Box Score Guelph, ON - The Gryphons Women's Basketball team sent a soldout crowd home happy with a thrilling 57-52 win over the Carleton Ravens on Friday night in their home opener at the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre. The exceptional Gryphons defence in the second half and timely scoring helped them erase a 10-point Carleton lead as they held the Ravens to just 17 total points in the second half as Guelph moves to 3-0 on the season. The loss was Carleton's first of the year as they fall to 2-1.
The Gryphons got off to a great start Friday night as they forced the Ravens into the some turnovers with some great defensive pressure. On the offensive end, the Gryphons were aggressively attacking the rim leading to a pair of three-point plays. The first quarter was a tight affair as both teams were forcing stops and turnovers on the defensive end. However, as the first half rolled on, the Gryphons offensively started to struggle as they were unable to hit the outside shot. The Ravens on the other hand started to connect on their shots from the perimeter as the visitors opened up a healthy lead. In the opening half, the numbers weren't pretty for the Gryphons: Guelph shot 25%,
Carleton shot 62%. Thanks to the Gryphons ability to get to the line consistently, with 14 trips alone in the opening half, they were able to remain in striking distance as they trailed by 10 at the break with Carleton leading 35-25 heading to the 3rd quarter.
In the 3rd quarter, the Gryphons comeback would be sparked by Guelph's fifth year guard
Dana Van Balkom. 11 of Van Balkom's 20 points on the night came in a huge 3rd quarter for the Gryphons in which they outscored the Ravens 19-8 to take a 44-43 lead heading to the 4th.
The fourth quarter was a tight, physical affair throughout as both teams defensively held their own. With 1:15 remaining, Van Balkom would get to the rim and finish with a lay up to gave the Gryphons a 52-50 lead. The Guelph defence, which was spectacular in the 2nd half, would come up with a big stop to get the ball back. With :38 seconds remaining, fourth year forward
Vanessa Rampado would provide the dagger by knocking down a shot from the top of the free throw circle to give the Gryphons a two possession lead.
Out of the ensuing timeout, the Gryphons would officially put it out of reach thanks to a steal off the inbounds from Guelph's reigning CIS Rookie of the Year
Bridget Atkinson. After picking off the pass, Atkinson would head the other way for the lay in to make it 57-52 Gryphons, which would be the final score.
Van Bolkom led all scorers with 20 points going 7-7 from the free throw line. Atkinson wasn't far behind as well scoring 16 points and going 5-9 from the field, while
Kate MacTavish also scored in double figures with 11 points on the night.
The 3-0 Gryphons are right back in action again on Saturday as they host the Ottawa Gee-Gees with tip set for 6pm.
