OUA Women's Basketball Roundup (Nov. 20)
November 14, 2017
Ottawa 36 Carleton 66
OTTAWA, ON – The Ravens came out on top in an inter-city rivalry match that provided an opportunity for Carleton to showcase its depth and marksmanship in a 66-36 win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees at the Ravens’ Nest.
Fifth-year forward Catherine Traer (Chelsea, QC) scored a game-high 18 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting performance from the field to go along with six rebounds, two assists and a steal.
“When she’s comfortable she’s a very good player and when she’s playing with energy she’s an excellent player. She was able to do that tonight and we’re a different team when she’s scoring from the wing,” head coach Taffe Charles said.
Carleton improves to 5-0 with the win heading into this Friday’s matchup against Windsor.
GAME FLOW:
The Ravens got off to a great start by racing out to a quick 9-2 lead thanks to Traer scoring five of Carleton’s first nine points by the two-minute mark of the opening frame. Third-year forward Alyssa Cerino (Stoney Creek, ON) entered the game late in the first with the Gee-Gees beginning to mount a comeback thanks to the agile play of Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu, but Cerino hit a smooth turnaround jumper late in the quarter to put Carleton ahead 13-6 entering the second.
“She’s picked it up and now she’s growing accustomed to how we want to play and with her teammates. We’re starting to see what she can do out there on both ends,” Charles said of Cerino.
Cerino hit three free throws to increase Carleton’s lead early in the second quarter, which Traer promptly followed with two consecutive jumpers to put the Ravens up 20-10. Traer added another tree in the quarter before a steal by rookie forward Emma Kiesekamp (Merrickville, ON) set up guard Nicole Gilmore (Hamilton, ON) for a late quarter fadeaway jump shot that helped the Ravens enter halftime leading 32-14.
Carleton came out of the break looking to get out on the run in transition. Reserve guards like Steph Carr (Stittsville, ON) and Cynthia Dupont (Coaticook, QC) set the tone for the Ravens’ offence by snagging defensive rebounds and pushing the tempo. A turnaround jumper by Carr put Carleton up 40-22 with 4:31 left in the quarter. Dupont followed suit minutes later by finding herself in the right place at the right time to catch an air-ball before flipping in a nifty reverse layup to end the quarter with Carleton leading 49-28.
Dupont contributed another five points in the fourth quarter to finish the game with a well-rounded stat-line of seven points, four rebounds and three assists by the time the buzzer sounded with a final score of 66-36.
“I thought when we pushed the pace we were able to get out in transition and establish momentum. I’m happy about our defensive effort—whenever we put our minds to it and we’re focussed we have a lot of versatility and it showed out there,” Charles said.
Source: goravens.ca
November 15, 2017
Ryerson 75 Guelph 62
GUELPH, Ont. – It was yet another victorious night for the Ryerson Rams women’s basketball team, as they secured their third win in a row defeating the Guelph Gryphons 75-62 at the Guelph Gryphons’ Athletic Centre on Wednesday night.
The first half of play saw the Rams find themselves on the court in a quicker fashion than has been exhibited in more recent games. Although the first quarter was uncomfortably close for the visiting Rams, as they headed into the break tied up at 15-15 with the Gryphons, they began their offensive rush early in the second, with some familiar names taking up the scoring sheet. Veteran forward Sofia Paska (Etobicoke, Ont.) concluded the first half with 11 points and eight rebounds, and provided tremendous assistance to the Rams defensively. Additionally, freshman guard Marin Scotten (Ottawa, Ont.), who has been off to an incredible season thus far, ended off the first half with 10 points and bolstered the Rams offensive caliber.
It would be right in the second half, however, when the Rams would completely outpace the Gryphons offensively. The offensive tag team of Scotten and Paska would continue to dominate in the final two quarters of play, with the two players combining for 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the half. With this, Paska concluded the evening with a big double-double, recording 26 points and 13 rebounds. Additionally, another Rams freshman forward, this time in the form of Jama Bin-Edward (Waterloo, Ont.), would come alive in the third and fourth quarter, dropping seven points and collecting four rebounds throughout the final moments of play.
