Gee-Gees advance to the Critelli Cup Final with a 56-42 win over the Maruaders
OTTAWA, Ont. - The four-time OUA Coach of the Year and a big performance from OUA Second Team All-Star Catherine Traer led the first seeded University of Ottawa Gee-Gees to victory in the first OUA semi-final game of the weekend.
OTTAWA, Ont. - The four-time OUA Coach of the Year and a big performance from OUA Second Team All-Star Catherine Traer led the first seeded University of Ottawa Gee-Gees to victory in the first OUA semi-final game of the weekend.
A 56-42 win over the fourth-seeded McMaster Marauders at Montpetit Hall sends the Gee-Gees through to Saturday's 8 p.m. Critielli Cup Final and also earns the team a trip to the CIS Final 8 next week. The low-scoring basketball game showcased both teams' unrelenting defence and work ethic.
Despite high intensity brought on from both teams at the tip off, it was slow-scoring game as the first half closed with the Gee-Gees leading the low scoring game 19-13. The Marauders, who ranked third in the CIS for field goal percentage, were shaken in the first half with a mere 17.2 per cent from the field. Semi-final nerves hit both ends of the floor as Ottawa went 8-33 to close the first half.
Things started to heat up for the Gee-Gees as they went on a 6-0 run in the third, but were quickly shut down by a big three dropped Marauder Hilary Hanaka. The second-year guard closed the game with nine points in three-pointers alone. The third quarter burst was improved by smooth ball movement from McMaster with a nifty over the shoulder pass from Linnaea Harper for an easy lay in for Daniella Boiago. The three-time OUA all-star Boiago, two shy of a double-double stuffed the stat sheets with a team high of 19 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 each for steals and assists.
"We defended well, contested the shots, and forced them to take maybe a bad shot, but we didn't do the rest of the job and clean it up giving the team second and third chances," notes McMaster head coach Theresa Burns.
The Gee-Gees out rebounded the Marauders 25-16 on the offensive end. Big on the boards for Ottawa was OUA First Team all-star Kellie Ring and Second Team all-star Julia Soriano bringing down 13 and 10 boards, respectively. Adding to the big boards, Kellie Ring secured a double-double netting 12 points as well as 5 assists, 4 steals and a block.
Tickets to the Critelli Cup final are available online at tickets.geegees.ca and include the bronze medal match which will tip off at 6:00 p.m.
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | McMaster | Ottawa |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (14-59) | (20-68) |
| Field Goal % | 23.7% | 29.4% |
| Rebounds | 38 | 50 |
| Assists | 8 | 12 |
| Turnovers | 21 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 2 | 15 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 10 |
| Pts in the Paint | 16 | 24 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 8 | 10 |
