OUA Women's Basketball Roundup (Feb. 5)
January 31, 2018
Brock 58 Laurier 73
WATERLOO, Ont. (February 1, 2018) – With a stellar performance against the Brock Badgers on Wednesday evening, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women’s basketball team edged closer to securing a playoff berth in the OUA West. The Hawks led after every quarter against the Badgers and came away with a comfortable 73-58 victory, avenging their defeat against the St. Catharines-based school at the beginning of the season.
Once again, Nicole Morrison led the way for the Hawks. The fifth-year guard out of Hamilton racked up 18 points and continues to inch closer to breaking two school records. After her performance today, she is only 46 points shy of the 1371 career points scored by the current record-holder Meghan McGrath, in addition to being only 32 points back of McGrath’s single-season scoring record of 425.
Not to be overlooked, the Hawks were powered by significant contributions from their supporting cast. First-year guard Maya Day (Kitchener, Ont.) showcased her versatility by picking up 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists in arguably the best all-around game of her rookie season. Rachel Woodburn, a second-year guard out Ajax, showed why she was named to the OUA All-Rookie team last season as she poured in 10 points, in addition to bringing down seven rebounds.
Sarah Dillon (Welland, Ont.) also scored 10 points, while Lauren Jamieson (Oakville, Ont.) amassed seven points and collected a team-high eight rebounds.
For Brock, the Badgers were powered by the 16 points and 16 rebounds of Courtney McPherson (Welland, Ont.).The fourth-year forward shot 7-15 from the field and 2-5 from the foul-line.
With the victory, the Hawks improve to 10-9 on the year, and further separate themselves from the teams chasing them in the standings. As a result of the win, the purple and gold continue to hold down the fifth position in the OUA West, while extending their lead over the sixth-placed Guelph Gryphons to two games.
The Western Mustangs, the fourth seed in the division, won as well on Wednesday night and improved to 11-8, keeping their one-game lead over the Hawks intact. With only five games remaining, the Hawks will attempt to push past the Mustangs during the upcoming stretch and clinch the highly-sought after fourth seed. Whoever finishes in the fourth spot in the division is awarded a first round playoff home game.
Source: laurierathletics.com
Laurentian 69 Nipissing 64
It was their first game against their northern rivals the Nipissing University Lakers this season, and it was a competitive one. Exchanging baskets for the first three quarters of the game, it was all tied up at the end of the third and the visiting Voyageurs needed to bring some energy if they wished to add another win to their season's column - and that they did. Outscoring their opponents 18-13 in the fourth, Laurentian ended the game in their favour 69-64 and with that capturing their fourth win of the season.
Typically struggling on the boards, this was a key difference in tonight's game as they outrebounded the Lakers 29-23 in a team effort.
One of the leading rebounders and the top scorer for Laurentian was first year forward Bailey Tabin who contributed 6 boards and 21 points in the match - one of her best performances of the season. Also with a notable effort was third year guard Andrea Zulich who tallied 15 points and 5 rebounds in the victory.
Top scorer for the Lakers was Marla Corney with 23 points.
Source: luvoyageurs.com
Waterloo 44 Western 74
LONDON, Ont. - Third-year forward Julia Curran scored a game-high 16 points to help lead the Western Mustangs to their third win in a row as they defeated the Waterloo Warriors 74-44 on Wednesday evening in Alumni Hall.
"Our home court advantage was a big motivation for us. We really wanted to protect our house and we did that tonight. In our first matchup we kind of gave up once we earned the lead and tonight we made sure to never play relaxed. We played with a high tempo the entire game," said Curran.
"We were a younger team the last time we faced them. We've definitely grown a lot in terms of our offence throughout the season and our defence isn't letting anybody penetrate the paint anymore. We're a completely different team and I think that showed," said Graham on the difference between the team's blowout win tonight and their tightly contested game against the Warriors earlier this season.
