AROUND OUA: Ravens ride first half surge to MBNA Capital Hoops Classic victory
(OTTAWA, ON) — The women’s basketball team played one its finest performances of the season as the Ravens enjoyed an emphatic 73-50 victory over the Ottawa Gee-Gees at the Capital Hoops Classic. With the support of a jubilant Ravens crowd in attendance, Carleton (9-4) snapped a four-game losing streak to the Gee-Gees (11-2) and earned its first CHC win over Ottawa since 2013.
SCOREBOARD
Ravens ride first half surge to MBNA Capital Hoops Classic victory
(OTTAWA, ON) — The women's basketball team played one its finest performances of the season as the Ravens enjoyed an emphatic 73-50 victory over the Ottawa Gee-Gees at the Capital Hoops Classic. With the support of a jubilant Ravens crowd in attendance, Carleton (9-4) snapped a four-game losing streak to the Gee-Gees (11-2) and earned its first CHC win over Ottawa since 2013.
Ravens forward Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON), who time and time again has stepped up the Carleton's biggest games this season, was a force all night as she finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks.
"It was a big statement win beating a Top 10 team like Ottawa tonight," said Lindsay, who collected her seventh double-double of the season in the win. "I think we are really starting to set the tone and we're showing the other OUA teams that we are going to compete in each and every game".
Carleton found its stride early on as the team jumped out to a 21-6 first quarter lead. Nicole Gilmore (Hamilton, ON) led the way early on as she tallied 8 points in the opening frame, including two 3-point shots (2-2) from beyond the arc.
The Ravens exposed the Gee-Gees on the boards in the first half – outrebounding them by a count of 35 to 12 – to build a commanding 43-16 scoreline heading into the break. Lindsay, a third-year forward, grabbed 12 rebounds before the intermission, equalling uOttawa's total team rebounds through the opening two quarters.
Lindsay was just as potent scoring the rock as was attacking the glass, as evidenced by her first-half double-double which included 12 points as well. Her play propelled Carleton to a 27-point stranglehold over the Garnet and Grey after twenty minutes of action.
The Ravens' hot shooting cooled off in the second half, but the Gee-Gees never got rolling to help them make a game of it.
The Gee-Gees outscored Carleton 14-12 in the third quarter, but they still trailed by 25 points after three. Ottawa continued to plug away in the fourth, but the Ravens went basket for basket with their rivals. Gee-Gees guard Julia Soriano contributed 7 points in the final ten minutes, but it was too little too late for Ottawa – the CIS' No.8 nationally ranked side.
Several Ravens players were instrumental in the victory on Friday night. Fourth-year forward Lindsay Shotbolt (Markham, ON) was a solid contributor throughout the contest as she scored a season-high 14 points while adding 7 rebounds. Rising sophomore Elizabeth Leblanc (London, ON) continued to build on her excellent form in 2016 with 15 points (6-9 FG) and 9 rebounds.
Ottawa, who had only tasted defeat once heading into the Capital Hoops Classic, struggled from the floor all game. The Gee-Gees' 3-for-17 (17.6%) mark on three-point attempts combined with a 15-for-59 (25.4%) shooting performance from the floor, were both season lows for the OUA North division leaders.
Carleton's win can be attributed to the team's rebounding effort which saw them grab a season-high 62 rebounds, a +30 margin over the Gee-Gees.
"We focused on playing to win," said Ravens head coach Taffe Charles, whose team kept its chances of winning a division title alive this evening. "If you play to win you're always trying to be aggressive. We did a really good job on the rebounding side and we controlled Ottawa's extra shots and second chance points."
With a win over uOttawa, Carleton pushes its unbeaten streak to four games, including two consecutive wins over Top 10 teams.
Carleton moved its all-time Capital Hoops Classic series record to 6-3 over the Gee-Gees, earning the largest margin of victory in a game – 23 points – since the series began in 2008 (9 games).
The Ravens head out on the road next weekend with two very challenging games against Brock (8-5) and CIS No. 7 McMaster (10-3) in southern Ontario.
