February 14, 2015

W-BASKETBALL WEEKEND ROUNDUP: Golden Hawks break program record with 16th win

Whitney Ellenor led the No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's basketball team to a new program-best 16th victory on Saturday night as they defeated the Nipissing Lakers 92-55 at the Athletic Complex.

Nipissing 55 @ Laurier 92 (Saturday)

Whitney Ellenor led the No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's basketball team to a new program-best 16th victory on Saturday night as they defeated the Nipissing Lakers 92-55 at the Athletic Complex.

Ellenor, a fifth year centre from Pickering, Ont., recorded a season best 21 points in the contest in just 21 minutes of court time. She also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out four assists during her limited playing time.

Even before tipoff, the odds were looking in the Golden Hawks' (16-2) favour after the Lakers arrived with only six players dressed due to injuries.

Nipissing was able to keep pace with the Hawks until about six minutes in to the first quarter when the Hawks found their stride and launched ahead to end the quarter leading 27-13.

This doubled into a 54-26 advantage by the half when Ellenor had already posted 11 points on the board for the Hawks and Lakers guard Maeve Therriault (Ottawa, Ont.) was leading the Nipissing team with nine.

Going into the second half, the Hawks continued to dominate the court and looked good to break into a triple-digit score by the end of the game. However, Laurier let up over the final 10 minutes as they cruised to the win.

In another balanced scoring night for the purple and gold, two other Hawks joined Ellenor in double figures asNicole Morrison of Hamilton, had 11 points, five steals, four assists and four rebounds. Courtney Bruce of Orillia, Ont., came off the bench to also post 11 points.

Laurier had a strong shooting night as they made 53.3 percent of their shots from the field, including 46.7 percent from beyond the arc.

The Nipissing women shot close to 38 percent with two of their players reaching the team-high 16 points. Therriault finished with 16 points and three rebounds while forward Leisa Wierenga (Peterborough, Ont.) earned a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds on the night.

The Hawks hit the road next to head to London, Ont., and face their long-time school rival the Western Mustangs. The game is set for Wednesday, February 18th at 6:00 p.m. and can be seen live on OUA.tv.

NOTE: The 92 points scored by Laurier on Saturday night is the most since the Hawks put up 92 on the Waterloo Warriors back on February 16, 2011

Source: Laurier Golden Hawks

Friday, February 13

Laurentian 62 @ Laurier 74

The No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawk women's basketball team picked up their 15th victory of the 2014-15 regular season on Friday night as they defeated the Laurentian Voyageurs 74-62 at the Athletic Complex.

The 15-2 regular season record matches the program's record best for regular season games won, with the only other occurrences of this achievement appearing in the 2004-05, 2010-11, and 2013-14 seasons throughout the team's history.

In a true purple and gold team effort, the Hawks stuck to their tried-and-true methods of distributing the ball to make the baskets necessary to come away with the record-matching victory. Three Hawks came away with the team-high 13 points including Whitney Ellenor (Pickering, Ont.), Nicole Morrison (Hamilton, Ont.), and Kaitlyn Schenck(Kitchener, Ont.). Samantha Jacobs (Enniskillen, Ont.) followed just behind with 12 points recorded in the contest.

The Hawks got a lead up on the Voyageurs in the first quarter and maintained the gap throughout the second to end the first half up 34-30.

While Laurentian guard Danielle Harris (Richmond Hill, Ont.) was able to put up a solid 19 points and seven rebounds for her team, the Hawks outscored the Voyageurs as they shot 44.6 percent from the floor compared to only 30.9 percent for the team from Sudbury.

Throughout the second half, the Hawks never relinquished their lead and finished with a 74-62 win.

Ellenor ended the game with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds, her fifth of the season, and Morrison and Schenck rounded off their 13-point games with three rebounds a piece.

The Hawks are scheduled to take on the Nipissing Lakers at 6:00 p.m. in the Athletic Complex Gym tomorrow night for their second last home game of the regular season. Laurier will be looking to set a new team record for wins in a season in the contest.

