AROUND OUA: Ravens boost resume with rare win at Windsor in Top-10 showdown

SCOREBOARD

Carleton 70 @ Windsor 59

Ottawa 53 @ Western 50

Nipissing 46 @ Queen's 96

Laurentian 61 @ York 65

Algoma 54 @ Guelph 64

Ryerson 91 @ Brock 75

Ravens boost resume with rare win at Windsor in Top-10 showdown

WINDSOR, ON — A tantalizing matchup between two of Canada's top women's basketball programs ended in a twelfth straight victory for Carleton on Friday, as the visiting Ravens enacted retribution for last year's playoff exit by using a poised second-half performance to secure a 70-59 road win over the Windsor Lancers.

BOX SCORE

It was a monumental occasion for the Ravens and bench boss Taffe Charles, who not only earned his 200th career win over U SPORTS competition on the night, but also his first-career coaching victory over the Lancers at the St. Denis Centre. Carleton also collected its first win in Windsor since Nov. 10, 2006.

Following a two-game absence from the Carleton lineup, Ravens forward Catherine Traer (Chelsea, QC) stayed true to her all-conference form by scoring a game-high 19 points in her team's victory over No.6 Windsor.

The Ravens and Lancers renewed acquaintances quickly as the two teams traded blows for a first-quarter advantage. Carleton was provided with a much-needed boost from reserve Cynthia Dupont (Waterville, QC) who scored seven points in the first, while guard Nicole Gilmore (Hamilton, ON) added five as the Ravens went up by three, 14-11, after one.

Windsor settled in on their home court in the second, outscoring the Ravens 22-17 in the frame. Carleton had built up an eight-point margin just three minutes into the quarter, but the Lancers refused to quit, as OUA All-Star Emily Prevost scored six points, as Windsor closed the half with a 18-7 run and a 33-31 upper hand at the break.

Carleton came out flying in the third with an aggressive scoring attack, quickly regaining the lead over Windsor before building up a 14-point cushion with 2:15 remaining in the period courtesy of a Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON) tip in. Seven different Ravens got on the scoreboard in the quarter, but a late 6-0 push by the Lancers cut the deficit to eight points as Carleton held a 51-43 edge as the game headed into the final ten minutes.

The fourth quarter had the energy and intensity of a playoff game, as the Windsor Lancers managed to close the gap to five points with just over four minutes remaining thanks to a Carly Steer three-point jump shot. With the Ravens facing the prospect of blowing the lead late in regulation, Catherine Traer emerged as the hero down the stretch. The fourth-year forward caught fire late with eight points in a row for her team, including back-to-back threes that helped the Ravens regain a double-digit lead and ice the game.

The Ravens went 27-of-62 ( 43.5%) from the floor against Windsor compared to the Lancers' underwhelming  19-for-59 (32.2%) effort, one of their least efficient shooting nights of the campaign. Carleton's defence came up with five blocks and limited Windsor to a season-low six assists, denying the Lancers of any easy looks.

Guard Cynthia Dupont posted a regular season career-high with 15 points (6-9 FG) on a night where the Ravens needed some support off the bench with several starters struggling to find their touch around the net. Nicole Gilmore scored 13 points with four rebounds, while Jenjen Abella ended the evening with six points, a team-high six assists and four steals.

After knocking off Windsor, Carleton moves one win closer to tying the program-record 13-game winning streak set in the 2010-11 season. The Ravens can equal the mark tomorrow night as they head to London, ON for a meeting with the Western Mustangs.

Source: Carleton Ravens

Gee-Gees prevail in tight win over Western

The Gee-Gees women's basketball team triumphed over Western in a tight 53-50 win Friday afternoon in London, Ont.  The game was minute to minute as the teams exchanged eleven lead changes and seven ties. In the end uOttawa came out on top with the determination of Jennifer Crowe and Melina Wishart with 15 points each.

"It was key down the stretch that Melina Wishart and Jen Crowe both went to the hoop, got fouled, and made their free throw shots. They did a very good job, certainly good offensive production," explains Ottawa head coach Andy Sparks.

An intense fourth quarter had Western tie the game twice and take a 50-49 lead. Wishart had the go-ahead bucket before Crowe brought it home for the Gee-Gees with eight seconds left by draining both of her free throw shots.

A daytime game had Alumni Hall packed with special elementary school guests from the London area, making for a great crowd atmosphere. Western hit first with a three-point shot early in the first quarter. The Gee-Gees responded offensively as they tied and quickly took the lead with help from buckets by Crowe and Kellie Forand. Minutes later, Crowe had possession in the key when she made a short pass to Ariane Lefebvre who drove in for two points off the glass.  Brooklyn McAlear-Fanus displayed her speed as she stole the ball and went end to end for an easy layup. Wishart hit back to back buckets that gave the Gee-Gees a five point lead over halfway through the first quarter, finishing the quarter one point ahead.

