which will both be at home. They face the Nipissing Lakers on Friday, February 5 and the Laurentian Voyageurs on Saturday, February 6. Tip-off for both games is set for 6 p.m. at Alumni Hall and can be seen live on OUA.tv.
Source: Western Mustangs
In a rare Saturday afternoon game, the Lancer women's basketball team earned a season series sweep over the Waterloo Warriors with a convincing 108-51 victory at the St. Denis Centre.
The victory moves the Lancers to 9-4 on the year, as they continue to remain in second place in the OUA west division. Meanwhile, the Warriors drop to 2-11 and are in fourth in the division.
Leading 41-24 at the half, Windsor exploded in the third quarter with 39 points to take a commanding lead and not look back.
The Blue & Gold were led by Emily Prevost, who had a phenomenal game with the contests' only double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Andrea Kiss also had an exceptional game with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and a block, while Cheyanne Roger had 15 points and Alyssa Cerino came off the bench with 13.
The visiting Warriors were led by Hilary Ferguson who came into the game to score 13 points.
The Lancers will now host the Laurentian Voyaguers on Friday February 5th at 6:00pm.
Source: Windsor Lancers
Lakers can't keep pace with Rams
There are no easy games in the OUA, but there are games circled on teams' calendars that they know will be a real battle.
Saturday night, against one of the top five teams in the league, the Nipissing Lakers women's basketball team knew they would need to be at their best and catch some bounces as well.
In the end, their effort wasn't enough, as they fell 89-50 in a lopsided decision to the Ryerson Rams.
The Lakers loss comes a night after a setback at the hands of the Toronto Varsity Blues, who also flexed their muscles against the improving Lakers.
It was the first half that killed Nipissing Saturday night, as they trailed 25-8 after the first quarter and 50-17 at half-time, as the Rams put on pressure, used their speed and seemed to pick up points every time they made a trip down the court.
In the second, the Lakers definitely picked up their game and with the Rams in charge, Nipissing made a charge to get back in the game.
In the third quarter, the Lakres put up a game-high 17 points, but the Rams kept pace and extended their lead by three points and took a 70-34 lead into the fourth.
It was a similar story in the fourth, as the Lakers put up 16 points, but the Rams posted 19 and cruised to the win.
The Lakers have now dropped five in a row and continue to battle injuries, which isn't making the climb any easier for the young team.
Jamie Soffer had another strong game, posting 18 points, while Claire Abbott put up 18 as well and Heidi Smith posted 7 points for Nipissing.
The Lakers hit the road next weekend and head to face the Western Mustangs and Windsor Lancers, which begins a road trip that last most of February and will span a total of five games.
Source: Nipissing Lakers
Andrea scores 24 but T'Wolves fall to Marauders
Katelyn Andrea started strong, and despite putting together a sparkling game, saw her team drop a 73-64 decision to the McMaster Marauders Saturday evening.
Halftime score was 34-32 for McMaster.
Although Lakehead shot well from the free throw line for the majority of the game, 7 misses in the final quarter proved costly.
T-Wolf Jerika Baldin did a good job moving the ball on offense, dishing out 11 assists to go with 13 points.
"Much better today. We improved our rebounding and valued the ball better, it still needs improvement, and we found scoring in the paint. Andrea stepped up hugh tonight and our posts did a much better job doing what we need them to do. Jerika Baldin was great tonight orchestrating the offense with her own double double."
Source: Lakehead Thunderwolves
SAULT STE. MARIE, ON – Saturday afternoon in Sault Ste. Marie, the Gryphons women's basketball team won 72-41 over the Algoma Thunderbirds at the George Leach Centre on the campus of Algoma University. With the win, the Gryphons improve to 6-5 on the season while the Thunderbirds fall to 0-12.
The Gryphons held an eight point lead at the half and put the game out of reach by outscoring Algoma 26-9 in the third quarter. Fifth year forward Kate MacTavish (Waterloo, ON) led all scorers with 23 points on an efficient 9-of-13 from the field. While Kate was her usual dominant self in the paint, the Gryphons also got a nice spark of the bench from fellow post player Kate Yallin who extended the Algoma defence with her ability to score on the perimeter. Yallin finished with 10 points off the bench and connected on a pair of three pointers.
The team defence was solid from Guelph, as they held Algoma to single digits in scoring in both the first and third quarters. Leading the way defensively was fifth year guard Barbara Inrig-Pieterse who swarmed Algoma ball carriers all afternoon while recording a game-high five steals.
All 12 players saw floor time for the Gryphons who will next be in action on Friday, February 5 when they travel to Kingston to face the Queen's Gaels. That game will mark the first of back-to-back games as they will travel to York University on the Saturday (Feb. 6) to face the Lions. Both games are set to tip at 6pm.
Source: Guelph Gryphons
Gilmore's big performance leads Ravens over Gaels
(OTTAWA, ON) — The Carleton women's basketball team wasted little time getting going on Saturday night, as the Ravens (8-4) brewed up an offensive storm to knock Queen's off its pedestal for an 86-66 win at the Ravens' Nest.