Source: Laurier Golden Hawks

Nipissing 41 @ Waterloo 73

The Waterloo Warriors had their first home game in over 4 weeks and hosted the winless Nipissing Lakers on Friday night. The combination set the stage for a Waterloo win and they came through with a 73-41 victory in OUA play.

The win snapped Waterloo's season high 7-game losing streak and boosted their record to 4-13 while the depleted Nipissing squad dropped to 0-13 on the season.

After Nipissing opened the scoring Waterloo went on their first run of the night, scoring 12 in a row to take early control of the game. By half time Waterloo led the Lakers 33-19. Another run by Waterloo to start the second half, this time a 13-2 run and the Warriors were up by 25.

Warriors coach Tyler Slipp got all 12 players into the game for at least 10 minutes and they spread the scoring as well. Mackenzie Lougheed (Owen Sound) led the way for Waterloo with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Emily Wilk (Oakville) was the other player in double figures with 12 points. The Warriors shot 43% from the field, although only 2 of 15 from long range.

Nipissing only had six players dressed for the contest, as Claire Abbott led the way with 21 points. In a game with very few fouls, Nipissing had only two shots from the line during the game.

Source: Waterloo Warriors

Windsor 95 @ Algoma 23

The Algoma Thunderbirds had their first of two games against the Windsor Lancers tonight. In the men's and women's action, the Lancers ran past the Thunderbirds.

In the women's game, Windsor jumped out to an early lead, 9-0. Sydney Resch went 1-2 from the charity stripe to get Algoma on the board. Windsor continued to pull ahead. Algoma struggled to move the ball and get into a rhythm. Even with the new addition to their roster of Rhaelyn Gillespie, the Thunderbirds only had two substitutions and struggled to keep pace with Windsor. By the end of the first, Algoma was down 27-5. Windsor's momentum continued, increasing the gap to 30 early in the second. Korissa Williams and Jocelyn LaRocque led the Lancers to a 58-13 spread going into the second half, notching 15 points and 14 points respectively. Windsor shot an impressive 62 percent in the first half against Algoma's 25 percent. Just shy of the 100-point mark, the Lancers ran away with a 95-23 win.

The Lancers hold onto the Number 1 spot in the CIS with a 16-1 record while Algoma falls to 1-16. Windsor shot 57 percent from the field and free-throw line. Algoma shot 20 percent from the field. Williams led the Lancers with 24 points, followed by Emily Prevost with 17. Alyssa Dovigi had 9 for Algoma.

Source: Algoma Thunderbirds

Carleton 51 @ Queen's 83

It was a big night for the Gaels (10-6) who locked down an 83-51 win against their rivals the Carleton Ravens (7-9) this Friday evening at the ARC. It was an OUA rematch for the two teams who last met in the 2013-14 OUA East finals where the Gaels claimed an overtime victory over the Ravens to send them to the OUA Championship.

With their top scorer Lindsay Shotbolt missing from the lineup the Ravens had a shaky offensive start. In the meantime the Gaels asserted their dominance on the court, exploding into the first quarter with Liz Boag (Kingston, Ont.) hitting seven straight during their early 16-0 run. Shooting 63% from the floor, the Gaels racked up a 21 point lead over the Ravens to go into the second quarter.

The Gaels met some resistance in the beginning of the second quarter as the Ravens switched their defence reducing the Gaels percentage by 10 %. The new defence didn't faze Queen's who continued their first quarter momentum to build their lead up to 44-16 at halftime.

The Ravens got their offence moving right off the bench in the second half finding their stride and matching the Gaels in shooting percentage from the floor. The Gaels made sure keep their momentum up despite the increased Ravens pressure, returning to the basket with 26 points over the 16 points from Carleton.