Each time the Gee-Gees went for a scoring run the Mustangs were able to push back offensively to stay in the game. "They got good looks and opportunities and we didn't finish great," said Sparks. uOttawa had just one three-pointer fall and a 33.3 field goal percentage. Mustang Julia Curran had a big game with 23 points, supported by Meredith McLeod with 10.

Defensively, the Gee-Gees had nine steals and scored sixteen points off Western turnovers.  Sparks commented, "I think we defended well. As long as we are keeping teams in that 50 point area we are going to be in every game and give ourselves a chance to win." Although uOttawa's defence was strong, they were out rebounded 36-29.  

"We are progressing, we have different people stepping up every day and we are going to have to make sure some of those other players step up for us in order for us to be competitive. Hopefully if we get our offence going we will get a chance to beat some teams that are in the top end of the country," concludes Sparks.

Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees

Gaels topple Lakers to remain undefeated in OUA play

KINGSTON, Ont. (January 27, 2017)- Myriam Fontaine tallied a team-high 14 points, and the Queen's Gaels women's basketball team cruised to a 96-46 victory over the Nipissing Lakers at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) on Friday evening.
 
Fontaine (Cornwall,Ont.) was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, while fellow sophomore Veronika Lavergne (Ottawa) tallied 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the U SPORTS No. 4 ranked Gaels, who improve to 13-0 on the season and inch one step closer to a first-round bye in the playoffs with six games remaining on the conference schedule.
 
Davanee Dewey was impressive in a losing cause for the Lakers, showing 7-of-10 for a game-high 18 points. Nipissing drops to 1-13 on the season.
   
GAME FLOW
Alarie (Sudbury, Ont.) drained a three-pointer, pacing the hosts out to an 11-2 lead early in the opening quarter. In a rusty first quarter where the teams combined for 16 turnovers (10 of which came from the guests), rookie Bridgett Mulholland (Kingston) tallied four points to help the women build an 11-point lead after 10 minutes of play.
 
Four-straight points from Emily Hazlett (Fredericton, N.B.) to open the second period prompted a timeout from Lakers coach Marg Jones. The Lakers continued to struggle offensively, however, in response to some aggressive defence from Queen's, who put together a 10-0 streak through the first five minutes of the second.
 
The Gaels continued to be efficient offensively, shooting a formidable 61.8% from the field in the first half to take a commanding 51-21 lead heading into the break. Hazlett and Pearson each picked up a team-high seven points through the first two quarters.
 
Queen's picked up where they left off in the third, scoring the first nine points of the quarter. The Lakers found more of a groove offensively, scoring 17 points in the quarter. The Gaels, however, maintained a comfortable lead heading into the fourth quarter, where they cruised to a 13th straight regular season win to remain the only undefeated squad in the nation.
 
FINAL SAY
"I thought there was a mix of good and bad tonight," said head coach Dave Wilson. "I was disappointed in the third quarter where we gave up 17 points. I thought we were sloppy on defence. Trying to stay focused in that game was one of our goals, and we didn't quite make it. The focus has to be on our own execution. In the first quarter we had six turnovers, then three in the second, and third we were back up to seven, so that's where the focus was lost."
 
"On the other hand, we did do some things well, we moved the ball pretty well, and have a good numbers of assists."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
54.1%- The Gaels shot a season-best 54.1% (40-74) from the field against Nipissing
14- Myriame Fontaine picked up a career-high 14 points on Friday night
59- The teams combined for 59 turnovers (38-Nipissing, 21-Queen's)

UP NEXT
The Gaels wrap up their weekend on Saturday evening when they host the Laurentian Voyageurs at the ARC. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. and the game can be seen live on OUA.tv. For ticket information visit www.gogaelsgo.com/tickets.

Source: Queen's Gaels

Lions top Voyageurs for second straight win

The York University Lions women's basketball team recorded its second straight win on Friday night (Jan. 27), as they took down the Laurentian Voyageurs in dramatic fashion to win 65-61.
 
Trailing by three with time expiring in the fourth quarter, the Voyageurs attempted to advance the ball past half court. As the Laurentian forward effortlessly and obliviously advanced the ball, York's Sandra Nagowska (Peterborough, Ont.) used her sleight of hand to pick pocket and return the ball back into scoring position. Dribbling with the ball outside of the arc and the clock ticking down from 0:12, Nagowska found and fed an awaiting Ishanna Seupersadsingh (Markham, Ont.) for a quick layup and the game-icing points. As time expired the thunderous home team crowed applauded the thrilling victory.   
 
Coming off of a big win just six days ago against Brock, the Lions would give their best efforts to chalk up two straight wins for the first time this season. They are now 4-9 on the year while the Voyageurs dropped to 3-11.
 