Source: Carleton Ravens
Santilli breaks Brock single game 3-point record in win over Toronto
TORONTO, ON - The Brock University women's basketball team defeated the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 79-59 Friday night at the Goldring Centre.
Brock fifth year senior Kayla Santilli (Brantford, ON) had one of the best games of her career, finishing with a season high 23 points. Santill had the hot hand from long range knocking down a career high seven three-pointers, breaking the old Brock record of six held by Jodie Ebeling.
The Badgers jumped out to an early 20-5 lead in the opening six minutes. The Varsity Blues answered with a 13-3 run to close out the quarter, as Brock held a 23-18 lead after 10 minutes.
Toronto made it a three-point game to open the second quarter, before the Badgers put together a 15-2 run leading 37-22 with 3:51 left in the opening half.
To open the third quarter, the Varsity closed the lead to 10 points, but it was Brock's solid offense coming to play on this night as they went up by as many as 27 points, on route to their 8th regular season victory.
Melissa Tatti (Ancaster, ON) contributed with 18 points and nine assists while Chrissy Sirignano (St. Catharnes, ON) chipped in with nine points to round out the Brock leaders.
Rahshida Atkinson led Toronto with 21 points while Diedre Edwards chipped in with 14 points in the loss.
For the game, the Badgers shot 35.4% from the field going 28-for-79, including 12-for-36 from beyond the arc. They were also 11-for-16 (68.8%) from the charity stripe. The Varsity Blues went 21-for-63 (33.3%) from the field, 3-for-9 (33.3%) from three-point range and 14-for-28 (50.0%) from the free throw line.
The Badgers return to action next weekend when they host the Carleton Ravens (Feb. 12 - 6pm) and Ottawa Gee Gees (Feb. 13 - 6pm) at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
Source: Brock Badgers
Mustangs defeat Lakers for eight straight win
LONDON, Ont. – After trailing at the end of the first quarter, a 24-point second frame helped the Western Mustangs pick up their eighth consecutive win, defeating the Nipissing Lakers 70-59 on Friday night at Alumni Hall.
"I think some of their tactics sort of got to us a little bit," said Western head coach Brian Cheng of his team's tough start. "It slowed us down, and we got into our own heads."
The Lakers may have forced the Mustangs to get into their own heads, but in the end they were unable to halt the purple and white's success. Western continues to lead the OUA West Division with 22 points, an 11-3 record, and an eight game winning streak that is the longest in the OUA this season.
The loss moves Nipissing to 2-11 on the year, keeping them in fourth place in the North Division.
The Lakers record isn't as strong as the Mustangs, and Maddy Horst says that may have played a part in Nipissing's early lead.
"We came out very flat off the start, and we had trouble getting back after that," said Horst. "We underestimated them I think, because last year we took care of them pretty easily and we were kind of expecting the same outcome this year. Obviously they've changed just as we have."
Horst was Western's second leading scorer of the night, as she contributed 14 of the team's 70 points. Mackenzie Puklicz, who currently leads the OUA with 19.8 points per game, topped all players with 24 points in the win. She also led the Mustangs in rebounds, grabbing a total of eight boards.
Three different players scored in the double digits for the visiting side. Claire Abbott led the Lakers with 22, followed by Mackenzie Bahm and Alexe Galipeau-Wilson both with 10. Galipeau-Wilson was the only player on the court to achieve a double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds on top of her 10 points.
From the tip-off, Nipissing took the lead with guard Abbott scoring an early three pointer. The Mustangs responded quickly with baskets from Puklicz and Julia Curran, but they were unable to hold on to the lead. It was an uncharacteristic for the the purple and white as the first ten minutes saw numerous miscommunications and missed passes. That, in combination with the Lakers full-court press, resulted in Nipissing holding a 15-13 lead after the opening frame.
After an uneven start, the Mustangs began to adjust and found their footing in the second quarter. The team's shooting accuracy increased from 36.4% to 48.3%, and a strong final three minutes allowed the Mustangs to finish the half ahead 37-28.