Heading into the final quarter the Ravens trailed 70-31. It was in the last minutes of regulation time that the Ravens offence finally started to come together as they outscored the Gaels 19-13. It was just too little too late for Carleton who met the final buzzer with a loss of 83-51 against Queen's.

Boag led the Gaels in their win scoring a game high 24 points and contributing five assists. Following right behind her the Gaels were supported by Jenny Wright (Kingston, Ont.) who put up 15 points and Abby Dixon (North Vancouver) who put up 12 points. Stephanie Carr led the Ravens on the offensive front with 13 points while Elizabeth Leblanc led the defensive front with eight rebounds.

Source: Queen's Gaels

Laurentian 62 @ Laurier 74

The Hawks got a lead up on the Voyageurs in the first quarter and maintained the gap throughout the second to end the first half up 34-30.

Throughout the second half, the Hawks never relinquished their lead and finished with a 74-62 win.

Ellenor ended the game with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds, her fifth of the season, and Morrison and Schenck rounded off their 13-point games with three rebounds a piece.

Source: Laurier Golden Hawks

Nipissing 41 @ Waterloo 73

Source: Waterloo Warriors

Windsor 95 @ Algoma 23

Source: Algoma Thunderbirds

Carleton 51 @ Queen's 83

Source: Queen's Gaels

Ottawa 79 @ York 42

The York University Lions women's basketball team lost 79-42 against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday (Feb. 13) at Tait McKenzie Centre.

With the loss, the Lions now hold a record of 2-15 and are in fourth place in the OUA East standings, where they have already been eliminated from the playoffs. The Gee-Gees extended their winning streak to three and a record of 11-5 as they lead the OUA North standings with 22 points.

The visitors started strongly with an opening basket and a three-pointer from a turnover. The Gee-Gees took advantage of the Lions' soft defence to extend their lead before the Lions called a timeout at 9-0.

Immediately after the break, Ishanaa Seupersadsingh (Markham, Ont.) drove forward from her own court past defenders and scored the Lions' first basket.

Shauney Fischer (Wallaceburg, Ont.) fumbled possession in the attacking half but immediately recovered, passing to Seupersadsingh who passed to Hayley Finn (London, Ont.) for the three-point shot.

Courtney Osborne (Markham, Ont.) showed good skill on the shot and drew a foul for the and-one to give the Lions 10 points, but they continued to trail by 14 points. Ottawa carried a 28-12 lead into the first break.

Seupersadsingh stepped up to lead the Lions' offensive line with several impressive shots. On more than one occasion she was heavily surrounded by defenders but executed a spin move and succeeded the jump shot.

By halftime, the Gee-Gees still held a commanding lead at 50-22.

The Gee-Gees had plenty of second chance shots in the third quarter. However, the Lions are able to respond through successful free-throws. Emma Thompson (London, Ont.) made an open shot from downtown as the Lions attempted to reduce the 30-point deficit.

Thompson continued to perform in the final quarter, dribbling through traffic and making the basket.

The Gee-Gees committed more turnovers in the final minutes of the match, letting the Lions to pressure more offensively. However, the game ended with the Gee-Gees claiming a resounding victory.

Osborne achieved the double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Ottawa's Stephanie MacDonald also achieved the double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Source: York Lions

Saturday, February 14

Guelph 55 @ McMaster 79

The McMaster women's basketball team had only eight players in uniform due to injuries, but those eight gave all they had and defeated the Guelph Gryphons 79-55 Saturday afternoon in Hamilton.

Already missing three players with long-term ailments, the Marauders got more bad news when Clare Kenney and Erin Burns were not able to suit up against Guelph.   But playing with a short bench didn't seem to faze the team and they came at the Gryphons right from the opening tip.

Mac's Danielle Boiago served notice she had come to play by draining two long treys in the first quarter, and pacing the Marauders to a 21-13 lead after 10 minutes.

The second quarter saw the Gryphons start to claw back and behind their all-star Kate MacTavish, they were able to close to within a point at 23-22.   That was the cue for Hilary Hanaka and Rachael Holmes to get going and behind some strong attacks to the basket by those two and Boiago, McMaster ended the quarter on a 12-2 run to take a 35-24 lead into intermission.

