AROUND OUA: Marauders edged in overtime by Gee-Gees in Top 10 battle
In a clash of top-ten teams, the No. 9 Ottawa Gee-Gees hit a buzzer beater to force overtime and then held on for a 61-60 win over the No. 7 McMaster women's basketball team.
SCOREBOARD
Marauders edged in overtime by Gee-Gees in Top 10 battle
In a clash of top-ten teams, the No. 9 Ottawa Gee-Gees hit a buzzer beater to force overtime and then held on for a 61-60 win over the No. 7 McMaster women's basketball team.
The Marauders looked like they might run away with this one as they opened up an 11-2 lead off the tip and ran that up to a 19-4 advantage after the opening 10 minutes. Danielle Boiago scored 10 points to pace the early blitz for the maroon.
The second stanza saw Ottawa start to find its game, and the Gee-Gees paid closer attention to Boiago as they started their comeback. By halftime Ottawa had won the second quarter by a bucket, trimming the McMaster lead to 33-20. Boiago had 15 by intermission, while Hilary Hanaka chipped in 8 points.
Heading into the third quarter, Ottawa's length started to cause problems for the Marauders at both ends of the floor. As McMaster struggled to score against the taller Gee-Gees, the momentum swung toward Ottawa who tied the score at 39-39, before taking a 42-39 lead heading to the final quarter. Ottawa dominated the quarter 22-6 to wipe out the Mac lead.
Now trailing, McMaster saw the deficit grow to 48-42 before the team started its own comeback. Guard Siobhan Manning scored three straight baskets to tie the game at 48-48 and a hoop by Andrea Polischuk put the Marauders in front 50-48. The Marauders carried a 52-49 lead into the final seconds, but coming out of a timeout, Ottawa's Sarah Besselink hit a corner trey to send the game into overtime.
In the extra stanza, Ottawa's Catherine Traer hit two long bombs to put the Gee-Gees up by six, but the Marauders had another rally in them and got to within a point with 14 seconds remaining. McMaster forced a turnover to get possession and had a shot at the win, but Traer blocked a final shot attempt by Boiago to preserve the victory for the visitors.
This loss will sting for McMaster as the Marauders missed five free-throws in the last two minutes of regulation time that could have sealed a win. The team only made 12 of 19 from the charity stripe for the game, but the late misses were especially costly.
Boaigo was a stalwart for McMaster, scoring a game-high 25 and grabbing 14 rebounds. Hanaka finished with 10 as the only other Marauder in double-figures. Traer was high scorer for Ottawa with 15. Ottawa's height advantage showed in the rebounding totals as the Gee-Gees grabbed 61 boards to McMaster's 44.
McMaster has little time to re-group as they must get ready to play the Carleton Ravens on Saturday night. Game time at the Burridge Gym is set for 6-PM.
Source: McMaster Marauders
Blues bounce back with big win over Birds
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball team came away with an 89-59 victory over the Algoma Thunderbirds on Friday night (Feb. 12) at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
With the win, the Blues improve to 6-9 and remain in third place in the OUA East division.
Third-year guard Rahshida Atkinson led all players with 23 points and four steals, while rookie forward Charlotte Collyer had a double-double of 14 points and 10 boards on the night.
With it being Toronto's last regular season home game, the team honoured graduating student-athlete Abena Addo in a special post-game ceremony. Addo notched 12 points and five boards, while fellow co-captain Alanna Garner had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Third-year guard Diedre Edwards tallied nine points, with rookie Sarah Bennett adding seven points and eight boards in the victory.
Algoma was led by Carrera Lamoureux and Karissa Kajorinne, who notched 12 and 13 points, respectively.
The Blues now hit the road for their final four games of the regular season, first heading to Guelph to take on the Gryphons next Friday, February 19. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
Emily Wilk leads Warriors over T-Wolves
The Warriors picked up their first home win of the season and fourth overall, downing the visiting Lakehead Thunderwolves 60-51 on Friday night at the PAC. Emily Wilk (Oakville) led all scorers with a career high 20 points while adding four assists in the victory.
"Emily was outstanding for us tonight; She had great composure and was able to get us good looks all night," said head coach Tyler Slipp. "Our strong start to the game was the difference tonight."
Lakehead had a miserable time finding the hoop in the first half with only 17 points in the opening 20 minutes but as Waterloo held an 18 point advantage at halftime. Lakehead would outscore Waterloo 20-13 in the third quarter but the deficit was too much as Waterloo held on for the nine point win.
Waterloo shot 34.4% from the field compared to a lowly 27.9% for Lakehead. The different for the black and gold was points created off of turnovers with Waterloo generating 20 compared to just two for the visitors.
Wilk went 7-for-14 from the field with one from beyond the arc. The third year point guard was also solid from the line going 5-for-8. Other Warriors in double figures included Kristen Osborne (Markham) with 14 and Nicole Schlick (Prince George) with 10. Schlick was also a factor on the boards with seven rebounds.