Through these efforts, the Rams would go on to outscore the Gryphons 43-34 across the third and fourth quarter, capping off the evening with a 75-62 victory. With this win, the Rams improve to 4-2 on the season, and currently sit third in the OUA’s Eastern Conference behind the undefeated duos of Carleton and Queen’s.
Source: ryersonrams.ca
November 17, 2017
Western 39 Ottawa 52
Bouncing back from a tough loss against Carleton on Tuesday night, the women’s basketball team earned a 52-39 win over the Western Mustangs on Friday morning.
The Gee-Gees locked in on defence, limiting the Mustangs to just 39 points on 27.5 per cent shooting throughout. Despite being down at halftime, the team’s offence rallied behind Jennifer Crowe and Kellie Forand to outscore Western heavily in the second half.
Ottawa out-rebounded Western 43-33 in the game, 28 of which came on the defensive end. The team also tallied 11 steals and forced five turnovers, in what was one of their most potent defensive performances of the season.
“If you only give up 39 points at this level than you’re defending okay,” said Gee-Gees head coach Andy Sparks. “I keep saying that eventually we’ll get something on offence, it took a little while, but we finally did. Jen and Kellie are our fourth and fifth-year players and they showed a lot of character today.”
Crowe finished leading the Gee-Gees with 12 points and four rebounds, while Forand added eight points and four rebounds of her own. Since Forand returned to the lineup from an injury that held her out of the first two regular season games, the Gee-Gees defensive effort has vastly improved.
“We just need to learn how to win,” said Sparks. “We haven’t been in a lot of tight games, we need to experience them to be able to make good decisions, and in general I think we did that.”
Source: geegees.ca
Queen’s 52 Waterloo 35
WATERLOO, Ont. (November 17, 2017)- The No.10 Queen's Gaels (5-0) used a strong defensive effort to stay perfect on the season as they picked up a road win against the Waterloo Warriors (0-6) on Friday night.
GAME FLOW:
The Waterloo Warriors got going early with a big 3-pointer to open the game, followed by another quick basket. From there the Gaels clamped down defensively, not allowing another Warrior point in the first quarter. Andrea Priamo (Guelph, Ont) and Veronika Lavergne(Kingston, Ont) led the scoring charge early for the Gaels. The U SPORTS women's rugby Rookie of the Year Sophie de Goede(Victoria, B.C.) added two more baskets to close the quarter. The Gaels led the Warriors 20-5 at the end of the opening frame.
The Gaels could not hold on to the basketball ball early in the second, as Waterloo recorded three steals in the first two minutes of the second. The Warriors, however, could not capitalize. Lavergne recorded the first points in the second, off an offensive rebound where she was able to put back the extra attempt. The second half remained relatively quiet, as neither team could get any scoring momentum. Both teams finished the game shooting less than 30% from the field. Adriana Conti (Cornwall, Ont) scored the last points in the half with a big 3-pointer. The Gaels ended the half leading 29-12.
The second half opened with points by Priamo. A quick steal by Abby Dixon (North Vancouver, B.C.), led to two more points for the Gaels. Waterloo got their own basket in transition, off their own steal. The scoring woes remained through the 3rd quarter, as the Gaels continued to struggle from beyond the arc. The Gaels held the lead at the end of the third, 42-23.
Lavergne opened the final quarter adding another two points to their lead, which Waterloo followed up with a pair of their own baskets. Lavergne, who led the Gaels in scoring with 17, converted on a 3-point play. The game was pretty much sealed for the Gaels, as the Warriors continued to struggle with their scoring thanks to the work of the Gaels defenders. Lavergne and de Goede added four more points for the Gaels to finish off their day and the final score finished 52-35 for Queen's.