With the win, the Mustangs will improve to an 11-8 record on the regular season, good enough for fourth place in the OUA West division. The Warriors' loss will drop them to 1-18 on the regular season as they will remain at the bottom of the OUA West division standings.
Curran, who's averaging 12.9 points per game for the purple and white this season, added seven rebounds to lead the team alongside Victoria Heine, playing with consistent effort on the boards.
Four other Mustangs scored in double figures for Western in the win, as Mackenzie Puklicz and Maddy Horst put up 10 and 11 points, respectively, while Heine and third-year guard Laura Graham led the way on defence while chipping in 12 points each.
Western opened the game with a clear size advantage over the smaller Waterloo lineup, and Curran took advantage early for the purple and white, scoring in the paint with ease. Despite the advantage inside, the Mustangs' offence was sloppy through most of the opening frame, however, the Warriors simply couldn't find their rhythm at any point in the quarter, shooting just 16.7 percent from the field in the quarter. Western would eventually settle into the game to end the quarter as the Mustangs went into the second frame with a 14-5 lead.
The Mustangs fed their offence through the fast break to open the second quarter, as guards Horst and Puklicz earned easy points off turnovers to grow the Western lead. Western would find consistency on offence until about midway through the frame, where the Mustangs would go through a scoring drought while the Warriors put together an offensive run to claw back into the game. Despite the rough end to the quarter, the purple and white would find themselves heading into the second half with a 30-21 lead.
Western began the second half by going back to what worked for them in the first quarter, taking advantage of their size advantage and scoring in the post. Heine led the way to open the third quarter, seemingly scoring inside with ease over the smaller Warrior defenders. The Mustangs' defence would tighten up from the second quarter, forcing Warrior shooters in contested looks and disallowing Waterloo any sustained run as the purple and white headed into the fourth with a 46-30 advantage.
The fourth quarter was much of the same for the Mustangs, as Waterloo failed to put together a consistent string of offensive sequences as Western cruised to a 74-44 victory.
"We were consistent in our effort throughout the night. This Waterloo team is better than a 1-18 team in terms of what they bring to the table and in terms of effort. They bring a full level of intensity and they were competitive the entire night," said Cheng, crediting the Warriors' resilience despite facing a deficit throughout the entire game.
The Mustangs will be back in action this Saturday, February 3 where they will travel to Windsor to take on the first-place Windsor Lancers in their second and final meeting of the season.
"Our approach heading into Windsor this weekend would be the same whether we won or lost. Regardless, we have to go back to practicing and working even harder. As we head towards the end of the season, it's always about working smarter. Our intensity will always be there in our work ethic and in our practices, no matter what," said Mustangs' head coach Brian Cheng on the team's approach heading into Windsor this weekend.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
February 2, 2018
Toronto 85 Ryerson 84
The Varsity Blues women's basketball team went on a late fourth-quarter run for the second-straight game to take down the Ryerson Rams in thrilling fashion, 85-84, on Friday night (Feb. 2) at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Down by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter, U of T generated a 25-7 run to retake the lead with just eight seconds left. They outscored the province's fourth best offence, 33-21, in the last 10 minutes.
A big reason for the massive comeback was the Toronto's defence. They recorded 31 points off of the 28 turnovers that Ryerson committed.
Keyira Parkes dropped a team-high 26 points, five rebounds and three steals in the victory. The third-year guard is averaging 19.4 in the New Year since coming back from injury. Teammate Rahshida Atkinson scored the Blues final nine points for a total of 21 on the night. She also added tallied a career-high 5 steals.
Rams Sofia Paska drained a career-high 36 points and snagged 13 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season in a losing effort.
It marked the second consecutive game the Blues fought back from a 10-plus point deficit to win and the first time they have defeated Ryerson since 2015.
The Blues record improves to 7-12, and still hold the final playoff spot in the East division, while the Rams dip to 10-9 on the season.