For Lakehead it was forward Bridget O'Reilly doing most of the damage with 14 points while Katelyn Andrea had 12 points in the centre.
Waterloo improved to 4-12 with the win while Lakehead dropped to 5-9.
The Warriors will look to make it two straight home wins in their final home contest of the regular season when they take on the Guelph Gryphons tomorrow night at 6pm. The game can be seen live on OUA.tv.
Source: Waterloo Warriors
On Friday night (Feb. 12) the York University women's basketball team fell 80-65 to the No. 10 Windsor Lancers at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
When the first quarter was over, the Lancers took a seven–point lead over the Lions with a 22-15 score, but the Lions had several moments of brilliance.
Ishanaa Seupersadsingh (Markham, Ont.) had back-to-back sequences in which she charged to the hole, beating two defenders along the way and grabbed four points from two jumpers. Then minutes later Katrina Collins-Samuels (Hamilton, Ont.) hit a nice jump shot from behind the three point line.
However, the Lancers continued their momentum into the second and third quarters and secured themselves a comfortable 63-37 to head into the final period.
Closing off the game in the fourth quarter the Lions picked up the intensity and played some quality basketball. Sandra Nagowska (Peterborough, Ont.) hit a three-pointer, Taylor McAlpine (Huntsville, Ont.) sunk a reverse layup, and great movement and execution from Shauney Fischer (Wallaceburg, Ont.) allowed for four points to be scored from a pair of jump shots.
Later in the quarter, Jenna Rampersaud (Caledon, Ont.) and Anastasia Lovatsis (Markham, Ont.) teamed up to rack up another two points after Rampersaud was able to find an open Lovatsis right under the hoop.
Overall, Seupersadsingh, Nagowska, and Fischer tallied the most points. All three ladies were perfect from the free throw line, while Seupersadsingh had 15 points, Nagowska had 14 and Fischer followed with eight.
However the Lancers played steady throughout the game and were able to take the match in an 80-65 win.
For the Lancers, Emily Prevost and Kaylee Anagnostopoulos each totaled 16 points. Prevost shot six for nine from the field, while Anagnostopoulos was seven for 11.
With the result the Lancers (12-4) advance over the Western Mustangs to first place in the OUA West, while the Lions (2-13) remain in fourth place in the OUA East.
The Lions have a short turnaround period before they return to the Tait McKenzie Centre and take on the Western Mustangs. Action gets underway at 6pm on Saturday (Feb. 13).
Source: York Lions
Golden Hawks drop historic tiebreaker with Gryphons
WATERLOO, Ont. (February 12, 2016) – The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's basketball team lost an historic tie-breaker to the Guelph Gryphons on Friday night as they fell 71-62 to drop down to 7-9 on the season.
Going into the game, the Golden Hawks and Gryphons had accrued 28 wins and 28 losses against each other over the course of 32 years of these programs facing each other, and were poised for a thrilling tie-breaker as both teams were also tied at 14 points on the 2015-16 regular season within the OUA.
It was a close pace right from tipoff as the Hawks and Gryphons fought to claim the lead over the other. The home team earned the advantage in the first quarter with a 13-10 lead over the visitors from Guelph, Ont.
The Gryphons came back with fire in the second frame, however, and broke down the Hawks' defence to record 19 points and take an eight-point lead going into the half.
Although the Golden Hawks got back into rhythm after the break, they would not be able to outdo the Gryphons to reclaim the game. On the strength of that second quarter, the Guelph team earned a 71-62 victory.
The main threat for the purple and gold going into tonight's matchup was Guelph's leading scorer Kate MacTavish (Waterloo, Ont.), and justifiably so as the fifth year forward recorded a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds on the night.
Also stepping up for the Gryphons was second year guard Bridget Atkinson (Welland, Ont.) who put up a game-high 24 points.
The struggles for Laurier (7-9) in the first half were largely a result of rebounding efforts. The Gryphons (8-6) controlled the boards and recovered 30 rebounds while the Hawks picked up only 16, making a clear difference in such a close matchup where every scoring opportunity counted.
While this week's Laurier Female Athlete of the Week, Nicole Morrison (Hamilton, Ont.), led the Hawks in scoring again with 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists, rookie guard Irena Rynkiewicz (Mississauga, Ont.) also had a solid performance with 11 points and four rebounds recorded on the night.
The Golden Hawks are at home again tomorrow night, Saturday, February 13 as they look to get back into the win column with a victory over the visiting Lakehead Thunderwolves. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game can be seen live on OUA.tv.
Source: Laurier Golden Hawks
ST. CATHARINES, ON - The Brock University women's basketball team (8-6 OUA) dropped a 65-49 decision to the Carleton Ravens Friday night at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
Carleton held an 18-14 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, the Ravens put together a 17-6 run in the final seven minutes to take a 37-26 lead at the half.
Carleton extended their lead to as many as 24 points in the third, as they closed out the quarter on a 13-4 run for the 59-35 lead. The Badgers outscored Carleton 14-6 in the final quarter, but it was to late as they dropped their sixth regular season conference game.