Following the halftime break, the Lakers continued to force the Mustangs to work hard for their lead. In the third quarter, the Lakers out-rebounded and outscored the Mustangs, with 10 boards compared to eight, and 20 points versus 17 for Western. The Lakers success cut into the Mustangs lead, with Western up 54-48 after three.
Heading into the final ten minutes, the Lakers kept the Mustangs on their toes. They continued their full-court press and forced the home team to take tough shots as the shot clock wound down. Despite the Lakers aggressive defence, the Mustangs outscored their opponents 16-11 to walk away with a 70-59 win.
Tomorrow poses as a chance for the Mustangs to extend their streak even further, as they face the Laurentian Voyageurs at Alumni Hall at 6 p.m. with the game also being broadcast live on OUA.tv
"We're going to need a full team effort," says Cheng. "We're going to need to play together from the tip of the ball, minute one to minute 40."
Source: Western Mustangs
Lions drop eight point game to Thunderwolves
The York University Lions women's basketball team fell to their western Ontario counterpart the Lakehead Thunderwolves by a score of 81-73 on Friday evening (Feb.5) at The Tait Mackenzie Centre.
The post play of Gillian Lavoie and the deep range of both Cassandra Soulias and Jerika Baldin propelled the Thunderwolves to a commanding early lead. The second half was a tale of two equal teams as the Lions and 'wolves exchanged buckets up until late in the fourth quarter.
Jackie Koudys (Smithville, Ont.) was on attack mode from the opening buzzer, as she drove the lane with authority all night making multiple tough baskets. Koudys finished the night with seven total points.
The first half was controlled by the Thunderwolves as they built a comfortable margin on the scoreboard, the main contributor being Soulias who finished with a game high 17 points.
In the second half the Lions came out of the gates with bounce in their step, as they chipped away at the Thunderwolves lead. Lions guard Nina Guzina (Toronto) supplied a spark off of the bench as she hit three shots from beyond the arc in nine minutes of play.
The Lions cut the lead to seven at the seven-minute mark of the fourth quarter thanks to a deep three from Taylor McAlpine (Huntsville, Ont.) which kick-started a late Lions comeback. From that point on the Lions and Thunderwolves exchanged buckets until Soulias knocked down key free throws in the dying moments to put the game out of reach.
The Thunderwolves handed the Lions their 11th loss on the season, as the Lions record now stands at 2-11. After Friday's win Lakehead improves to 5-7 and continues to climb in the OUA Central Division standings.
The Lions are back on the hardwood Saturday (Feb.6) when they welcome the 6-6 Guelph Gryphons to the Tait Mackenzie Centre, tip off is at 6pm.
Source: York Lions
Steer, Lancers overwhelm visiting Voyageurs
Led by some strong three-point shooting from Carly Steer, the Lancer women's basketball team dominated the visiting Laurentian Voyageurs 79-42 on Friday night at the St. Denis Centre.
With the win, the Lancers improve to 10-4 on the season and sit in second place in the OUA west division, while the Voyageurs fall to 3-10 and sit in third in the OUA north division.
Steer was on fire for the Blue & Gold, nailing her first four three-point attempts and going 6-for-9 from behind the arch to finish with 19 points. Cheyanne Roger finished the game with a game high 20 points, while Emily Prevost had the games only double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Laurentian was led by Adrienne Moreau with nine points and six rebounds.
Holding a 43-29 lead heading into the second half, the Lancers exploded in the third out-scoring the Voyageurs 15-5 in the quarter and 34-15 in the half, en route to victory.
The Lancer defense was solid throughout the night, out-rebounding the visitors 45-21 and holding them to a 21% shooting percentage. The Lancers shot 41.4% overall and an impressive 40.9% from behind the three point line.
Windsor returns to action on Saturday night when they host the Nipissing Lakers in their annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm at the St. Denis Centre.
As part of the Lancers 10th annual event, the department of athletics will be selling commemorative t-shirts, grocery bags, toques, and water bottles to raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Source: Windsor Lancers
Pearson's double-double helps Queen's past Gryphons
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 5, 2016)- Robyn Pearson picked up a double-double, and the Queen's Gaels women's basketball team returned to its winning ways on Friday evening at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC), defeating the Guelph Gryphons 75-61.
