AROUND OUA: Gee-Gees secure first place in OUA heading into the playoffs

SCOREBOARD

Ottawa 59 @ Laurentian 51

Toronto 75 @ Queen's 70

Algoma 49 @ Western 59

Carleton 59 @ Nipissing 43

Ryerson 67 @ York 53

Lakehead 55 @ Windsor 70

Brock 48 @ Guelph 57

Gee-Gees secure first place in OUA heading into the playoffs

In the final regular season game of the 2015-2016 year, the no.6 ranked Gee-Gees women's basketball team (17-2) met with difficulty from the Laurentian University Voyageurs (3-16) but pulled away with a win at 59-51.

The Gee-Gees win secures the number one spot in the OUA overall RPI rankings. Ottawa will have home court advantage for the duration of the playoffs, which begin on Wednesday, March 2. Ottawa receives a bye for that round and will host a conference quarter-final at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 5.

Back in November, the Gee-Gees defeated Laurentian with a comfortable 20-point lead with a score of 80-57. This time around, great ball movement by the Voyageurs kept the game tight. On the defensive end, Laurentian's speed and athleticism put pressure on the Gee-Gees with nine steals compared to Ottawa's four in the first half. Laurentian finished the game with an impressive 13 steals.

The Gee-Gees opened the game with back-to-back threes hit by seniors, Kellie Ring and Julia Soriano on their first two successive trips down the floor. Ring, with a weekend complete with two double-doubles, put up 11 points and 10 rebounds, as well as 4 assists for her team. Soriano also got on the board for the Gee-Gees hitting nine points, six rebounds and two assists.

With Ottawa's big post player, Katherine Lemoine out of the game, it was as battle of the guards and small forwards.

Laurentian's top scoring guard, second-year Emily Tinnes played a tough game dropping 16 points, the team's high score. Adrienne Moreau, five-foot-ten guard, displayed a strong defensive effort with five steals and four defensive rebounds. Fifth-year guard, Danielle Harris, hit some crucial baskets including two foul shots to close the point spread early in the second, tying 18-18. Both, fifth-year guards Moreau and Harris each added to the final tally seven points.

With the low scoring first half at 25-23, the Gee-Gees hit the court hard in the second with a 7-0 run to grasp a bit an edge on the Voyageurs. The high lead was short-lived as Laurentian fought bucket to bucket to close the third quarter 43-39.

In the end, the difference maker for Ottawa was Catherine Traer as she went 4-4 from the three-point line, sinking three consecutive baskets from beyond the arc to give the Gee-Gees a double figure lead in the fourth, sealing the win. Traer, with a season trend of strong performances under pressure, landed 16 points in the second half alone against Laurentian along with seven rebounds, a steal, and two a piece in blocks and assists.

Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees

Gaels come up short in regular season finale versus Toronto

KINGSTON, Ont. (February 27, 2016)- The Queen's Gaels women's basketball team ended their regular season schedule with a  75-70 loss to the Toronto Varsity Blues at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) on Saturday evening.
 
Fighting for a higher seeding in the OUA playoff race, the Blues (8-11) spoiled a special night offensively for Jenny Wright, who shot 10-of-20 from the field and finished with a season-high 28 points. Wright was just one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with nine boards, two assists, five steals, and four blocks while going an impressive 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.
 
The Gaels (14-5) shot 34.8% (24-69) from the field, compared to 38.1% (24-63) from the Blues. Emily Hazlett picked up 13 points, and was the only other Queen's player to hit the double-digit scoring mark, while Rahshida Atkinson scored a game-high 32 points to help Toronto finish conference play with two straight victories.
 
GAME FLOW
The hosts missed 11 of their first 12 field-goal attempts to start the contest, and the teams combined for two baskets and just five points overall through the first five minutes of the opening quarter. Wright (Kingston) got off to a strong start, hitting two three-point jumpers in the first, the second of which helped enliven the Gaels offence in the latter stages of the period. Queen's hit four of its next five baskets, and took a 16-13 lead through 10 minutes of play.
 
Atkinson began the second with a three for the Blues to even the game, but Wright responded with a steal and fast-break lay-up that kept Queen's in front. The guests were able, however, to grab the lead soon after, going up 22-20 with just over six minutes left in the half.
 
With the Blues in the bonus, Hazlett moved her team back in front using her speed to force two fouls in transition. The Fredericton, N.B. native hit 3-of-4 free throws to give the Gaels a two-point lead. A floater by Marianne Alarie (Sudbury, Ont.) gave the hosts a four-point lead, but Atkinson continued to remain money from beyond the arc, hitting her third three of the game to keep the Blues within striking distance. Two made free-throws by the third-year guard gave Toronto a 30-29 lead at halftime.
 