Carleton used a terrific shooting performance – 33 of 69 (47.8%) – throughout the contest to guide them to an upset of the Gaels (9-4, CIS No.10). Sophomore Nicole Gilmore (Hamilton, ON) and third-year guard Stephanie Carr (Stittsville, ON) both scored a season-high as the two finished the game with 18 points apiece.
"It was great to see Nicole step up the way she did tonight," reflected head coach Taffe Charles following his team's eighth victory of the regular season. "As for Steph, she's a good shooter and she'll put the ball in the basket if you give her the time and space."
"Both of them certainly deserve some credit for the win."
Carleton got off to a blazing start to open the game, as Gilmore owned the hot hand in the early stages, posting 10 first-quarter points. The Ravens were in the zone as they led 25-12 after one.
The team continued to score at will against the Gaels in the second frame. Carleton forward Elizabeth Leblanc (London, ON), who hit 3 three-pointers against York the previous night, buried three shots from beyond the arc in the first half against Queen's. The Ravens went 6-12 (50%) from downtown in the first two quarters, helping them establish a 43-28 lead at the intermission. It was the Ravens' highest scoring first half of the season.
"We started very confidently, and we put Queen's behind the 8-ball early on," said Charles, whose team was on fire through the game's opening twenty minutes. "We made some shots and we executed well against the zone."
Following a lengthy halftime break that featured the finals of the Bell NBA All-Star Skills Challenge, the Ravens continued to pile on the points in the third. Natasha Plaskacz (Chelsea, QC) and Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON) kept the flow going with several baskets to start the quarter, followed by a Steph Carr 3-pointer at 1:09 remaining in the third to give the Ravens a 26-point lead, their largest of the game. They would take a generous 63-39 advantage into the final frame.
The Gaels finally saw some of their shots drop in the last quarter, as the team went for 26 points in the fourth. However, their effort was overshadowed by Carleton's dynamic offensive clinic as the Ravens would hold on for a 20-point win in their top scoring game of the season.
Queen's received a strong performance from its reserves, as Marianne Alarie scored 17 of the Gaels' 32 bench points. Sarah Saftich added 10 points in fourteen minutes off the pine.
The Gaels entered this evening's game averaging 45.7 rebounds per contest, but the Ravens effectively limited the visitors from getting to the glass, as Queen's only finished the game with 32 compared to 43 from Carleton. The Ravens limited the CIS' leading rebounder, Gaels forward Robyn Pearson (12.0 RPG), to only 4 boards and 2 points total.
Queen's leading scorer, Jenny Wright, was held to 4 points thanks to the defensive work of Elizabeth Leblanc.
"Elizabeth's defensive effort this weekend was one of the major factors in the team's success, so that can't be overstated," added coach Charles.
Carleton's Nicole Gilmore added 10 rebounds – a team best on the night, as well as a regular season high – along with dishing out 5 assists. Steph Carr finished the game with 18 points on 5-10 from the floor including a perfect 3-3 from 3-point range, while forward Heather Lindsay finished 17 points (8-13 FG) and 8 rebounds, just two boards shy of another double-double.
The Ravens now ride a 3-game unbeaten run into their massive Capital Hoops Classic showdown with the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday, February 5th at the Canadian Tire Centre. Following a loss to U of O on January 16, the Ravens will be looking for payback in their regular season rematch.
Source: Carleton Ravens
First place Gee-Gees win seventh straight
This weekend's double-header closed with the uOttawa women's basketball team (11-1) rolling over the York University Lions (2-10) by an 82-52 score. The win is no. 9 ranked Ottawa's seventh straight, including two exhibition victories in December.
The Lions came out hot-handed with a 5-0 run, their first and only lead of the game against the Gee-Gees. Julia Soriano, guard for the Gee-Gees, hit back-to-back treys to fight off the Lions lead in the first. Five-foot-two Soriano led the team in rebounds snatching eight off the glass and finished with 10 points, 3 steals and 3 assists. But what ultimately held the Lions down was Ottawa's defence.
"Defence is something we always fall back on," notes Soriano "It's what gets us going."
Five shot clock violations were committed by York, showcasing the Gee-Gees strong team defence not to mention the eight second call in the back court forced by Ottawa's full court press. More on the defensive end, Kellie Forand, third-year guard, also drew two charges to give the Gee-Gees a hard-earned possession of the basketball.
Ottawa controlled the tempo and pace from the second quarter on, especially in the paint. Six-foot-two forward Katherine Lemoine dominated the play in the key with strong post moves, laying in 15 points, the game high, to add to the Gee-Gees final tally.
Coming off the bench for York, Haley Bowie, a second-year point guard, led the Lions attack with 12 points and 4 rebounds. As well, fourth-year veteran Ishanaa Seupersadsingh was effective with her own 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
The Gee-Gees head into the MBNA Capital Hoops Classic with the best record in the OUA.
Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees
