AROUND OUA: Lindsay, Leblanc lead Ravens past York
(OTTAWA, ON) — The Carleton Ravens (7-4) women’s basketball team started off its weekend homestand with a comfortable 70-58 win over the York Lions (2-9) on Friday night at the Ravens’ Nest. The Ravens (7-4) leveraged the standout performances of third-year forward Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON) and second-year player Elizabeth Leblanc (London, ON) to collect their second consecutive win following two losses to start off 2016.
(Photo: Valerie Wutti)
SCOREBOARD
Lindsay, Leblanc lead Ravens past York, 70-58
(OTTAWA, ON) — The Carleton Ravens (7-4) women's basketball team started off its weekend homestand with a comfortable 70-58 win over the York Lions (2-9) on Friday night at the Ravens' Nest. The Ravens (7-4) leveraged the standout performances of third-year forward Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON) and second-year player Elizabeth Leblanc (London, ON) to collect their second consecutive win following two losses to start off 2016.
Leading the way was Lindsay, who posted a regular season-high 15 rebounds along with 14 points, helping her attain her sixth double-double of the season. Not to be outdone was Leblanc, who used her dual-threat inside-out arsenal to attack the rim while also knocking down three 3-pointers on her way to a season-high 19 points.
"I thought we got a decent contribution from our starters tonight," said head coach Taffe Charles, whose side led for the majority of the game. "Our size wore on them a little bit."
In a tightly contested first quarter, the Ravens, who had won the past 11 games over the Lions coming into this one, were able to get contributions from five different scorers which handed them an early 1-point lead, 13-12, after one.
The Ravens struggled from 3-point range in the first half, and for most of the game, as they went 2 of 11 (18.2%) in the opening twenty minutes of the game. However, the Ravens used their aggressive rebounding skills to open up the game and take control. Heather Lindsay nearly had a double-double at the intermission as she scored 10 points while adding 9 rebounds in the early stages. York's starters were unable to make an impact through two periods of play, but the team did receive 14 points off the bench to remain competitive.
Third-year guard Steph Carr (Stittsville, ON) added two 3-pointers in the first half to help give Carleton a 37-25 halftime lead.
The Ravens built their lead up to 19 points just past the halfway mark of the third quarter thanks to 6 straight points from first-year guard Cynthia Dupont-Letourneau (Waterville, QC). York refused to lay down though as the team cut the deficit to 12 points with a strong last two minutes to end the frame.
With a 53-41 advantage heading into the fourth, Carleton maintained a comfortable lead through the final ten minutes. Elizabeth Leblanc (London, ON) poured in 7 of her game-high 19 points (6-19 FG, 4-4 FT) in the fourth as the Ravens eased to the finish line.
The Ravens controlled possession throughout most of the game as they ended up taking 18 more shots than the Lions. Both teams finished with similar shooting figures from the floor as the Ravens went 28 of 78 (35.9%) compared to York's 22 of 60 (36.7%) shooting performance.
Lions guard Haley Bowie registered a team-high 11 points, while forward Taylor McAlpine added 9 for York. Carleton's defense did a solid job limiting the effectiveness of Lions' leading scorer Ishanaa Seupersadsingh, who entered tonight's game averaging 12.9 PPG, but only finished with 9 points on 4 of 18 shooting.
Ravens guard Nicole Gilmore (Hamilton, ON) had one of her stronger games of the season, as she finished with 10 points (5-12 FG) and 8 rebounds.
"I thought we had a decent contribution out of Nicole [Gilmore] tonight, and I thought that Elizabeth [Leblanc] had a strong second half," reflected coach Charles. "At the end of the day, it was a good win and hopefully we can get another one tomorrow."
Tomorrow night, Carleton will look to extend its winning streak to three games as the team goes toe-to-toe with CIS No.10 Queen's. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Source: Carleton Ravens
Blues outlast Lakers in North Bay
The Nipissing Lakers women's basketball, who are banged up and less than 100 per cent, battled a tough Toronto Varsity Blues team, but were unable to really gain their footing Friday night.
The Lakers got off to a slow start, trailed by as much as nine at point and while they closed the gap, were never really able to take control of the game.