The Gaels shot 28.2% from the field in the first half, compared to a 37.5% efficiency from Toronto. Atkinson led all players with 13 points in the half, while Wright recorded eight for the Gaels.
 
In her final regular season match wearing the blue and gold, the fifth-year guard continued to impress, dropping another long-range shot to help the hosts keep pace with the Blues. Wright would hit a long three with the shot clock winding down, but her efforts weren't enough to stop Toronto from building its first double-digit advantage with 1:32 remaining in the third quarter.
 
It was Wright who once again sparked her team as well as the home crowd, taking the pass on the inbounds and proceeding to zip down the length of the court for a lay-up while taking a foul. After the veteran hit her free-throw, Hazlett notched a corner three following a big defensive stop, and the Gaels sliced the deficit to four points heading into the final quarter.
 
Wright and Atkinson exchanged three-pointers to begin the final quarter, and then Toronto once again was able to build up a considerable lead, mostly on the back of Atkinson who continued to give the Gael defence fits.
 
A couple of crucial turnovers made the comeback that much more difficult for the Gaels. After Wright stole the ball and found Alarie for a mid-range jumper to bring the women within three, the Gaels committed three turnovers over the final minute that allowed the Blues to stretch the lead out of their reach. A late desperation three by Hazlett found the net, but Atkinson made the most of her free throws after getting put on the line, clinching the win for Toronto.
 
FINAL SAY
"We were obviously a bit tired from what I saw," said Head Coach Dave Wilson. "We were flat, and hoped we could come out with a bit more energy tonight after (the loss to Ryerson last night), but it just wasn't there. We had spurts but couldn't maintain it."
 
"That is what she's done her whole career. She's an outstanding athlete and when she goes at it, she's hard to stop. She shot the three extremely well, she attacked the rim well. She a real threat anywhere on the basketball court."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
28- Jenny Wright picked up a season-best 28 points against Toronto
50- The teams combined for 50 turnovers in a scrappy affair; Queen's had 26, Toronto 24
20- The rebounding difference; Queen's pulled down 52 rebounds, compared to 32 from Toronto
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels, who finish second in the OUA East, begin their playoff journey next week. The women's seeding and opponent will be determined based on their RPI rating. Stay tuned to gogaelsgo.com for more information.

Source: Queen's Gaels

Western finishes regular season with 59-49 win over Algoma

LONDON, Ont. – Given that Saturday was Senior Day at Alumni Hall, it was only fitting that Caroline Wolynski lead the way for the Mustangs, scoring 20 points to help Western finish out the regular season with a 59-49 win over Algoma.
 
"We had some new players in some new positions for us, and I thought that put us in situations where we weren't the most comfortable, but we had to go through those," said Western head coach Brian Cheng. We've had some adversity, but now we've got new people now stepping up. It was a good opportunity for us."
 
The win finishes off Western's regular season, giving them a 14-6 win-loss record, good for second place in the OUA West Division heading into the playoffs. Algoma's record falls to 1-18, and they will finish out their season tomorrow against the Windsor Lancers.
 
Before the game, a brief ceremony was held for Wolynski and Jayme Muir, the team's two graduating seniors. Muir's and Wolynski's years of contributions to the Western Mustangs women's basketball team were celebrated as the veterans took center court for pictures with family and applause from the crowd.
 
"[Muir and Wolynski] are just wonderful people, and they've moved this program ahead," said Western head coach Brian Cheng. "Their contributions can't be valued—it's priceless."
 
Not only did Wolynski lead all players in scoring, she also finished with eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Mackenzie Puklicz was next up on the scoresheet with 16 points and eight boards of her own, while Alex Van Heeswyk topped the rebound leaderboard with 11.
 
On the Algoma end, forward Laura Meadows led the Thunderbirds' tough fight, contributing a total of 11 points. Marlee Ball and Karissa Kojorinne contributed nine points each to help keep the game close.
 
It was a tough match for Western on Saturday night. With numerous Mustangs out due to injury, including Maddy Horst, Victoria Heine, and Julia Curran, the purple and white struggled to adjust.
 
Missing top rebounders Heine and Curran, the Thunderbirds beat Western on the boards in the first quarter, grabbing eight rebounds to the home team's four. Offensively, the Mustangs were able to outshoot and outscore Algoma, but just by one point; it was 12-11 for Western heading into the second frame.
 