While the Marauders have clinched a playoff spot, Guelph entered play in a battle with Brock for a post-season berth and was desperate for a victory.

The third quarter saw the Marauders get some solid play from substitutes Lexie Spadafora and Michaela Ionni, who both took advantage of their increased playing time.   Playing some intense defense, McMaster was able to extend its lead and carried a 51-35 margin into the final stanza.

The fourth quarter saw Boiago heat up again and she knocked down two more long three-pointers to increase the gap. With Siobhan Manning adding another trey and Ally Schweitzer scoring two key inside hoops, Mac's lead peaked at 25 points as Guelph had to call timeout down 71-46 with just over three minutes left.

The Gryphons made a furious late push to try and carve into the lead, but the Marauders matched them and closed out the win.    Boiago finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Hanaka with 14 and Holmes with 12 also hit double digits.   The top shooter for Guelph was Barb Inrig-Pierterse with 13.

Spadafora finished with nine big rebounds, while Ionni grabbed five boards and played some great defense while on the floor, as both were key contributors, and helped Mac keep pace with Guelph on the boards.

McMaster shot 46% from the floor for the game, while Guelph could only muster a team field-goal percentage of 21%.

The Marauders improve to 13 and 4 in the OUA Central, while Guelph stands at 7-10 after the loss.

Source: McMaster Marauders

Toronto 79 @ Brock 73

The Brock University women's basketball team dropped a 79–73 decision to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Saturday afternoon at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.

The two teams played an even first quarter, with Toronto leading 19-16 after 10 minutes. In the second quarter, it was all Varsity Blues as they outscored Brock 24-8, highlighted by a 10-2 run, to take a 43-24 lead at the half.

The Badgers trailed 62-44 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Brock's offense rallied back late putting together a 14-6 run to cut the Blues lead to three, 76-73 with 30 seconds left. Jill Statton closed out the game for Toronto going 3-for-4 at the charity stripe to seal the road victory.

For the game, Brock shot 31.9% (23-for-42) from the field, but struggled from beyond the arc going just 4-for-24 (16.7%). The Badgers were also 23-for-34 (67.6%) from the charity stripe. The Varsity Blues shot 38.5% (30-for-78) from the floor, 25.0% (5-for-20) from three-point land and just 56.0% (14-for-25) from the free throw line.

Brock had three players in double figures, led by Kira Cornellisen (Aylmer, Ont.) who recorded 18 points and six rebounds. Jenalyn Yumol (London, Ont.) contributed with a double-double registering 16 points and career-high 10 rebounds she also collected for four assists and three steals. Kayla Santilli (Brantford, Ont.) rounded out the Brock leaders adding 13 points and five rebounds in the loss.

Leading the Varsity Blues was Jill Stratton who recorded 19 points and 13 rebounds for the double-double to go along well as five assists. Rashida Atkinson and Julie Longauer both chipped in with 10 points each and the victory.

Source: Brock Badgers

Windsor 74 @ Algoma 38

The women's squad returned to the court this afternoon looking to improve upon yesterday's shooting woes that saw them lose 95-23 to the Number 1 Lancers. Algoma kept it close with the Lancers in the opening minutes but struggled to keep the pace. The Lancers pulled ahead 22-4 going into the second. Algoma battled back, driving the ball to the post, chipping into the deficit, trailing 37-17 going into the third. Unable to penetrate the Lancers' defence, Algoma fell 74-38.

The Lancers hold onto the Number 1 spot in the CIS with a 17-1 record while Algoma falls to 1-17. Laura Meadows earned 21 points for the Thunderbirds. Emily Prevost had 22 for the Lancers.

Source: Algoma Thunderbirds

Western 45 @ Lakehead 71

The women's basketball team completed their regular season home schedule on Saturday with a 71-45 win over the Western Mustangs.