Source: gogaelsgo.com
Nipissing 42 Brock 61
The Brock University women's basketball team defeated the Nipissing Lakers by the score of 61-42 Friday night at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
Brock led 13-12 after the opening 10 minutes and held a 27-22 lead at the half. In the third quarter, the Badgers went on a 19-5 run to take a 46-27 lead, on route to their third win of the regular season.
Leading the Badgers offense was Stephanie Findlay who had the hot hand going a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, including four three-pointers, for an 18-point performance. Kristen Gallant contributed with nine points, eight rebounds and four assists while Courtney Mcpherson added eight points and nine boards. Rounding out the Brock leaders were Brooke Murdoch and Ieva Sukeviciute who chipped in with seven points each in the victory. collected eight points and six rebounds for the game
Heidi Smith and Nakissa Koomalsingh added eight points each for Nipissing.
The Badgers shot 39.6% (21-53) from the field, 55.6% (5-9) from beyond the arc and 60.9% (14-23) from the charity stripe. The Lakers were held to just 22.8% (13-57) from the floor, 13.8% (4-for-29) from long range and 66.7% (12-18) from the free-throw line.
Source: gobadgers.ca
Laurentian 52 McMaster 80
The McMaster women's basketball team got a career night from Hilary Hanaka and defeated the Laurentian Voyageurs 80-52 in the Burridge Gym on Friday night.
The Senior guard from Hamilton was on fire from the opening tip and scored a career-high 34 points to pace the Mac attack. The Marauders built a 19-7 lead after one quarter and got the margin up to 18 in the second quarter, before Laurentian made a late run to end the half and the Mac lead was 34-22 at intermission. Hanaka had scored 22 points by halftime.
McMaster came out hard in the third quarter and, even with Coach Theresa Burns playing the entire dress roster, was able to bump the lead up to 56-32 after 30 minutes.
Holding a comfortable lead allowed McMaster to continue spreading out the minutes in the final stanza and Hanaka continued to make shots, keeping Laurentian from making a serious run. She finished the game making 12 of 22 shot attempts and a perfect 6 for 6 from the charity stripe. Other Marauders in double figures were Olivia Wilson with 12 and Sarah Gates with 11, including an impressive 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
Top shooter for Laurentian was McKenzie Robinson with 16.
McMaster improves to 4 and 2 in league play, while the Voyageurs fall to 1 and 3.
Source: marauders.ca
York 69 Laurier 58
Fifth-year forward Lindsay Shotbolt recorded her third straight double-double on Friday night to lead the York University Lions women's basketball team to a 69-58 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks at the Wilfrid Laurier Athletic Complex in Waterloo, Ont.
Shotbolt finished with an impressive 17 points and 19 rebounds, as well as four assists, five steals and two blocks. She shot 6-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Laurier scored the first five points of the game, but the Lions came right back with the next seven to take a two-point lead. The two teams traded leads four more times throughout the opening quarter, and the Lions led 21-17 after 10 minutes of play.
The Lions dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Golden Hawks 18-8 to take a commanding 39-25 lead at the half.
The Hawks came out flying from the break and narrowed York's lead to just five points early in the third. A well-timed timeout from head coach Erin McAleenan got the Lions back on track, and they stretched their lead to as much as 19 points before Laurier chipped away at the deficit and trailed by 10, 54-44, after three quarters.
The two teams played a tight fourth quarter in which neither team could change the overall score much, and the game finished in favour of the Lions for their third win of the season, moving them to .500 on the year at 3-3. The Golden Hawks are also 3-3 after the loss.
Megan MacLeod had 13 points, two rebounds and one assist, while Haley Bowie finished with 11 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Laurier's leading scorer was Nicole Morrison with 14 points two go along with two rebounds, two assists and one steal. Irena Rynkiewicz had her own double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Source: yorkulions.ca
Windsor 46 Carleton 70
OTTAWA, ON – The Ravens were tested early in the first half but pulled away to hand the Windsor Lancers their first lost of the season, 70-46, on Friday night at the Ravens’ Nest.