Sarah Bennett got things started for the Blues in the first quarter. She drained three baskets in the paint for six points as Toronto trailed 16-15 after the opening 10 minutes.
Toronto played full court press on majority of the Rams possessions. They forced 13 turnovers and accumulated 10 fast break points compared to Ryerson's zero in the first half. Parkes dropped seven points in the second quarter to give the Blues the 36-35 lead heading into the locker room.
The Rams jumped out to an 11-2 run out of the break to regain the advantage and Toronto went on to be outscored 28-16 in the frame. They trailed 62-53 heading into the final quarter before pulling off the come back.
Source: varsityblues.ca
Queen’s 73 York 53
TORONTO (February 2, 2018) – The No. 8. Queen's Gaels (16-3) continued their win streak with a big 73-53 win against the York Lions (10-9) on the road Friday night. The Gaels see their win streak stretch to five games after the lone game this weekend.
GAME FLOW
The Tricolour managed even play at the start of the first quarter, with shots made by Veronika Lavergne (Ottawa) and rebounds grabbed by Andrea Priamo (Guelph, Ont.). However several turnovers and missed scoring opportunities put them at a deficit to York. The Gaels lost their offensive edge, and by the end of the first 10 minutes, they were facing an 11 point deficit.
In the second quarter of the game, the Gaels found their groove, making a comeback from being down double-digits. Lavergne and Marianne Alarie (Sudbury, Ont.) capitalized on their scoring opportunities and free throws from Sophie de Goede (Victoria) helped Queen's bite into the Lions lead. Heading into halftime, the Gaels only trailed York by three points.
Abby Dixon (North Vancouver, B.C.) made her mark in the third quarter of the game, racking up 10 points alone. The Gaels played a fantastic offensive game with shots made by Lavergne, Alarie and de Goede as they took the lead over the Lions. The Tricolour built a 10-point buffer on York heading into the fourth quarter of the game with a score of 53-43.
The Gaels continued their momentum from the third quarter into the fourth, advancing their score with the help of Lavergne, Dixon, Alarie, de Goede, Priamo and Sarah Saftich (Markham, Ont.). All around fantastic team effort allowed the Tricolour to play a strong defensive quarter, only allowing the Lions to take another 10 points in the game. The Gaels racked up 20 points this quarter and took the game with a score of 73-53.
Source: gogaelsgo.com
Laurier 50 Windsor 67
The Windsor Lancers took the floor Friday night for a bout with the Laurier Golden Hawks at the St. Denis Centre. The Golden Hawks were looking to stay above .500 while the Lancers were looking to keep pace with the McMaster Marauders, who share the division lead with the Blue & Gold. Luckily the Lancers showed up ready to play, cruising past the Golden Hawks with a 67-50 victory that keeps them in the race for the OUA West division lead with McMaster.
GAME STATS
Olivia Osamusali put in the best effort on the glass of her young career. Osamusali brought in 18 rebounds for the Lancers. Alex Spadaro and Irena Rynkiewicz lead the rebounding effort for the Golden Hawks, each bringing in boards.
The Lancer offense was led by guard Eve Uwayesu who dropped 18 points for the Blue and Gold. Laurier was led by Jill Condron and her 10 points.
As a team, Windsor crashed the glass all day, claiming 44 rebounds while the Golden Hawks could only bring in 28.
GAME FLOW
The Lancers took their first lead early and didn't have to look back once before halftime. The Lancers lead by seven after the first quarter. In the second quarter the Lancers began to pull away from the Golden Hawks as the duo of Eve Uwayesu and Nyamuoch Teny propelled the Lancers lead into double digits. Olivia Osamusali Also gave the Lancers a valiant first half effort, besting her career high for rebounds in a game (13) in a single half! The 6'4 forward from Brampton pulled down an astounding 14 boards in one half, giving the Lancers all the second chances they needed to build their 40-23 halftime lead.