A competitive first quarter set the stage for what would be a back and forth battle for the entirety of the game. Shauney Fischer (Wallaceburg, Ont.) went to work with five points in the first 10 minutes of the game. Fischer would total a team-leading 19 points while also recording five rebounds.
 
In the following quarter Fischer would record six more points while Megan MacLeod (Niagara Falls, Ont.) would record six of her own. A solid push in the opening half would leave the Lions leading by a score of 30-29.
 
After halftime it was evident that Seupersadsingh wanted to join in on the action as the shifty guard went off, recording 10 points in the quarter. Her stellar play was attributed to her outstanding three-point shooting as she hit two straight from beyond the arc in 40 seconds and tallied 15 points in the game to pair with five rebounds.
 
The outstanding individual third quarter combined with 12 points from five different Lions gave York a 52-47 lead entering the final frame.  
 
The final quarter was highlighted not by any one players individual effort or play making ability, but by the entire team's unrelenting effort to close out the game. The Voyageurs tried to narrow the gap but could not overtake the Lions, and York held on for the win.
 
The Lions' next game will take place on Saturday night when the Nipissing Lakers travel to the Tait McKenzie Centre for a contest beginning at 6pm.

Source: York Lions

Gryphs pick up first win on new home court, beat Algoma 64-54

GUELPH, ON - As the saying goes, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. On Friday night however, it was the start and the finish that proved to be the difference for the Gryphons women's basketball team in a 64-54 victory over the visiting Algoma Thunderbirds. The Gryphons led 19-7 after the opening quarter. After Algoma battled back to tie the game at 48-48 with 8:07 to go in the 4th quarter, the Gryphs would go on a 13-0 run to seal the victory. The win was the Gryphs first in the new Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre. Guelph improve to 1-2 on their new home floor after previously having suffered losses to McMaster and Laurier. It was also marked the Gryphons second win of the season overall as they improve to 2-11. Algoma meanwhile, fall to 1-13 on the season.

The Gryphons defensively were causing the Thunderbirds all kinds of issues on Friday night. In the 1st quarter, Guelph forced Algoma into 30 turnovers on the night, 16 of which came in the opening 10 minutes. Thanks to a 6-0 run to end the 1st quarter, the Gryphons took a 19-7 lead to the 2nd. After the slow start, Algoma would bounce back with stronger efforts in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters, as the Gryphons held a slim two-point lead heading to the 4th. With the game tied at 48-48 in the 4th, the Gryphs would pull away for good with sophomore forwards Ashley Wheeler and Abbey Clark combining to score 11 straight points in a 13-0 run.

Wheeler finished the night with a team-high 17 points to go along with 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Clark came off the bench and chipped in with 10 points and 3 steals. The other Gryphons to score in double figures on the night were Haley Belyk (12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks & 3 steals) and Megan Brenkel (10 points on 5-of-11 shooting). The Gryphons will be right back in action again on Saturday night as they host Central Division rivals Brock. The Badgers (4-9) head into Guelph on a four-game losing streak after suffering a 92-75 loss to No. 7-ranked Ryerson on Friday. Saturday's game will mark the second meeting this season between Guelph and Brock, with the Badgers winning 82-53 back in mid-November when the teams met in St. Catharines. Tip is set for 6pm and can be seen live online at www.oua.tv.

Source: Guelph Gryphons

Rams net season high in win over Badgers

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Ryerson Rams women's basketball team scored a season-high 91 points to defeat the Brock Badgers 91-75 on Friday night at the Meridian Centre.

BOXSCORE

The Rams received double-double efforts from Sofia Paska (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Kellie Ring (13 points, 10 assists) to lead the way while freshman forward Bronwyn Williams turned in one of her best efforts with a new career-high 14 point night. 

In front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Meridian Centre the two teams provided an entertaining and tightly contested first half of play. The hometown Badgers eked out a 22-21 advantage through ten minutes before the Rams started to buckle down on defence.

Ryerson outscored Brock 22-17 in the second quarter to hold a 43-39 halftime lead.

The Rams put their foot down in the third quarter and held Brock to just 12 points while also finding their rhythm offensively and hitting some three point shots. Ryerson piled up 28 points in the frame to take a commanding 71-51 lead into the fourth.

With the outcome essentially decided, the Rams were able to provide their bench with some more minutes in the fourth and they wrapped up the 16 point victory.

Ryerson guard Cara Tiemens returned to action for the first time since January 13 against Queen's and finished with seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes. 

Brock was missing their leading scorer in Kira Cornelissen who averages 20 points per game, and used just eight players in this one. Melissa Tatti finished with a game-high 24 points in the losing effort.

Ryerson improves to 11-3 on the season and stays in second place in the OUA East division while Brock falls to 4-9 and remain tied for second in the Central. The Rams are back in action on Wednesday, February 1 when they host the York Lions at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Source: Ryerson Rams