Fifth-year point guard Jenjen Abella (Hamilton, ON) scored 10 points to go along with three rebounds and three steals in what proved to be a gritty defensive affair between the two OUA rivals.
“They were inconsistent, we were inconsistent, it’s just that we had a few less spurts of inconsistency. They were playing better than the actual score showed. We came out in the third quarter and made some plays and wrestled it out from there,” head coach Taffe Charles said.
GAME FLOW:
The battle of two undefeated teams began with back-and-forth action that saw each side trying to establish themselves in the paint early. Fifth-year forward Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON) opened the contest with one of her trademark hook shots. Abella followed Lindsay with a three to extend the lead to 5-3 early on, but Windsor responded to bring the score to within two at 9-7 thanks to some gritty post-play by Samantha Gucciardi. With Windsor showing signs of making a comeback, fifth-year guard Catherine Traer (Chelsea, QC) hit a pair of free throws to put Carleton up 18-14 heading into the second.
Freshman center Olivia Osamusali was a bright spot for the Lancers all evening. A short jumper by Osamusali kept the score close at 21-18 at the 7:36 mark of the second quarter. Alyssa Cerino (Stoney Creek, ON) provided a necessary spark off the bench for Carleton against her former team in the second frame after Lindsay picked up her second foul. Cerino hit a smooth turnaround jump shot to boost Carleton’s lead and collected two of her game-high four offensive rebounds in the quarter. A last second buzzer-beat by rookie guard Madison Reid (Carleton Place, ON) punctuated a second quarter that saw the Ravens outscore the Lancers, 17-7, and enter the half leading 35-21.
Lindsay and Traer traded jump shots to open the third as Windsor struggled to mount a comeback. Eve Uwayesu hit Windsor’s first three-pointer of the game halfway through the quarter to end the Lancers’ drought from long-range and cut into a 45-26 deficit. Both teams exchanged buckets as Carleton’s lead fluttered north and south of twenty points before Abella flashed her speed with an end-to-end solo effort that she finished with a pull-up jumper to help the Ravens enter the fourth up 56-36.
Windsor chipped away at Carleton’s lead early in the final 10 minutes. A three by Jordan Gutt trimmed the deficit to 56-41 with 8:46 left in the game. Fifteen points would be as close as the Lancers would get however as third-year guard Alexandra Trivieri (St. Catharines, ON) entered the game to hit two layups to cap off a solid performance off the bench with nine points on 4-of-8 shooting while distributing three assists in a 70-46 victory.
Carleton improves to 6-0 with the win heading into Saturday’s tilt against the Western Mustangs.
“We weren’t as prepared as we needed to be. Our focus level wasn’t where it needed to be. Maybe it’s because we were fatigued. I thought we made enough plays to win the game, but we need to be better,” Charles said.
Source: goravens.ca
Lakehead 77 Algoma 41
The Lakehead women’s basketball team (4-1) beat the Algoma Thunderbirds (0-7), 77-41 tonight in Sault Ste. Marie. This is the Wolves fourth straight win of the regular season and now pushes Lakehead into first place in the West along with Windsor.
Lakehead started the game strong, outscoring Algoma 23-10 in the first quarter. The Thunderwolves held the Thunderbirds to only 6 points in the second quarter, that pushed Lakehead’s lead to 39-16 at the half.
The Thunderwolves continued their tough defense and momentum in the second half and finished the game off strong, winning 77-41.
Although the Wolves struggled from the three point line, going 3-27, they made up with tough pressure defence that forced 29 turnovers from Algoma.
Leashja Grant scored another double double with 22 points, 12 rebounds. Bridget O’Reilly had 10 points, 8 rebounds.
Both Jerika Baldin and Rachel Webber had 4 assists each and no turnovers.
