Gilmore, Mukama named IG Wealth Management Athletes of the Week, powered by Planters
Burlington, Ont. – Nicole Gilmore and JV Mukama have been named IG Wealth Management Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Athletes of the Week, powered by Planters, for the period ending January 27, 2019.
Female Athlete of the Week – Nicole Gilmore (Hamilton, Ont.) – 5th Year – Carleton Ravens
A pair of GTA squads came rolling through the nation’s capital over the weekend, but thanks in large part to the leading play of Nicole Gilmore, neither was able to up-end the Carleton Ravens on their home court.
On Friday, Carleton welcomed the Toronto Varsity Blues to the Ravens Nest, and while Gilmore struggled to find her shooting stroke, ending with eight points on the night, she made up for it in other facets of her game. In the end, the Hamilton, Ont. native came just shy of a triple-double, picking up seven assists and pulling down nine rebounds – to go along with three steals – in her team’s 67-48 win.
The next night saw the No. 2 Ryerson Rams come to town, looking to bounce back from their loss the night prior. Gilmore and the Ravens came ready to roll in that one, as the talented forward poured in one of her best games of the year. When all was said and done, Gilmore finished with a game-high 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field (3-of-5 3PT%) to go along with 12 boards and three assists to lead Carleton to the 71-62 victory.
The win helped to push the Ravens ahead of the Rams in the standings and leaves Gilmore with averages of 14.1 PPG and 8.0 RPG on the year.
Male Athlete of the Week – JV Mukama (Hamilton, Ont.) – 5th Year – Ryerson Rams
Going into the weekend with an air-cast on one foot, it might come as a surprise to see JV Mukama as the OUA Athlete of the Week, but the Ryerson Rams standout dropped two of his best performances of the season against two of the best teams to earn the honour.
On Friday night, Mukama netted 24 points and pulled in 11 rebounds to lead the Rams to a win over No. 6 Ottawa. He also added singles in the assist, steal, and block columns to round out an impactful 28 minutes of action against a tough, top-10 opponent.
Things didn’t get any easier from there for Mukama and the Rams, though, as the next night, they went into the Ravens Nest for a date with the undefeated Carleton squad. In that highly anticipated No. 1 vs. No 2 bout, Mukama played all 40 minutes and scored 25 points in the process (9-of-19 from the floor). He also tacked on five rebounds, three assists, and two steals to help Ryerson hand the Ravens their first loss of the season.
Mukama made his mark all game long, but perhaps his biggest play came when he hit a three-pointer with just 30 seconds left to play, giving the Ryerson a lead that they would defend until the final buzzer.