After the first, the Lakers trailed 19-12 to the Blues.
In the second quarter, the team came out and shot much better and included a few stops on defence to close the gap.
They cut the deficit to just two points – 21-19 – after scoring seven of the first nine points scored in the frame.
Nipissing finished the half down just five points and put themselves in a position to make a second half run.
Toronto had other plans, however, as they put up 31 points and grabbed control of the game finishing the third with a 20 point lead, 64-44.
Nipissing did manage to win the fourth quarter, outscoring the Varsity Blues 19-16, but it was too little, too late.
Toronto came away with a 80-63 decision.
Entering the game, the Lakers were without key players and lost Ali Czich early on to a broken nose, making it even tough for the Lakers to compete with a strong team.
Claire Abbott led the Nipissing attack with 21 points, Jamie Soffer added 14 and Alexe Galipeau-Wilson put up 10 points tonight.
The Lakers host the Ryerson Rams Saturday night at home. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
Source: Nipissing Lakers
The Ryerson Rams rolled into Sudbury with a ranking of #5 in the CIS and a date with the Laurentian Voyageurs in women's basketball action. The Voyageurs played extremely tough and stayed with the Rams, but ultimately fell by a score of 78-63. Despite the final score the game was very tight throughout and tied during the fourth quarter. Adrienne Moreau led the Voyageurs with 21 points on the contest.
The game started fast with both teams hitting their shots. Ryerson was creating fast break opportunities but the Voyageurs were making the most out of their shots as well. At the end of the first Ryerson held a 26-20. The Voyageurs continued to battle in the second quarter, making three points and playing strong defense. Just before the half Danielle Harris converted a big three point play and the Voyageurs rolled into halftime with the score tied. In the second the Voyageurs started with a 6-0 run as there strong defense kept Ryerson off the board. However the Rams responded and put together a run to end the quarter. After 3, the Rams held a 6 point lead. The Voyageurs continued to battle in the fourth, and Moreau continued her great game with some strong drives to the hoop. However, the Rams continued to make shots and crash the boards. The Rams out rebounded the Voyageurs 45-25 due to their distinct size advantage. In the end the Rams pulled away late and came away with a 78-63 win.
Despite the loss, the Voyageurs have to be encouraged with their play in the game. The Rams are one of the top teams in Ontario, and the Voyageurs hung with them for 3 and half quarters. The team showed some offensive firepower, something they had lacked at times this season. Moreau led the team with 21 points using a combination of 3 pointers and aggressive drives to the net. The team will also be encouraged that they shot 83.3% from the free throw line. The team can take away many positives from tonight's game; however they did still sustain the loss to drop them to 3-8 on the year. In the race for the playoffs the team remains just a game ahead of northern rival Nipissing, who fell to Toronto. The Voyageurs host Toronto tomorrow night at the Ben Avery as they look to break back into the win column. The game starts at 6 pm so come out and support your Voyageurs!
Source: Laurentian Voyageurs
Marauders fly past T-Wolves 71-43
The women's basketball team was handed a 71-43 loss by the visiting McMaster Marauders on Friday evening.
Local point guard Cass Soulias opened up the game with a three pointer for the 'Wolves, and things looked bright for the first few minutes. As it turned out only five more points were scored by Lakehead in the first quarter. Conversely McMaster looked comfortable on the attack, putting up 21 points.
The second half featured Marauder Clare Kenny have her way in the lane, as she totalled a game-high 16 points with six rebounds in 19 minutes.
The most outlandish stat on the boxscore had to be Lakehead's 32 turnovers. McMaster did commit a lot as well (18), but where Marauders turned steals into points, the 'Wolves were not as successful.
Gillian Lavoie went 4-of-9 from the field for a game-high 9 points, while Bridget O'Reilly had 8 points. Katelyn Andrea got her game going in the second half to finish with 7 points and 8 rebounds.
"We turned the ball over against one of the best transition teams in the country. Our turnovers were unforced and led to easy scores. Besides that we played good defense and held McMaster to 33% shooting and 24% from three but we have to make better decisions on offense against this team. When we moved the ball and attacked in the second and fourth quarters we scored. When the ball stopped moving we really struggled."