Source: thunderwolves.ca
November 18, 2017
Toronto 52 Guelph 69
GUELPH, Ont. - Saturday afternoon at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre, the Gryphons women's basketball team picked up a 69-52 victory over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Third year forward Ashley Wheeler led the Gryphons with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals. Rookie guard Burke Bechard chipped in with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 steals. The Gryphons poured in 23 points during the 2nd quarter, and followed that up by limiting U of T to just 9 points during the 3rd quarter.
"I thought we once again showed great intensity on the defensive end," said Gryphons head coach Mark Walton. "That 3rd quarter was really when the game was decided. Not only were we able to get stops, we also only had one turnover ourselves in that quarter."
The Gryphons played Saturday's game without the services of two of their regular starters, with both Haley Belyk and Sarah Holmes out with injuries. Megan Brenkel (9 points, 4 rebounds) and Quincy Sickles-Jarvis (8 points, 7 rebounds) stepped into the starting lineup and both produced solid performances, while Wheeler led the way offensively.
"Ashley was aggressive tonight and really scored at the right times for us," said Walton. "Aside from scoring, she also rebounded and defended well. She had a good night."
Source: gryphons.ca
Lakehead 84 Algoma 52
The Lakehead women’s basketball team (5-1) won 84-52 against the Algoma Thunderbirds (0-8) in game two of their weekend double header in Sault Ste. Marie.
The Thunderwolves continued their high energy and tough defence after last nights convincing 77-41 win and held Algoma to only 7 points in the first quarter while scoring 22 points themselves. The Wolves held a 40-19 lead at the half and continued to open up the gap in the second half, winning 84-52.
Leashja Grant was impressive again with 27 points, 12 rebounds in 20 minutes and Nikki Ylagan put up 13 points, hitting 3 threes. Tianna Warwick-Dawkins was strong with 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
The Thunderwolves had 18 total assists and were 83% from the free throw line (20-24).
Source: thunderwolves.ca
York 62 Waterloo 40
The York University Lions women's basketball team picked up its third straight victory on Saturday night with a big 62-40 win over the Waterloo Warriors at the Physical Activities Complex in Waterloo, Ont.
The Lions are outscoring their opponents by an average of 24.3 points per game during their winning streak, and they are now up to 4-3 and fourth place in the OUA East standings.
The Warriors scored the first five points of the game and remained in the lead until the final seconds of the opening quarter, when the Lions pulled ahead at 15-13 thanks to a basket by Haley Bowie.
The visitors never trailed after that, outscoring the Warriors in each of the final three quarters to cruise to the lopsided victory. They held the Warriors to 13 points or less in each of the four quarters, including just six in the final frame.
Forward Chante Clarke had a monster game for the Lions off the bench, leading all players with 16 points and adding three rebounds and three steals. Lindsay Shotbolt continued her tremendous season with 15 points, five rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block.
Megan MacLeod chipped in with 10 points and Cyanna King had 11 rebounds.
Waterloo's leading scorer was Sydney Wilson with 15 points.
Source: yorkulions.ca
Queen’s 70 Laurier 72
WATERLOO, Ont. (November 18, 2017) – On a record breaking-night in Waterloo, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women’s basketball team soared to an impressive upset victory over the 10th ranked team in the country, the Queen’s Gaels. Powered by 37 points from Nicole Morrison, the Hawks eked out a 72-70 win, handing the Gaels their first loss of the season.
A fifth-year guard out of Hamilton, Morrison held a previous career-high of 25 points which she matched this year against Laurentian. Against Queen’s, she scored 28 in the second half alone, including scoring Laurier's first nine points of the third quarter. For the game, she shot 14-30 from the field and made five threes. By scoring 37, Morrison smashed the Laurier single-game scoring record previously held by Meaghan McGrath (Toronto, Ont.) in 2006 when she twice scored 32.