Pearson led all players with a game-high 20 points, shooting an impressive 9-of-16 from the field, and tallying 15 rebounds to go along with two blocks and an assist. The Toronto native, who leads the CIS in rebounding, picked up her fifth double-double thus far in the regular season, helping the Gaels (10-3) break a two-game slide and maintain second place in the OUA East division.
Emily Hazlett (Fredericton, N.B.) and Marianne Alarie (Sudbury, Ont.) added 14 and 13 points each in the victory, while Bridget Atkinson picked up 16 in a losing cause for the Gryphons (6-6), who drop to the .500 mark and remain third in the Central division.
GAME FLOW
In an opening quarter in which both teams seemed a bit out of sync and combined for a total of 12 turnovers, Hazlett and Pearson each picked up four points to help the home side take a three-point lead through the first 10 minutes of the match.
The Gaels gave themselves lots of second-chance opportunities in the first, pulling down five offensive rebounds, but were unable to capitalize and take an early grip on the match. Atkinson picked up six of her team's 13 points in the first to help the visitors stay within striking distance.
After Hazlett hit a running floater a few steps in from the free throw-line, she found Jenny Wright (Kingston) for a corner three in transition following a Gryphon miss, pushing the host's lead up to six early in the second. Another shot from distance by Alarie minutes later put the Gaels up 26-19.
Guelph kept pace with the Gaels through the middle portion of the quarter, and a three by Abbey Clark brought the Gryphons within two points of the lead. Queen's turned up the offence, leading up to the halftime buzzer, however, draining the next seven points, which included Alarie's third basket from beyond the arc in the half.
A last-second lay-up from Atkinson broke the Gaels streak, but the home team still took a seven-point lead into the break, despite turning the ball over on 15 occasions.
Both teams came out of the locker rooms firing, each dropping seven points within the first three minutes of the third quarter. But after the Gaels picked up six-straight to give themselves a double-digit lead for the first time at the 3:30 mark of the period, Gryphons coach Christin Dickenson called timeout to talk things over.
The guests were able to slowly chip at the Queen's lead over the rest of the quarter, and a three from Katelyn Yallin with time running out cut the deficit back down to single digits heading into the fourth.
Another three from Yallin cut the lead down to five points early in the final stanza, but the Gaels continued to stymie the Gryphons' attempts to come within a single shot of tying the match. The visitors persevered, dropping four-straight coming out of their timeout, which prompted a Gaels break.
The visitors climbed all the way back to within just three points of the lead, but that was as close as Guelph would get to evening the contest. Queen's picked up the next seven points, many of which came from the foul-line after the Gryphons found themselves in the penalty midway through the fourth.
The Gaels, who dominated the glass throughout the evening, pulling down 51 compared to 26 from Guelph, were able to add to their lead over the final minutes, to snap their two-game slide and move to 3-1 at the ARC.
FINAL SAY
"I'm happy we were able to really push the pace in the second half of play," said Head Coach Dave Wilson. "That was one of our goals was to really take advantage of their short bench, so we thought we could get running on them and get them tired. I'm a little disappointed with how we handled the basketball; way too many turnovers and playing very skiddish at the end of the game as the pressure came on. In a tighter game, that is going to cost us. We didn't make too many adjustments (at halftime) beyond having a bit more of a balance in terms of where we were moving the ball, it was really more of a mental issue."
BY THE NUMBERS
25- The difference in total rebounds between Queen's (51) and Guelph (26)
11- Robyn Pearson is averaging 11.5 rebounds per game, ranking her 1st in the CIS
7- Marianne Alarie now has 10 or more points in four of her past five games, and seven overall in the regular season
UP NEXT
The Gaels return to the ARC on Saturday for their Shoot for the Cure night, when they will host the Lakehead Thunderwolves. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m.
Source: Queen's Gaels
Rams grind out victory over Laurier
TORONTO – A career high 22 points from Siki Jez (Kitchener, Ont.) helped the Rams gut out a tough 86-75 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Friday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
"I knew I had to step up and my shots were finally falling and I've been struggling to make my layups but something happened today and…I got some confidence and just kept going," said Jez on her 22-point night.
