By the Numbers: Streaking schools head into holiday break with winning ways intact

Photo by Gar FitzGerald
Photo by Gar FitzGerald
December 4, 2019

100 – In what was the team’s final game of 2019, the Ryerson Rams were not only able to pick up a big win on the scoreboard, but in the history books as well. By taking down the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, 65-46, the Rams women’s basketball team was able to get head coach Carly Clarke her 100th career OUA win behind the bench.

38 – Lakehead’s Lock Lam is the league leader in blocks this season, a feat he built on further in the team’s last outing of the 2019 calendar year. He registered 25 points and 15 rebounds for the impressive double-double in the Thunderwolves 91-63 win over York on Saturday night, but he also protected the paint in a big way. The third-year forward chipped in with six rejections in the game to add to his nation-topping mark.

34 – The final championship of the fall season wrapped up in familiar fashion, as the Toronto Varsity Blues continued their men’s water polo dominance. Backed by MVP Diego Gonzalez Delgado, the Blues captured their 34th banner in program history, taking down the Carleton Ravens 12-9 in the gold medal match. Much of the team’s success has been seen over the last 18 years, as their fourth straight title was also their 13th since the 2002-2003 season.

32 – In what was truly a marquee matchup, the McMaster Marauders put up quite a fight against the nationally-ranked Brock Badgers women’s basketball team on Friday night. Despite falling behind big early, the defending champions battled back in the second half, thanks in large part to a career night from Christina Buttenham. The fifth-year guard, who was already stuffing the stat sheet with 13.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 3.3 STL heading into the weekend, finished the game with a personal best 32 points on 14-of-25 shooting, to go along with 10 rebounds, seven assists, and five steals.

30 – It had been over a decade since the RMC Paladins men’s hockey team took home a win over their division rivals from McGill, but a standout performance on Saturday night was just what the doctor ordered to snap that streak. The Paladins, backed by a masterful performance between the pipes, managed to overcome their 30-game winless streak against McGill and came away with the 2-1 victory

20 – After spending the first four years of her career with the blue and gold, fifth-year outside hitter Jade Ziebarth is wrapping up her university tenure with the Guelph Gryphons women’s volleyball team. On Saturday, Ziebarth and the Gryphons went head-to-head against her former team, and the Lancer alum was able to shine brightly against Windsor, pouring in a season-high 20 points (16 kills, 8 digs, 3 aces) in her team’s straight set victory.

12 – It has been an impressive first half of the season for the Toronto Varsity Blues men’s hockey team, who put together one of the most successful stretches in program history. After finishing off the month of October with three straight wins, the Blues went on to go undefeated in their nine November matches to string together 12 consecutive wins heading into the holiday break. The team’s latest victory, a 4-0 final over Waterloo on Saturday, helped extend their streak to a mark they haven’t achieved since the 1981-82 season.

11 – It wasn’t the smoothest of starts to the season for the Western Mustangs women’s basketball team, who fell in their opening game by nearly 30 points. That defeat, however, was the last time they saw the loss column, as the purple and white have reeled off 11 straight wins since opening night. The most recent victory came in a closely-contested affair against Guelph, but after edging the Gryphons on Saturday, the team will head into the break in top spot in the West Division and with their winning ways intact.

9 – The difference between a rookie and sophomore season can often be night and day, and someone who is finding that out is Wilfrid Laurier forward Ethan Wiseman. The second-year player, who notched three goals in his debut campaign, has been a mainstay in the Hawks’ offensive attack this season. Wiseman is already in the midst of a career-best year, thanks to his nine goals and 11 points so far, and with his first-half finale resulting in a three-point performance (2G, 1A) against No. 10 Windsor, Laurier’s leading scorer looks to have plenty more up his sleeve once the playoff stretch begins.

4 – The Brock Badgers women’s hockey team may have only suited up once this past week, but one player who made the most of that 60 minutes was Cassidy Maplethorpe. The second-year forward chipped in on all four of her team’s goals in their 4-2 win over the Western Mustangs, with her two goals and two helpers making up a single-game career high for the Brock’s now second-leading scorer.

1 – Taking on some of the best university teams from around the world is no easy feat, but that’s exactly what the Ottawa Gee-Gees did in the inaugural FISU Women’s University World Cup. And not only did the team compete, but they thrived en route to finishing first overall in the event. There was no questioning the talent that the team brought to the tournament, as the group had already prevailed at both the provincial and national levels a season ago, but they took their game to a new level for the international stage and capped off their undefeated run to the title with a 1-0 win over Paulista University in the gold medal match.