AROUND OUA: Gee-Gees finish season with big win over No. 8 Ryerson

The uOttawa Gee-Gees women's basketball came out with a huge 66-56 win tonight against the no. 8 ranked Ryerson Rams. The Gee-Gee defense had been strong all year and was effective tonight against Ryerson post-centred offense. It was a tug of war for three quarters as the lead for either team did not creep above five points. In the fourth quarter, uOttawa made an offensive push that widened the gap out of Ryerson's reach.

Sarah Besselink led in scoring with eighteen-points and seven rebounds supported by Danielle Marion's fourteen-points and six boards.  

Ottawa head coach Sparks weighs in, "it was probably our best game, in its entirety."

In the opening minutes uOttawa made it clear they would not be out-worked when on defense as they drained Ryerson's first shot clock. uOttawa did double duty on defense all game to contain Ryerson post play.  The garnet and grey successfully limited Ryerson's offensive power-house Paska to four points in the first quarter.

On offense uOttawa used their speed as their main asset against the Rams. At the half Danielle Marion dominated in the paint with ten-points. Gee-Gees offensive chemistry was electric as in several plays veteran players created scoring opportunities with smart passing sequences. Wishart drove to the hoop and showed great vision to find Besselink open to her right who drained a long jump shot.

After a shaky start to the third quarter, Wishart lifted her team up off their feet as she made a layup through contact that sent her crashing to the floor.  Besselink, uOttawa's unofficial finisher, got her offense going hitting three-point shots both to end the third and start the fourth quarters.

Sparks on the Gee-Gees offensive performance in the fourth quarter, "we had a nice push in the last quarter to create some room and that I think was really key." Specifically, uOttawa gave themselves an eleven-point cushion at four minutes left in the game.

uOttawa's small ball strategy used in latter half of the season in the defensive end looked like well-oiled machine tonight. An integral part of that machine tonight was Danielle Marion as she was elementary in tonight's win. Sparks explains, "she was so active today. She is quite unique to counter the opposing teams bigs. She ran a lot of good pick and roll stuff, she got to the boards for us. She did a really nice job defensively being active on their posts."

"It was nice to see some of our kids step up tonight. Now we are going to the playoffs," concludes Sparks.

Coach Sparks also gave praise to Julia Dostaler, who followed Besselink and Marion in scoring with 10 points. uOttawa's bench point production came in at twenty-one points. uOttawa shot 88.9 percent from the free-throw line compared to Ryerson's 66.7 percent. uOttawa field goal attempts were more effectively than Ryerson with 42.6 and 33.3 percent, respectively. Ryerson outrebounded uOttawa 42-33. There was a total of five lead changes in tonight's tight matchup.

uOttawa finished its regular season on that coveted high note, going 2-0 this weekend to finish at 13-6 in regular season play. The team now enters playoff season where they will play at home on Wednesday for the first round. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.

Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees

Marauders maul Mustangs

The McMaster women's basketball team finished OUA conference play in impressive fashion, defeating the Western Mustangs 92-40 on Saturday afternoon in London.  Mac ends up at 17-2 in league play.
 
The Marauders got off to a slow start at Western, as the Mustangs led 9-3 early on, but Mac finished the quarter on an incredible 19-0 run to grab a 22-9 lead after 10 minutes.
 
McMaster continued rolling in the second quarter, going on a 11-2 run early on to increase the lead to 20, with just over six minutes remaining in the quarter. Danielle Boiago was solid in the second, scoring ten points in the quarter, to help give Mac a 48-20 lead going into halftime.
 
McMaster forced 19 first-half turnovers leading to 25 points, whereas the Mustangs failed to convert on any of the Marauders' four first-half turnovers.
 
The Mustangs picked up their defence in the third quarter, but Mac continued their strong play and went basket-for-basket with Western,  finishing the quarter up 63-32 with ten minutes left to play.
 
The Maroon saved their best play for the fourth quarter, when it seemed like they couldn't miss a shot. Their defence was the best it had been all game, holding Western to just eight points, while scoring 29 of their own to finish the 52-point victory.
 