The Laurier supporting cast played a significant part as well, in particular Golden Hawk forward Irena Rynkiewicz(Mississauga, Ont.) who for the second consecutive game picked up a double-double. Head Coach Paul Falco opted to move Rynkiewicz into the starting lineup against the Gaels and it paid dividends. Rynkiewicz scored 11 points, collected 11 rebounds and shut down Queen’s forward Adriana Priamo (Guelph, Ont.), holding the normally effective scorer to only four points on 2-10 shooting.
Brianna Iannazzo (Thornhill, Ont.) and Sarah Dillon (Welland, Ont.) provided an offensive punch off the bench for Laurier as each player totalled seven points.
For Queen’s, Veronica Lavergne (Kingston, Ont.) led the way with 16 points while Abby Dixon (North Vancouver, B.C.) added 15 to go along with 10 rebounds.
With Queen’s suffering their first defeat of the season, the Gaels fall to 5-1 on the season. Conversely, Laurier get back in the win column, one night after a disappointing loss to the York Lions. The Hawks improve to 4-3 and fourth place in the OUA West standings.
Source: laurierathletics.com
Laurentian 57 Brock 76
The Brock University women's basketball team rolled past the Laurentian Voyageurs by the score of 76-57 Saturday night at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
The Badgers led 31-19 after the opening quarter and extended their league to 50-31 at the half.
Laurentian answered back in the third quarter outscoring Brock 16-6 to cut the Brock lead to 56-47 after 30 minutes. In the fourth quarter, Brock went up by as many as 26 points with 3:21 left in regulation, on route to their fourth win of the regular season.
Brock had five players in double figures led by Bailie Campbell who recorded 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. Courtney Mcpherson contributed with 12 points and seven rebounds while Ieva Sukeviciute added 11 points and four rebounds. Rounding out the Brock leaders were Kristin Gallant who collected 10 points, seven rebounds and five steals and Stephanie Findlay who chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds.
Laurentian was led by Emily Tinnes who recorded 17 points, five rebounds and six steals.
For the game, the Badgers shot 41.5% (27-65) from the field, 11.1% (1-9) from beyond the arc and 75.0% (21-28) from the charity stripe. Laurentian shot just 29.4% (20-68) from the floor, 25.0% (5-20) from long range and 85.7% (12-14) from the free throw line.
Source: gobadgers.ca
Windsor 49 Ottawa 45
The Windsor Lancers women's basketball team hit the hardwood determine to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season to the Carleton Ravens on Friday night. The Lancers crossed town and overcame a less than stellar shooting performance to gut out a 49-45 win over the Ottawa Gee Gees.
The win keeps the Blue & Gold in a three way tie for first place in the west division, while the Gee Gees drop to 3-4.
Game Stats
Emily Prevost found her grove again and led the Lancers with 12 points. Ottawa was led by Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu who poured in 13 points.
Both teams had a player record a double-double. Prevost coupled her 13 points with 14 rebounds while Ottawa's Angela Ribarich scored 11 points and brought in 12 rebounds.
Both teams played phenomenal defense. Windsor only made 34 per cent of their shots on the night while Ottawa converted on only 28 per cent of their shots.
GAME FLOW
The Lancer relied on their defense early. With their offense in a rut, hitting on only 38 per cent of their shots, they needed the defense to stand tall. Fortunately, Coach Chantal Vallée's squad was up to the task, holding the Gee Gees to an impressive 25 per cent shooting through the first half. The normally high scoring Lancers found themselves in a tight defensive battle. However, Windsor did find some familiar territory of leading at halftime as the Lancers took a 24-21 lead into the half.
In the second half the Ottawa defense gave the Blue & Gold the same problems they had in the first half, making successful shots a rarity. The Gee Gees improved their offense, shooting 30 per cent in the second half.
Luckily for the Lancers Carly Steer and Prevost scored six second half points to lead the Lancers in scoring in the second half. The offensive boost helped the Lancers to split their weekend in Ottawa, going 1-1 with a win over the Gee Gees, 49-45.