It was a special evening, with Jylisa Williams, Katie Ulakovic and Corina Bruni being recognized as 5th year graduating seniors in a post-game ceremony. Jylisa's mother, (also American) even sang the Canadian national anthem, twice, much to the enjoyment of the 1000+ Thunderdome crowd.

Western dug in to begin the game, limiting Lakehead to 14 points in the first quarter. The dam would eventually burst, as Lakehead's pressure defense was far too much for the Mustangs, who committed 25 turnovers on the game, including at least 10 shot clock violations.

Lakehead led by 12 at the half (32-20), and expanded it as the second half elapsed. It acted as a good opportunity for Lakehead's bench to get some reps in as the team prepares to finish the regular season and get ready for the playoffs.

Jylisa Williams scored 28 points with 10 rebounds to lead the 'Wolves. Essa Jacobsen scored 15 with 6 rebounds.

Victoria Heine had 11 points and 9 rebounds for the Mustangs.

Coach Jon Kreiner:

"Seniors' night is an emotional one and it was special for me as all three athletes mean so much to our program and have done so much and been through even more. We played great defence tonight and scored out of it. We struggled to shoot it tonight but Jylisa kept us in it and Essa stepped up big for us. Bridget O'Reilly played very tough for us and found ways to contribute besides the long ball."

Source: Lakehead Thunderwolves

Laurentian 59 @ Waterloo 73

The Waterloo Warriors led from start to finish and got a career game from senior Madison Behr (Ancaster) with 29 points to win over the visiting Laurentian Voyageurs 73-59 on Saturday night. With the win the Warriors improve to 5-13 in the OUA West and keep their playoff hopes alive.

After the game, Warriors head coach Tyler Slipp considered it a good team win and "every time in the game that we needed a special moment the team came through." He pointed out the work of Madison Behr (Ancaster) who had "by far the best game of her career" and another senior Marti Killeen (Oakville), who had 13 points and 6 rebounds. "This was a playoff game for us and we needed to be ready."

The Warriors started the game with an 11-2 run and forced an early Laurentian time out. The lead was 18-12 after the first quarter, which was extended to 35-24 at half time. At the half, Waterloo more than doubled up the Voyageurs on rebounds at 30-14 and held the visitors to just 21% shooting while shooting 38% themselves.

To start the second half, the Warriors had another run, this time 13-4 and the lead was 20 points early in the third. The rest of the game was played close to even, but every time Laurentian would score a couple times in a row Waterloo would respond to increase the lead again.vo

Waterloo did get all 12 players in the game, going 9 deep for 12 or more minutes each. In addition to Behr and Killeen, Amy Jarvis (Burlington) had 12 points and Mackenzie Lougheed (Owen Sound) had 11 rebounds to lead the Warriors to an overall 49-27 edge on the boards.

Laurentian also got all 12 players into the game and 11 of them hit the score sheet. However, only one player, Emily Tinnes, was in double figures with 12 points.

The Warriors are one game behind Western Mustangs in the playoff race and play the Mustangs at home on the final game of the schedule next Saturday. Both teams also play on Wednesday night, with Waterloo traveling to Windsor and Western hosting Wilfrid Laurier. There is a good chance that the Saturday contest will decide third place in the OUA West. Game time for the Women Warriors is 1:00pm Saturday February 21 as the opening game of Annual Fantastic Alumni, Faculty and Staff Day at Waterloo.

Source: Waterloo Warriors

Ottawa 60 @ Queen's 51

The Gaels (10-7) saw a slight halftime advantage slip away and lost 60-51 against the Ottawa Gee-Gees (11-5) on Saturday night at the ARC main gym in Kingston.

Liz Boag (Kingston, Ont.) and Abby Dixon (North Vancouver) led the Gaels with 11 points each while Emily Hazlett (Fredericton, N.B.) followed them with 10 points of her own. On the defensive end of the action the Gaels had a big night from Robyn Pearson(Toronto) who grabbed 13 rebounds. The Gee-Gees were led by Stephanie MacDonald who put up 21 points and Kellie Ring with 12 points.