Boiago led the way for Mac, finishing just shy of a triple-double, scoring 23 points, grabbing seven boards, and coming away with eight steals, in an impressive well-rounded game.  The 5th-year veteran completes her OUA career with 1,719 points, which ranks her first in Mac history, and third all-time in the OUA record book.
 
Vanessa Pickard had a strong game off of the bench for Mac scoring 15 points, while Olivia Wilson added 13 and Rachael Holmes chipped in 10.
 
The Marauder bench was a key factor as they outscored the Mustangs' bench 38-6. Mac also shot a solid 44 per cent from the field and held Western to just 32 per cent.
 
Having secured a top four position in the OUA, McMaster will enjoy a first-round playoff bye and  will host an opponent to be determined in the quarter-finals on Saturday, Feb. 25^th.   Check marauders.ca for information on upcoming playoff action.

Source: McMaster Marauders

Lancers dominate Badgers to close out regular season

The No. 6 Lancer women's basketball team closed out their regular season with a dominating 86-49 win over the Brock Badgers on Saturday afternoon at the St. Denis Centre.
 
Windsor closes out the season with a 16-4 record and claims the west division title for the ninth straight year. The Badgers, under new head coach Ashley MacSporran, ended the year with an 8-11 record to finish third in the central division.
 
Following the game, the Lancers honoured their graduating seniors in an emotional ceremony. Andrea Kiss, Emily Prevost, and fifth year captain Caitlyn Longmuir were all recognized for their time and dedication to the Lancer family.
 
Carly Steer was on fire this afternoon leading all scorers with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals and shooting 6-for-10 from the three point line.
 
Longmuir and Cheyanne Roger each put up 16 points, while Emily Prevost finished the season with her 11th double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Kaylee Anagnastopoulos also had a strong defensive game with 10 rebounds.
 
The visiting Badgers were led by Melissa Tatti with 18 points and Alex Symonds with 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Source: Windsor Lancers

Warriors wrap up roller coaster season with win over Gryphons

The Waterloo women's basketball team wrapped up what was a whirlwind of a season on a winning note, defeating the Guelph Gryphons 86-73 on Saturday night.  It was an impressive road victory for the black and gold and for first year head coach Craig Nickel it was a fitting end to the season.

"I am extremely proud of how our girls went out and competed this season amongst all the distractions," said Nickel.  "We came together as a group and competed game in and game out.  Tonight was an exceptional way to go out for our graduating seniors and gives us high spirits as we prepare for next season." Waterloo shot lights out in this contest, operating at 50.7% from the field, their best shooting game of the season by far.  Waterloo was also very efficient from the free throw line, knocking down 14 of 17 attempts.

A trio of graduating seniors had stellar games to end their Warrior careers as Kristen Osborne (Markham), Jenel Ulman (Hamilton), and Emily Wilk (Oakville) combined for 58 points.

Osbrone led the way with 22 going 8-for-15 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.  Ulman had 21 while Wilk put up 15.  On the boards, Sofie Persson (Lomma) was strong, collecting seven rebounds.  Off the bench Sydney Wilson (Guelph) was impactful with 10 points.

For Guelph it was Megan Brenkel leading the way with 18 points while Sarah Holmes had 15.  

Waterloo can hold their heads high after going out with a bang and will no doubt be a team to watch next season in the OUA.

Source: Waterloo Warriors

Carleton ends regular season on high note with victory over Toronto

OTTAWA, ON — The Carleton Ravens women's basketball team will enter the 2017 playoffs riding an 18-game unbeaten run thanks to a 66-52 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues in the regular-season finale on Saturday at the Ravens' Nest.

BOX SCORE

Despite receiving a stiff challenge from the pesky Varsity Blues, the Ravens managed to gain control late in regulation to finish off their schedule in style, as Carleton will ride a huge wave of momentum into the postseason.

Third-year forward Elizabeth Leblanc (London, ON) carried the scoring load and some, as she finished the evening with a game-high 18 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists, five steals and four blocks in a dazzling performance.

