Ulakovic strikes early as Thunderwolves bury Marauders, advance to OUA Final Four

In a shocking blowout, the women's basketball team earned their way to the OUA Final Four following a 82-49 win over the McMaster Marauders.

The game served as a bit of revenge for the 'Wolves, who were ousted from the playoffs last season in the Burridge gymnasium by the Marauders. The tables were turned in Saturday's game, with Lakehead racing out to a 22-10 lead and then cranking their game up a few more notches, leading 53-16 at the half. 

Simply put, Lakehead shooters couldn't miss in the first half. The team went 9-for-12 in the first 20 minutes, led by Katie Ulakovic, who hit on 5 of her 8 long range attempts. Bridget O'Reilly hit two, and Corina Bruni and Jerika Baldin splashed in one each to complete first half fire show. The 'Wolves shot an uncanny 62% from the field in the first half, while McMaster was limited to 18%. 

The T-Wolves' stranglehold only got tighter after the third quarter, as they led 73-31 after three quarters, making the final 10 minutes a formality. The 25 or so boisterous Lakehead fans present in Hamilton, clearly audible on the broadcast, had plenty to cheer about amidst the stunned hometown Hamilton crowd. 

Not only did Katie Ulakovic lead the charge on offense, she successfully shut down McMaster's main scoring threat, Danielle Boiago, who went the entire first half without a field goal. Ulakovic finished with 16 points, 2 steals and 2 rebounds, while limiting Boiago to 4 points on 2-of-14 shooting. 

Jylisa Williams acted as play maker for the team's first half explosion on offense, tallying 7 assists with 6 rebounds and 6 points. She would finish with four game-high stats; 20 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals. 

Rookie Hilary Hanaka led the Marauders with 10 points. 

Coach Jon Kreiner:

"Great team win today. Our defensive intensity and execution was spot on and Jylisa found the open player all game. Katie Ulakovic was on fire, and shut down Boiago which is a tough thing to do. I'm so proud of our team today and we're looking forward to playing in the OUA Final Four."

Source: Lakehead Thunderwolves