In the second half the Blue and Gold kept in their stride, increasing their lead to 20 points early on in the third quarter. Despite the big lead the Golden Hawks kept fighting, and made sure the 20-point lead didn't last long. The Lancers however, were not going anywhere and neither was their lead. Despite the productive third quarter the Hawks couldn't climb back and the Lancers went on to win, 67-50.
Source: golancers.ca
McMaster 74 Lakehead 62
Their early gains were squandered midway through Friday's game, but the Marauders found their focus, and their range in the fourth quarter to keep their recent hot streak alive.
Winning their ninth consecutive game, and maintaining their spotless record in 2018, McMaster improved to 15-4 in OUA play, and kept pace with the Windsor Lancers atop the OUA West standings.
Jelena Mamic (St Catharines, ON) and Olivia Wilson (Lion's Head, ON) finished as McMaster's co-leading scorers, with Wilson securing a double-double late in the fourth quarter, with a final tally of 13 points and 10 rebounds.
After a blazing first quarter scoring rate, the Marauders cooled in the second and third, eventually ending the night at a 38 per cent clip from the floor, and an efficient 42 per cent from beyond the arc.
The Marauders staked themselves to a comfortable 11-point lead after a quarter, largely on the strength of red-hot shooting from the perimeter, where they knocked down five triples in the opening 10 minutes.
A balanced offensive approach saw three Marauders with five points in the opening quarter, including Jelena Mamic, Linnaea Harper (Newmarket, ON) and Sarah Gates (Newmarket, ON).
Gates continued her strong offensive play in the second, even while her team as a whole slowed somewhat from its breakneck pace of the first quarter. The rookie guard completed the half as Mac's leading scorer, with 10 points on 4-7 from the field.
McMaster, however, scored just 13 points in the period, and saw their lead cut to single digits at 39-30 as the buzzer sounded for the break.
Despite the drop in their level, the Marauders still boasted a 42 per cent rate from the field and a blistering 54 per cent from three-point range (7-13).
Lakehead continued their resurgence in the third, with active defence and an edge in rebounding helping the hosts all but eliminate McMaster's lead.
With a total of 10 steals as a group through three quarters, the Thunderwolves created a host of extra offensive looks for themselves, and tied the game at 46 apiece with 2:10 to play in the quarter, before the Marauders awoke to stem the tide.
There was little to choose between the teams as Lexie Spadafora (Hannon, ON) made good on two crucial free throws just before the buzzer to give McMaster a two-point lead at 55-53 with 10 minutes to play.
Momentum was with the hosts as the fourth began, but the Marauders worked to change that almost immediately, with Spadafora knocking down her team's first shot from beyond the arc just seconds in.
That was telling, as McMaster re-asserted control in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Lakehead 19-11 in the quarter to clinch the first game of the weekend road trip in convincing style.
Source: marauders.ca
Carleton 57 Ottawa 41
OTTAWA, ON – The Ravens women’s and men’s basketball programs continued their perfect starts to the 2017-18 OUA season on Friday, as both teams claimed their 19th wins of the campaign in a doubleheader sweep over the uOttawa Gee-Gees in the annual Capital Hoops Classic at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The Ravens came out flying in the first quarter, building an early 15-point lead, before withstanding several comeback attempts from the Gee-Gees to outlast Ottawa 57-41 in front of a raucous crowd at the Capital Hoops Classic inside the Canadian Tire Centre.
Third-year guard Cynthia Dupont (Coaticook, QC) was a steady presence for the Ravens throughout the game, hitting timely threes when Carleton needed it most. Dupont finished with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including two threes, while also grabbing five rebounds and snagging two steals.
“In the second quarter they made things tough and played more physical. But we rebounded after the half and came out aggressive to get some stops when it counted towards the end of the game,” Ravens head coach Taffe Charles said.