BOXSCORE
The momentum in the first quarter swung back and forth between the two teams in a tightly contested frame but a long two from Laurier's Nicole Morrison at the buzzer gave the visitors a slim 21-19 lead after ten minutes.
From opening tip until about midway through the second quarter the Rams coaching staff was urging for intensity at the defensive end. That intensity finally switched on coming out of the second quarter media timeout and the Rams built a six point lead. That margin increased to seven at halftime with the Rams leading 44-37 at the break.
"We did a great job of scoring tonight but I just thought we didn't have the urgency on defence that I wanted and that I think is necessary to win this conference," said head coach Carly Clarke after the game. "We started to find it in moments but still not consistently enough."
Out of the half the Rams rebounded the ball well at the defensive end which led to some easy transition buckets as the home side quickly extended their lead into double digits. The Golden Hawks, however, continued to shoot the ball well from three point range and they hung around to trail just 66-58 after three quarters.
In the fourth the Rams offence went dry for three straight minutes which saw the Golden Hawks close to within four points at 71-67, leading to a Ryerson timeout. Out of the timeout the Rams scored five quick points to provide some separation.
With 2:25 remaining the Rams lead climbed to 11 which put the game out of reach.
Laurier's Morrison finished with a team-high 17 points and four assists in the loss.
The Rams improve to 11-3 on the season and move into sole possession of first place in the OUA East division while Laurier drops to 6-8 on the year. Ryerson has a full week off until their next game on February 13 at home against the Algoma Thunderbirds.
Source: Ryerson Rams
Thunderbirds cruise to win in Shoot for the Cure game
In their annual Shoot for the Cure event the Algoma Thunderbirds women's basketball team earned their first win of the season, dominating the Waterloo Warriors, 77-61.
With the power of pink uniforms, the Algoma Thunderbirds women's squad jumped out to an early lead after Sydney Resch drained a long three. Algoma went on an early 8-point run forcing a Waterloo Warrior timeout. Waterloo chipped into the deficit but Algoma continued to pull ahead. Algoma showed off crisper passing, impressive three-point shooting, and better defence – an improvement from last weekend's performance against the Guelph Gryphons. Algoma drove hard to the post, drawing offensive fouls to control the first frame, 22-13. Waterloo turned up the pressure in the second quarter but Algoma continued to bleed Waterloo, running up the score, earning points off of fast breaks and turnovers. Algoma cruised to an 18-point cushion going into the half. Algoma shot an impressive 44 percent from inside and 46 percent from outside in the first half.
In the second, Waterloo regrouped, playing better defense, forcing Algoma to run out the shot clock. Waterloo applied full court pressure trying to stop the Thunderbirds from further pulling ahead, but Algoma continued their hot hand from beyond the arc. Waterloo crawled their way back down the stretch, going on a 10-point run, cutting the deficit down to just 10 points going into the final quarter. Algoma retaliated, controlling the pace, out-shooting and out-rebounding the visitors. Algoma snapped their losing streak, rolling past Waterloo 77-61.
Marlee Ball earned a season high 23 points and 8 boards in the win. Karissa Kajorinne chipped in with 15 points and 6 rebounds in the win. Waterloo's Kristen Obsorne put up 26 points and 12 boards in their losing effort. Algoma shot 45 percent from the paint, 46 percent from beyond the arc in the game.
This was the second win for the Algoma Thunderbirds women's team since joining the OUA. This is the second consecutive win for the Thunderbirds in their annual Shoot for the Cure event.
Algoma improves to 1-12 while Waterloo falls to 2-12 in the OUA West.
Gate proceeds from tonight's games were donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. At half-time, alumna Kathleen Hodgson and Asha Leahy cut and donated their hair to Locks of Love. The haircuts were generously donated by Casey Barry of The Hair Emporium. The Thunderbirds raised just under $1,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Waterloo returns to the GLC tomorrow evening for redemption. The Thunderbirds tipoff at 6:00pm.
Source: Algoma Thunderbirds