Carleton came out on a mission, as the Ravens broke out on 10-0 spurt to begin the game, with Jenjen Abella (Hamilton, ON) and Elizabeth Leblanc each knocking down a triple in the game's opening minutes. Toronto answered with its own 7-0 run to climb back into the contest, but the Ravens would take the first quarter with a 19-13 scoreline.

The Ravens would be unable to sustain their momentum to start the second, as the Varsity Blues stormed back to take a 24-22 lead midway through quarter thanks to the play of guard Keyira Parkes, who registered seven points in the frame. However, Carleton managed to regain the upper hand ahead of the half as Catherine Traer (Chelsea, QC) spearheaded a 12-2 end-of-quarter burst that saw the Ravens take a 34-27 advantage to the locker room.

Carleton hit 13-of-34 (38.3%) shots in the opening half, holding the Varsity Blues to 30% (9-30 FG) from the floor.

Carleton and Toronto scrapped through a rough quarter following the break, as the officials allowed for both teams to battle for an edge in the tightly contested matchup. The Ravens were able to pad their lead as they went up by as many as 13 points, but the two sides struggled through a four-minute scoring drought in the middle of the frame. The Varsity Blues pulled back to within seven once again, but Elizabeth Leblanc came up with a big block in the lane on a driving Varsity Blue before sinking a triple late in the period to give Carleton a 46-38 lead after three.

Up eight points entering the final act, the Ravens turned it up a notch with an aggressive fourth-quarter showing. Carleton outscored the Varsity Blues 20-14 in the final ten minutes, with Abella and Nicole Gilmore (Hamilton, ON) showing off their range with triples on consecutive Ravens' offensive possessions to ice the game.

Carleton played its second straight contest without Heather Lindsay, who did not suit up against Toronto after missing the previous game against Ryerson. Even without Lindsay – the country's leading rebounder, the Ravens still won the battle of the boards, 46-35.

Ravens point guard Jenjen Abella had one of her top games of 2016-17, as she scored 14 points in addition to seven rebounds and a game-high six assists in the win. Forward Catherine Traer, who showed sensational execution in Friday's win over Ryerson, lit up the scoreboard for 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the campaign. Traer also registered four blocks to end the regular season with 27 swats, good enough for the fifth-highest total in the conference.

Toronto high scorer of the game was Keyira Parkes, who finished with 17 points.

Although the OUA reduced the schedule from 22 games to 19 games beginning in 2014-15, the current Ravens become the first Carleton women's basketball team to reach 18 wins since the 2010-11 season. The 2016-17 team finishes the campaign with a .947 winning percentage, which is the best regular-season mark of the Taffe Charles era (2007-present).

With the final RPI rankings settled following the completion of the conference schedule, Carleton could see the Varsity Blues once again next weekend as the Ravens play the winner of the 7 v.11 playoff preliminary round matchup which pits the Laurier Golden Hawks against Toronto on Wednesday, February 22.

Source: Carleton Ravens

Thunderbirds dominate Lakers to close out season

The Algoma Thunderbirds women's basketball team earned their fourth and final win of the season against the Nipissing Lakers this evening in the GLC. In their annual Seniors' Night game, Algoma dominated the floor, winning 69-49, with their first-ever back-to-back win since joining the OUA.
 
Karissa Kajorinne led the Tbirds in the win with 15 points and 5 rebounds. Carriera Lamoureux had 13 points and 6 boards. Karly Fracalanza and Karina Cole also had double digits in the win.
 
Claire Abbott had 16 points in the loss for the Lakers.
 
Algoma shot 40 per cent from the field and beyond the arc, and 88.2 per cent from the line.

"I couldn't be happier the way we ended the season," said Head Coach Ryan Vetrie. "To get both wins to close out the weekend, something we haven't ever done before and to have it on our home court sending off our seniors was pretty specials. I am very proud of this group and the way they played all year long." 
 
Honoured in Seniors' Night were Carriera Lamoureux, Sydney Resch, and Karissa Kajorinne. Tonight marked their final game sporting the red, white, and grey for the Thunderbirds. Resch finishes out the season as Algoma's women's all-time leading scorer since joining the OUA with 607 points. 
 
The Algoma women end the season at 4-16 in the OUA West.

Source: Algoma Thunderbirds