GAME FLOW:
With an electric crowd of red, white and maroon on hand to cheer on a highly anticipated matchup between the Ravens and the Gee-Gees, Carleton managed to strike first and broke out to a quick 9-0 lead thanks to a conscious effort by the Ravens to find center Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON) down low early. Lindsay scored four of Carleton’s first nine points to help pace the Ravens. The lead ballooned to 21-9 midway through the opening frame thanks to some hot shooting from three-point territory. A three by forward Alyssa Cerino (Stoney Creek, ON) pushed the lead to 12 before guard Catherine Traer (Chelsea, QC) converted on three consecutive free throws to put Carleton ahead 24-9 entering the second quarter.
The Gee-Gees punched back to begin the second frame. Two straight jumpers from Angela Ribarich helped cue a quick 4-0 run for Ottawa. The Ravens struggled to regain their rhythm from the first quarter throughout the first five minutes of the second. Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu cleaned up her own miss on the offensive glass to bolster an 8-0 Ottawa spurt to open the quarter. Carleton didn’t score until the 4:24 mark of the quarter when Cerino hit her second three of the night. A series of turnovers committed by the Ravens hindered their ability to get going offensively throughout most of the second quarter, while also providing an opportunity for the Gee-Gees to get out in transition. The Gee-Gees outscored the Ravens 15-10 in the quarter and entered halftime trailing just 34-24.
Both teams got off to a stagnant start to commence the third quarter, combining for just two points in the first three and a half minutes of the frame until Dupont nailed a straightaway three-pointer to push the Ravens’ lead to 39-24. Amelie Hachey responded for the Gee-Gees, scoring five straight points to trim Carleton’s lead to 39-31. The pace of play slowed as Ottawa kept within striking distance over the course of the third quarter, managing to score eight points to Carleton’s nine.
The second-half’s brand of tightly contested play filtered into the final quarter. Freshman guard Madison Reid (Carleton Place, ON) got things started for the Ravens on a nice give-and-go with Traer. Ottawa answered thanks to a turnaround jumper from Aliisa Heiskanen that brought Carleton’s lead back down to eight with six minutes left in the game. But the narrow margin proved to be enough as the Ravens ended on the game on a 12-4 run, which was punctuated by a chase down block by forward Elizabeth Leblanc (London, ON) that helped seal an eventual 57-41 victory.
“We’re a veteran team and we talk a lot about sharing the basketball, but we got a lot of unselfish kids on the team and people need to be ready to pull the trigger. Tonight, we got slowed down a bit. They didn’t make things easy on us and we know that we’re in tough anytime we play Ottawa,” Charles said.
Source: goravens.ca
Algoma 47 Guelph 75
GUELPH – A win in the competitive OUA West is something to cherish as the regular season schedule winds down. And the Guelph Gryphons women's basketball team locked one up early at the GGAC Friday night. The Gryphons rode a big first quarter to an important 75-47 victory over the Algoma Thunderbirds, a result that kept the young team in the thick of the divisional playoff race.
Third-year guard Ivana Vujadinovic led all players in both points (19) and rebounds (11, tied with teammate Burke Bechard). Forward Ashley Wheeler chipped in 11 points, while senior guard Haley Belyk had 9.
It was a comfortable night for Guelph (9-10) despite some sloppy stretches. The Gryphons played with purpose after the opening tip and raced out to a 20-3 lead, thanks in part to Vujadinovic hitting five of six shots in the first quarter for 11 points.
"Ivana is so good in transition," head coach Mark Walton said of the Burlington, ON native. "She's very instinctive. When we can get her the ball in transition, she finishes strong. What drives her game is her defence."
Walton was happy with the the entire team's defensive work. He said that he was aware Algoma hit 13 of 30 three-pointers in a recent game against Western so the objective was to pressure the Thunderbirds, make them work and wear them down. Algoma was ice-cold in the opening quarter, making just one 12 shots and committing six turnovers, four of which were Guelph steals.