Brock's lone player in double digits was Kate Harpur (NOTL, ON) who finished with 13 points, all coming in the first half, and seven rebounds. Jenalyn Yumol (London, ON) added nine points and four assists, while Kira Cornelissen (Aylmer, ON) and Baelie Campbell (Halifax, NS) rounded out the Brock leaders, chipping in with eight points each.
Leading the Carleton offense was Heather Lindsay who registered 20 points and 11 rebounds for the double-double.
For the game, Brock shot 28.1% (16-for-57) from the field, including just 15.8% (3-for-14) from beyond the arc. The Badgers were also 14-for-18 (77.8%) from the free throw line. The Ravens went 24-for-69 (34.8%) from the field, 6-for-20 (30.0%) from long range and 11-for-14 (78.6%) from the charity stripe.
Source: Brock Badgers
Gaels survive Mustangs comeback bid
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 12, 2016)- Abby Dixon picked up a game-high 17 points and made some key jumpers down the stretch in the fourth quarter, helping the Queen's Gaels women's basketball team hold off the surging Western Mustangs with a 69-64 victory on Friday evening at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC).
Dixon (North Vancouver, B.C.) was 50% (7-14) from the field, while Robyn Pearson (Toronto) added 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to pick up her seventh double-double of the regular season. The Gaels (12-3) move one win ahead of the CIS No. 5 ranked Ryerson Rams (11-3), who were idle on Friday night.
Mackenzie Puklicz tallied 17 points in a losing cause for the Mustangs (12-4), who are now tied with No. 10 Windsor for first-place in the OUA West division.
GAME FLOW
After the Mustangs opened the scoring, the Gaels responded with 10 straight points over the span of the following three minutes. Coming out of their own timeout, Western turned over the ball again, and the hosts pushed their lead into double-digits at the 4:15 mark of the first.
A three-pointer by Marianne Alarie (Sudbury, Ont.) made it 15-straight points before the Mustangs were able to stop the run with a free-throw. It was a forgettable quarter for the OUA West leaders, who sank just two of their 14 shot attempts, while the hosts used seven different scorers and a 60.0% offensive efficiency to take a commanding 26-9 lead at the end of the first.
The Mustangs found their offensive footing in the second period, cutting the lead down to 12 midway through the quarter, helped in large part by three baskets from Caroline Wolynski. Two free throws from Puklicz brought the deficit down to 10, and a three from Laura Graham made it a single-digits contest with just over two minutes remaining in the half.
The Queen's offence cooled off in the second, but the women went into the locker room shooting 46.2% overall and with a 10-point lead. Pearson led all players with 10 points in the first half, while Dixon added six.
Four consecutive Mustang points brought the guests within six points of the lead to start the second half of play, but eight-straight from the Gaels, including back-to-back three-point plays by Jenny Wright (Kingston) and Alarie, pushed the lead back up to double-digits.
The conference's leading scorer caught fire soon after, however, as Puklicz scored eight points in a row as part of a Mustangs 11-0 run, bringing the visitors within a possession of the lead. Queen's would not relinquish their hold on the lead throughout the rest of the period, scoring the last six points of the third to take a nine-point lead into the final quarter.
Maddy Horst opened the fourth quarter with a three after over two minutes had expired without a basket from either team. Horst then picked up an offensive board and the put-back, and then followed that with another bucket from beyond the arc, cutting the Gael lead to a single point.
The Queen's offence went quiet in the early part of the fourth quarter, as the hosts did not score their first point of the period until there was 3:40 remaining. During that time, two made free throws by Graham completed the comeback as Western took the lead midway through the quarter.
After Dixon's jumper scored to snap their scoreless run, the Gaels tied the game 61-61 heading into the final minutes of regulation. The teams exchanged fast-break points, which included Dixon's second and third baskets in a row, and a lay-up by Alarie gave the Gaels a four-point lead with under a minute remaining.
A missed Mustangs shot was followed with two important free-throws made by Pearson with 8.3 seconds remaining, allowing the women to survive a threatening comeback bid by Western to earn their third-straight victory.
FINAL SAY
"We really lost our momentum there in the second quarter," said Head Coach Dave Wilson. "I thought a good takeaway was the fact that at one point they got the lead down to two, at another they actually took over the lead, and we did not panic. We stayed calm and were able to respond positively to it. You know, you get an early big lead and it changes how the game is perceived and played, so that makes it that much more important to stay calm when the push-back happens and battle through it."
BY THE NUMBERS
19- The Gaels led by as many as 19 points in the first quarter
7- Queen's is 7-0 this season when Robyn Pearson records a double-double
5- Marianne Alarie now has 10 or more points in five of her last seven games
UP NEXT
The Gaels will look to win their fourth in a row on Saturday afternoon when they take on the defending national champion Windsor Lancers. The game between Queen's and Windsor is part of the NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto, and will take place at the Enercare Centre at 4:00 p.m.
Source: Queen's Gaels
