Quest for the Critelli Cup continues Saturday with quarterfinal matchups

BURLINGTON, Ont.  – With the preliminary round concluding Wednesday, quarter-final matchups are set, as the remaining eight teams in OUA women's basketball will hit the hardcourt Saturday to continue their quest for the inaugural Critelli Cup.

(1) Ottawa Gee-Gees (17-2) vs. (8) Guelph Gryphons (11-8)

A strong defensive game was instrumental in the Gee-Gees finishing with the No. 1 seed in OUA, allowing the second least points per game (56.6), while holding opponents to a league low 32.7% shooting.

On offence Ottawa is led by Catherine Traer (Chelsea, Que.), who was fourth in the province in points per game this season (16.0), and Julia Soriano (Toronto, Ont.), whose 44.2% shooting from behind the arc was second in the province and helped the Gee-Gee's lockdown the league's best three-point field goal percentage at 33.1.

Finishing the season outside the top four, the Gryphons were forced to play a preliminary matchup against the Brock Badgers to reach the quarter-final round, defeating them 69-51.

Guelph will be looking to Kate MacTavish (Waterloo, Ont.) to lead them to an upset, after she recorded team-highs this season in points per game (14.9), field goal percentage (48.9), total rebounds per game (9.1) and blocks per game (0.8). Bridget Atkinson (Welland, Ont.) will also be instrumental for the Gryphons, as the guard is just one year removed from being named OUA Rookie of the Year and a second-team all-star.

The two teams squared off back on Nov. 14, in a tightknit affair that saw the Gee-Gees edge out the Gryphons 72-69. MacTavish recorded game-highs in both rebounds (10) and points (27), while Traer played a key role in the Gee-Gees' win, with team-highs in points (24) and assists (3), and a game-high three blocks.

Should uOttawa win Saturday night, the Gee-Gees would host the OUA Final Four next weekend.

(2) Ryerson Rams (16-3) vs. (7) Western Mustangs (14-6)

The No. 4 CIS nationally ranked Rams enter the quarter-final round on a hot streak, having won their last nine games. They were one of the province's most dominant teams this season, leading the league in points per game (80.3), field goal percentage (41.9), total rebounds per game (46.7) and steals per game (11.6).

Key players in the matchup for the Rams include 2014-15 first-team all-star Keneca Pingue-Giles (Winnipeg, Man.), who was second in the province with 17.9 points per game, and Sofia Paska (Etobicoke, Ont.), who was OUA's third best shooter this season, converting 52.0% from the field.

The Mustangs, who trounced the Toronto Varsity Blues 91-51 in preliminary round action to reach the quarter-finals, also feature a talented frontcourt, averaging the fourth most points per game in OUA this season (71.3), which should make for an offensive showdown against the Rams.

They will be showcasing the league's top scorer in Mackenzie Puklicz (London, Ont.), who averaged 18.6 points per game, and last year's all-rookie team member Maddy Horst (Baden, Ont.), who shot 42.6% from three-point land, third in OUA.  The Baden, Ont. native contributed greatly to Western's second best three-point percentage in the province (31.5).

The Rams won their Nov. 20 matchup against the Mustangs by a score of 84-70. Paska recorded a game-high 23 points in the victory, while forward Victoria Heine (London,Ont.) was big on the boards for Western, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.

(3) Carleton Ravens (14-5) vs. (6) Windsor Lancers (15-5)

While the Ravens' men's program has experienced immense success over the past 15 seasons, the women's program will enter the 2015-16 playoffs looking to capture the OUA banner for the first time in school history.

The Ravens were a force on defence this season, allowing a league low 55.8 points per game. They also boast one of the league's best two-way players in Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, Ont.), as the environmental studies student-athlete finished in the top five in OUA for both points per game (15.9) and rebounds per game (10.5), while shooting a league best 52.9% from the field. 2014-15 second-team all-star Lindsay Shotbolt (Markham, Ont.) will also play a pivotal role for the Ravens, after finishing second on her team to Lindsay in field goal percentage (45.8) and rebounds per game (6.1).

The Lancers, having ousted the Laurier Golden Hawks 82-76 in the preliminary round to set up a quarter-final date with the Ravens, enter the matchup having won an astounding six of the past seven OUA championships, while being crowned CIS champions the past five seasons.

Windsor will be hoping to disprove the old adage "defence wins championships," as the Lancers will counter the Ravens' league best defense with the province's second best offense, averaging 75.3 points per game.

Their offence is led by a pair of forwards, Emily Prevost (Montreal, Que.) and Cheyanne Roger (Etobicoke, Ont.), who rank fourth and fifth in OUA shooting, with marks of 49.3% and 49.2%, respectively.

The Ravens faced off against the Lancers early in the season, on Nov. 28, winning 80-63. Lindsay and Prevost were dominant at both ends of the court for their teams in the matchup, recording team-highs in rebounds (10 and 13, respectively) and points (24 and 14, respectively).

(4) McMaster Marauders (15-4) vs. (5) Queen's Gaels (14-5)

The Marauders enter the playoffs riding a five-game winning streak, while boasting the league's third best offence, scoring 74.7 points a game and shooting 39.9% from the field.

McMaster's resilient offence is fronted by a pair of 2014-15 all-stars: Danielle Boiago (Hamilton, Ont.), who is averaging OUA's third most points per game with 15.9, and Clare Kenney (Gananoque, Ont.), who ranked in the top five in the province in both rebounds per game (9.3) and field goal percentage (52.5).

The defensive game for Queen's was one of the main reasons the team solidified one of the top seeds in OUA, as they allowed the fourth least points per game (57.8), while collecting the most defensive rebounds per game (30.6).

This was thanks in large part to Robyn Pearson (Toronto, Ont.), as the fourth year commerce student-athlete collected the most boards per game in the province this season, with 10.8.

The Gaels defeated the Marauders in their lone regular season matchup on Nov. 20, by a score of 63-50. Guard Emily Hazlett (Fredericton, N.B.) was the Gaels' top player in the game, recording game-highs in points (13) and takeaways (5). Kenney was one of the Marauders' bright spots in the losing effort, with a game-high three blocks, while collecting a team-high nine boards.

The quarter-final round is set to begin Saturday, with Queen's and McMaster leading things off at 4 p.m. The other three matchups will follow with 6 p.m. starts.

The winner of each game will move on to the semi-final round, scheduled for Mar. 11.

Catch all the action Saturday streaming live on OUA.tv as the #QuestfortheCup continues.