"I have no hassle with the way we defended in the first quarter," said Walton. "They scored four points in the first quarter. You have to love that. We just have to keep it up for the entire game."
The Gryphons didn't exactly shoot the ball well in the opening half (31 per cent) but pulled away from the visitors to lead 36-18 after two quarters. The Thunderbirds temporarily kept pace with Guelph after the lopsided first quarter and managed to shave the lead down to 15 late in the third when Karly Fracalanza nailed a three-pointer.
But Algoma didn't have enough firepower to get back in it. The Gryphons started the fourth on an 8-0 run and after Megan Brenkel scored five straight and Quincy Sickles-Jarvis sunk a free throw midway through the quarter, the lead was up to 29 at 65-36.
The hosts finished with 17 steals and were dominant on the glass, out-rebounding Algoma 53-30 (23-6 on offensive boards).
Guelph's sensational rookie point guard Skyla Minaker was unable to play Friday because of shin splints. Walton said she is expected to return to the lineup Saturday.
Source: gryphons.ca
February 3, 2018
Brock 44 Waterloo 47
Ann Stewart (Yellowknife/) was unstoppable in front of over 350 fans on Fantastic Alumni Day at the PAC putting up 21 points and nine rebounds, leading her Warriors to a 47-44 victory over the Brock Badgers.
Just one week ago the Warriors lost to the Badgers by 27 and the black and gold used that as fuel for today's stellar performance, especially on the defensive side.
Brock shot just 21.9% from the field and committed 16 turnovers all forced by strong defence from the black and gold.
Stewart went 8-for-16 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line in her career best game with Waterloo. Aphia Ward(Beaumont/) chipped in with six points while Julia Pavlik (Waterloo/), Hilary Ferguson (Cambridge/) and Afifa Salad(Cambridge/) all put up five.
Sydney Wilson (Guelph/) hit the game winning basket late in the contest with a nice drive down the lane to seal the 3-point victory.
Source: athletics.uwaterloo.ca
Nipissing 48 Laurentian 84
After a competitive first half of play the Voyageurs came into the third quarter with a burst of energy, dominating the Nipissing Lakers in the latter quarters and handedly coming away with the victory with a final score of 84-48.
Though rebounding is typically a sore spot for Laurentian, that was not the case today. Not only did the Voyageurs manage to out-board their opponents, but additionally had one of their top games of the season in this category as they captured 50 rebounds - a likely key to their success.
Top performer for the Voyageurs was experienced point guard Emily Tinnes who poured in 18 points and recorded 8 assists and 5 rebounds in the win. Another notable contribution came from fourth year guard Adrianne Bruni who captured a double-double with her 14 points and 10 rebounds. In total, five Voyageurs reached double digits with L'Ashante Henry, Mackenzie Robinson and Kayla Deschatelets getting 16, 14 and 12 points respectively.
Top scorer for the Lakers was Kylea Galipeau-Wilson who had 14 points in the match.
In addition to the game being the battle of the 705 Challenge Cup, it also served as the team's annual Shoot For Cure match in which they raise money for Breast Cancer research. Part of this fundraiser included four of the team members cutting and donating their hair live on site at the Ben Avery Gymnasium during halftime of the men's game.
Source: luvoyageurs.com
Western 63 Windsor 75
The Windsor Lancers women's basketball team hit the hardwood on Saturday evening looking to take sole possession of first place in the OUA West. Currently tied with the McMaster Marauders, a win today against Western would give the Lancers first place all to themselves just weeks before the playoffs start. Despite a tight first half the Lancers were able to withstand the pressure and come out on top, 75-63.
GAME STATS
Mackenzie Puklicz led all scorers, dropping 18 points for the Mustangs. Windsor was led by Jordan Gutt and her 15 points.
Kaylee Anagnastopoulos led all players with seven assists on the night. Western was led by Maddy Horst and her five assists.