It was a tight defensive first quarter with both teams locking the other out and keeping the score a low 9-5 for the Gee-Gees. The Gaels turned up the heat and scored the first baskets of the second quarter in a 7-0 run allowing them to steal the lead. Their momentum continued throughout the quarter as they managed to stretch the gap to eight points, outscoring the Gee-Gees 17-10.

Ottawa didn't let the Gaels baskets go unanswered as they picked up their offence towards the close of the half, matching the Gaels in shooting percentage and making up for most of the ground they'd lost. The Gaels managed to stay ahead with Pearson sinking a shot from the charity stripe putting Queen's up 22-19 at halftime.

The Gaels opened up the third quarter with successive turnovers giving the Gee-Gees the opening they needed to pull ahead. Boag immediately responded with a shot from behind the arc putting the Gaels back in the lead. The rest of the quarter saw see-saw action as the teams traded seven lead changes with the Gee-Gees ending up on top to lead 39-34 heading into the final frame.

Ottawa exploded into the fourth quarter to pull further ahead with a 12-4 run forcing the Gaels back onto their heels. The Gaels struggled to settle into the defensive rhythm they'd set up in the first half as the Gee-Gees found their way to the basket for 21 points. With five seconds on the clock Dixon was sent to the charity stripe for the Gaels but the Gee-Gees had solidified their win, ending ahead of the Gaels 60-51.

Tonight the Gaels honoured their three graduating players Boag, who hit the 1,000 point mark a night before, Gemma Bullard (Guelph, Ont.) and Jenny Wright (Kingston, Ont.).

"It's really tough to say something about Boag because I could talk for two hours," said head coach Dave Wilsonabout the fifth year veteran guard player. "The one thing I could come up with is: one hundred percent, one hundred percent of the time. I wish we could have her with the team for five more years." Wilson spoke about all three of the Gaels players, highlighting Wright's athletic versatility on and off the court and the adversity that Bullard has fought through since being a member of the team.

The Gaels will be on the road to Toronto on February 20 when they take on the No. 7 Ryerson Rams for the second time this season. The Gaels lost to the Rams last time they met 79-71 in OUA action.

Source: Queen's Gaels

Sunday, February 15

Carleton 59 @ York 46

The York University Lions women's basketball team was defeated by a score of 59-46 by the visiting Carleton Ravens in its regular-season home finale on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 15) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

Third-year guard Ishanaa Seupersadsingh (Markham, Ont.) put together the best performance of her season with a game-high 22 points and also added two rebounds and two assists. She was 9-of-19 from the floor in 32 minutes of action.

Carleton pounced on the Lions early and took advantage of some shooting troubles by the home team to build a 14-5 lead after the first quarter of play. The Lions went on a 9-2 run to start the second quarter to cut the deficit to 16-14, but the Ravens found their groove again from there, going on a 10-4 run of their own to carry a 26-18 lead into the half.

The Ravens continued to add to their lead in the third quarter, outscoring the Lions 22-12 to take a commanding 18-point lead, at 48-30, into the final frame.

The Lions had their best quarter in the fourth with 16 points, including nine from Seupersadsingh, but it was not enough to close the gap.

Carleton's leading scorer was Lindsay Suprunchuk with 19 points on the same 9-of-19 shooting line as Seupersadsingh. She filled the stats sheet by also adding six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.

The loss drops the Lions to 2-16 on the year and they remain in last place in the OUA East Division. The Ravens improved to 8-9 with the win to move two points ahead of the Laurentian Voyageurs in the OUA North Division standings.

The Lions will wrap up the regular season on Wednesday night (Feb. 18) when they travel downtown to face the rival Toronto Varsity Blues at the Goldring Centre. Tip-off is set for 6pm.

Source: York Lions