The Mustangs started to separate themselves from Algoma in the second quarter, although the Thunderbirds kept things closer than the Mustangs would have liked. Wolynski stole the show in the frame, scoring nine of Western's 14 points, including twice going the length of the court before finishing things off with a layup. Heading into the half, the purple and white lead 26-21.
 
Algoma continued to keep things close in the third quarter, with both teams committing a number of turnovers as well as shooting just under 30%, the two sides were having trouble getting shots to fall. The Thunderbirds, held a slight edge in the frame, outscoring the Mustangs 16-11 to enter the fourth quarter with things all tied up at 37-37.
 
Western began to pull away in the final 10 minutes, putting 22 points on the scoreboard, compared to 12 from the visitors. Two three-pointers from Meredith McLeod and another from Laura Graham played a key role in putting the Mustangs in front, eventually giving the Mustangs a 59-49 win.
 
Following the game, Wolynski reflected on her past five years in purple and white, while also looking ahead to the playoffs that begin next week.
 
"It's so surreal, time flew by," she said. "It's really sad, but I'm just going to do whatever I can to get us as far as we can in the playoffs. I don't want it to end anytime soon, so hopefully we can find some ways to win."
 
Now that the Mustangs have finished their regular season, they move on to fight for the Critelli Cup in the playoffs. Their first playoff game is on Wednesday, March 2 at home, though the opponent is yet to be announced. Catch the game at 6 p.m. at Alumni Hall, or watch the live stream on OUA.tv.

Source: Western Mustangs

Ravens close out regular season with 59-43 win over Nipissing

(NORTH BAY, ON) — The Ravens women's basketball team completed a two-game regular season series sweep over the Nipissing Lakers for the second year in a row with a 59-43 win on Saturday evening at the Robert J Surtees Gymnasium. Carleton (14-5) earned its fourteenth win of the regular season, a significant improvement over last year's 9-10 regular season record.

"It's a tough road trip, but our focus level wasn't up to par this evening," reflected Ravens head coach Taffe Charles. "However, we got the result we needed which is the most important part."

Just as they had done in Friday night's win over Laurentian, Carleton's forwards Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON) and Lindsay Shotbolt (Markham, ON) guided the Ravens to a terrific final result over Nipissing, whose season came to an end with the loss.

"I thought that (Lindsay and Shotbolt) played hard tonight, but we'll need bigger performances from them in the playoffs," commented coach Charles. "Our frontcourt play has been critical for our success this season."

Carleton had an exceptional start to the game with a 19-9 lift off in the first quarter, connecting on 3 three-pointers. The team continued to play well in the second quarter as Carleton limited Nipissing to 9 points in the frame and only 18 points in the first half.

Ravens forward Lindsay Shotbolt found plenty of room to operate in the paint as she scored 12 of her 13 total points prior to halftime. Carleton led 34-18 after two.

Nipissing's Claire Abbott, a former Raven, kept her team in contention by going 5-for-9 from the floor in the second half for 15 points. She also connected on 3 three-pointers to give the Lakers some hope. Abbott finished the game with a team-high 22 points.

The Ravens experienced some shooting woes in final two quarters, struggling in a 9-for-31 (29%) second-half spell, but Carleton remained resilient and continued to keep the Lakers from closing  the gap.

With the Ravens ahead 51-31 after three, several bench players were called upon to finish the game for team and they did an admirable job in place of the starters who got some well-deserved rest.

The Ravens' second unit outscored Nipissing's 21-8 in the game, and they certainly deserve some credit for this evening's victory. Cynthia Dupont-Letourneau (Waterville, QC) scored 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the field, also draining a pair of long-range threes for good measure.

Carleton's normally exceptional rebounding was not one of their strong suits against the Lakers on Saturday. The Ravens only grabbed 31 boards against the Lakers. It was the team's lowest output since the 28 rebounds they collected against Lakehead in November. However, they still owned a 31-27 edge over Nipissing

Thanks for some consistent defensive pressure, the Ravens also forced the Lakers into 32 turnovers, converting the gifts into 30 points on the scoreboard.

Ravens forward Heather Lindsay finished the game with a team-high 14 points and 8 rebounds.

2016 OUA Playoffs

With a win tonight, the Ravens are guaranteed a first-round series bye and will host a quarter-final playoff game next Saturday at the Ravens' Nest with the opponent yet to be determined.

"Once you enter the playoffs, there is a lot of parity, so we are happy to avoid having to play a Wednesday (opening round) game," explained coach Charles. "We're thrilled to be able to host a game as it has us one step closer to the OUA Final 4; playing at home is certainly an advantage."

Source: Carleton Ravens

Rams close out regular season with ninth straight win