The Lancers offense shot better from beyond the arc (37 per cent) than they did from the field today (32 per cent). Western shot 52 per cent from the field and 37 per cent from three.
GAME FLOW
The Lancers were able to get things going on the inside early on in the first quarter, as Olivia Osamusali led all scorers with six points after the first quarter. In the second quarter, Nyamuoch Tenybegan to score, pouring in 11 points in the second quarter alone. Unfortunately, the Lancers defense was not playing as well it usually does, allowing the Mustangs to score on 52 per cent of their looks from the field and go 60 per cent from beyond the arc. The Lancers held a slim 38-31 lead at halftime but it was clear adjustments would be needed in order to come out of today in first place.
In the third quarter the Lancers came out looking more like a team battling for first place as Jordan Gutt put the team on her back. Gutt had a nine point third quarter as she hit three shots from beyond the arc to spark a Lancers offense that had been struggling all day. However, the Mustangs were not going to be done away with easily and fought tooth and nail, keeping the game close. Despite the Mustangs impressive defensive effort, the Blue and Gold came out victorious, 75-63.
Source: golancers.ca
McMaster 67 Lakehead 57
The Marauders denied all but one of the Thunderwolves offensive options Saturday, and when that star faded late, Lakehead's fate was sealed.
Leashja Grant accounted for 40 per cent of the Thunderwolves offence, but fouled out in the fourth quarter and saw the Marauders pounce to sweep the two teams' weekend series with a 67-57 win.
Improving to 16-4 in OUA play, the U SPORTS sixth-ranked Marauders kept pace with Windsor atop the OUA West divisional standings with the result, winning their 10th consecutive game and maintaining their perfect record in 2018.
Grant had a game high 23 points for the Thunderwolves, but played sparingly in the fourth quarter before fouling out entirely.
Four Marauders hit double digits in points, including co-leading scorers Olivia Wilson (Lion's Head, ON) and Hilary Hanaka (Hamilton, ON), who scored 12, and Lexie Spadafora (Hannon, ON) and Linnaea Harper (Newmarket, ON) with 10 apiece.
Shooting just 30 per cent from the floor, the Marauders held the Thunderwolves to 31 per cent and forced 18 turnovers, creating 22 points from those opportunities.
With the two teams closely-matched from the opening whistle, it was McMaster's ability to pry the ball free from their hosts that proved the difference in the first quarter.
Forcing five turnovers while only committing two themselves, the Marauders held a 16-14 lead through 10 minutes despite struggling to find their rhythm offensively.
It was the emergence of Spadafora as an offensive threat that kept McMaster in front by the narrowest of margins in the second, as the veteran guard scored 10 points in the quarter on four of eight shooting, including two three-pointers, to vault into the team lead in scoring at the halftime break.
The teams were in a statistical dead heat through the first half, both shooting 32 per cent from the field and with Lakehead edging Mac by a single rebound, but McMaster retained a two-point lead at 33-31.
Often pressuring the Thunderwolves in the full court, the Marauders were consistently causing turnovers in the third quarter, and Lakehead's total grew to 12 through 30 minutes of play.
One particular sequence with 6:30 to play in the quarter saw Mac pull in steals on successive Lakehead possessions and yielded consecutive comfortable layups for Hanaka.
By quarter's end, McMaster's lead grew to eight points at 53-45, with Wilson leading the Marauders with 12 points and six rebounds.
Two quick fouls for Lakehead's Grant, forced her to the bench with 7:30 to play and four fouls to her name, and McMaster made the most of that absence.
The Marauders added five points to their lead with Grant on the bench, stretching their advantage to 11 points at 61-50 before her short-lived return. Re-inserted into the lineup, Grant helped Lakehead pull within six points before fouling out with 3:45 to play.
Without her, the Thunderwolves sputtered on the offensive end, and created only one bucket in the remainder of the quarter, as the Marauders comfortably saw out their 10th straight victory.