Source: golancers.ca
Nipissing 42 McMaster 71
The McMaster women's basketball team got another big game from Hilary Hanaka and played some solid defense to defeat the Nipissing Lakers 71-42 Saturday night in Hamilton.
Right from the opening tip the Marauders pushed the pace on both ends of the floor, pressing full court and then getting out on the break. McMaster took a 22-8 lead after the opening 10 minutes, and built the lead up to 19 in the second stanza before entering the intermission with a 36-19 advantage.
Hanaka scored 12 points in the first half on 5 of 9 shooting, just a day after setting a career scoring high with 34.
Again playing with a comfortable lead, Mac coach Theresa Burns was able to get her entire roster into the game with significant playing time. The Marauder lead was 55-31 after the third quarter and it was more of the same in the fourth as the home team won all four quarters en route to its third straight victory, improving to 5 and 2 in the OUA West.
Hanaka was sensational in the second half with 17 points to finish with 29 for the game. She also flirted with a triple-double, as she had 7 rebounds and 7 assists to go along with her scoring total. Erin Burns was the only other Marauder in double-digits with 10.
Top shooter for Nipissing was Natalie Martinez with 10.
Source: marauders.ca
Western 48 Carleton 71
OTTAWA, ON – The Ravens persevered through a slow start thanks to an efficient shooting display from beyond the arc that helped Carleton walk away with a 71-48 on Saturday night at the Ravens’ Nest.
Fifth-year guard Catherine Traer (Chelsea, QC) paced the Ravens with 11 points, five rebounds and five assists while also wreaking havoc in the passing lines and grabbing six steals and blocking two shots.
“I thought a lot of the kids were hanging on a little bit and conserving some energy. But they weren’t conserving it on the defensive end, they were conserving it on the offensive end. I don’t think we took the ball in as hard as we like to,” Ravens head coach Taffe Charles said.
“But at the end of the day, we got the result. Our effort level was pretty good today.”
GAME FLOW:
The Ravens got off to a promising start thanks to one three-pointer a piece from guards Nicole Gilmore (Hamilton, ON) and Alexandra Trivieri (St. Catharines, ON) that provided Carleton an early 8-4 lead within the first four minutes of the game. The Mustangs responded with a run of their own, however, that was capped off by a short jumper by Mackenzie Puklicz in the lane that bolstered a 12-8 lead for Western heading into the second quarter.
The shooting woes that limited the Ravens in the first quarter began to fade in the second. Traer opened the frame with a quick steal and layup on the fast-break before fifth-year center Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON) converted a nice and-1 baby hook that put Carleton ahead 15-12. Western would wrestle back to knot the score at 18-18, but Cynthia Dupont (Coaticook, QC) entered the game and calmly hit a three to restore the Ravens’ lead. Dupont’s shot opened the floodgates for a 14-2 run that ended the first half with Carleton up 32-18.
“The second unit is key. When the first unit’s not going they’re crucial. We got into their bench and showed off our depth. We have some players who shoot the three well and when we’re sharing the ball and keeping good spacing we’re a tough team,” Charles said.
Dupont continued her steady play in the second half, hitting a deep three to give Carleton a 41-25 lead at the 6:17 mark of the third quarter. The second unit rallied around Dupont’s hot shooting as Trivieri and Alyssa Cerino (Stoney Creek, ON) provided valuable minutes off the bench in support of the Ravens’ starters. Cerino converted an and-1 post-move to put Carleton up 49-29 before Lindsay dropped in a teardrop seconds before the third quarter buzzer sounded with the Ravens ahead 56-32.
Western fought hard in the fourth quarter and outscored the Ravens 16-15 in the final frame. Maddy Horst scored four of her team-high 12 points in the last 10 minutes, but it wasn’t enough as the Mustangs fell to the Ravens 71-48.
Source: goravens.ca