Source: marauders.ca
Algoma 72 Guelph 87
GUELPH – The OUA playoffs are in sight. And while post-season basketball has become a primary focus for many teams, the Guelph Gryphons wanted to show love for some key contributors to the program. The Gryphons earned a big 87-72 win over the Algoma Thunderbirds and celebrated with a trio of veterans on Senior Night at the GGAC.
Fourth-year players Megan Brenkel, Quincy Sickles-Jarvisand Haley Belyk were recognized in a post-game ceremony. The three players received commemorative plaques and with families in attendance, many tears were shed.
"Parting is such sweet sorrow, as they say," head coach Mark Walton said after an emotional night. "They are great kids to be around."
Walton said the theme was to "bring their A game for the seniors" – and the Gryphons obliged. Third-year guard Ivana Vujadinovic set a new career-high of 24 points, breaking her previous best of 19 set the night before. She also added 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Sarah Holmes, who recently returned to the lineup after an extended absence, added 19, while Ashley Wheeler chipped in 10 points.
Karina Cole led Algoma with 14 points, hitting 4 of her team's 9 three-pointers on the night.
Walton was thrilled with the back-to-back wins over Algoma on the weekend, which improved Guelph's record to 10-10. The Gryphons sit sixth in the OUA West and have their sights on a playoff date.
"It was key," the coach said. "We have four games left and if we get all four, we could host a playoff game. "It will be a tough road to hoe.
"We got going offensively tonight," he added of his team's play. "We shot 50 per cent from the floor, which is really good for us."
The seniors would make their mark early as a Sickles-Jarvis block led to Belyk hitting a jumper for the first points of the game. The Thunderbirds were eager to put their poor shooting from Friday night in the past and they were sharp early, hitting three three-pointers in the opening quarter en route to a 19-18 lead.
The Gryphons' offence found some flow in the second quarter and they consistently attacked Algoma, making open shots and driving to the hoop when the opportunity was there. The Thunderbirds hit 6 of 11 in from beyond the arc in the half but Guelph got another standout performance from Vujadinovic, who scored 14 first-half points on a 7-of-12 shooting performance, lifting the hosts to a 46-41 leading after two quarters.
A 6-0 run midway through put the Gryphons up 62-54 and they methodically pulled away from the Thunderbirds for an ideal result on Senior Night.
When Walton first met with the Gryphon Athletics staff to discuss the head coaching job, Belyk and Sickles-Jarvis were among a group of players that asked him questions.
"Getting to meet them on literally my first day, they made quite an impression on me immediately," he says. "It was evident they were players who had a passion for the game and their teammates. I love to be around kids like that. I knew this was the team for me."
Belyk is a co-captain for the second consecutive year, a role that is voted on my team members. Players select their top three choices and Belyk was almost unanimously first on all of the ballots. Walton respects her strength and noted that she severely injured her ankle last season, which still affects her, but the senior doesn't say a word about it.
"Haley's leadership on and off the court is phenomenal," said the coach. "Her work ethic is unmatched."
Sickles-Jarvis, another of the co-captains, has provided an incredible veteran presence for this young team. Walton said that her love of the game and her fellow teammates is evident. And they in turn respect the vocal 5-9 senior, who is often tasked with guarding much bigger players.
"I admire her greatly," Walton said of Sickles-Jarvis, comparing her to David having to face Goliath. "She finds it within herself to meet the match, and then some."
In Brenkel, Walton has a player who is an example of what varsity athletes should be. The versatile guard, who entered the weekend ranked 5th in the OUA in three-point percentage (37.3), had to play the point position last year but never shied away from the challenge despite her comfort on the wing. Brenkel is also a gifted student, with a 93.8 per cent average in pre-med.
"Megan has set a standard for our team in terms of academic excellence," the coach said. "She is an example for our program.
"These three are the kind of kids that I'm proud to be associated with."
Source: gryphons.ca
