AROUND OUA: Gee-Gees outpaced by late charge from Mustangs
The Western Mustangs (4-3) went on a 15-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter and held on to hand the uOttawa Gee-Gees (6-1) their first loss of the regular season, 75-66 in Ottawa on Saturday night.
SCOREBOARD
The Western Mustangs (4-3) went on a 15-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter and held on to hand the uOttawa Gee-Gees (6-1) their first loss of the regular season, 75-66 in Ottawa on Saturday night.
Caroline Wolynski was clutch for the Mustangs as they took the lead and the fifth-year guard hit a dagger three-pointer from the top with 22.4 seconds left to seal the win. Wolynski finished with 18 points, nine of which came in the final frame. Maddy Hosrt supported with 17 points and seven rebounds.
For Ottawa, which led up until the Mustangs tied the score at 60-60 early in the fourth quarter, Catherine Traer scored 18 while sparkplug guard Julia Soriano had a season-high 16.
After Ottawa started with a 17-6 lead, the physicality of the Mustangs came out at both ends. It was all Hosrt for the Mustangs in the first quarter as she counted 10 of the team's 14 points. Western was able to run plays to create space for the posts cutting through the paint and turned turnovers into transition baskets to cut the lead to 28-27.
"They attacked the basket well and we could not guard the ball. Our help and rotations were poor as well," said Gee-Gees head coach Andy Sparks. "Full credit to their bigs because they neutralized Katherine Lemoine, who was excellent yesterday."
A pair of threes from Traer and close range scores from Kellie Ring helped Ottawa regain a 44-34 lead at halftime. Key steals from Julia Soriano midway through the third kept the Ottawa lead at ten until a late charge from Western and a foul call at the buzzer had the gap at 57-51.
Western tied things up at 60-60 with tight defence and a pair of free throws from Meredith McLeod. Ottawa struggled on the offensive end in the fourth, first under the pressure of the Mustangs but in the end missed shots in the paint ended the Gee-Gees winning streak at 10 games.
"This was a character game after the win last night; we needed to follow up. I think the girls wanted it and almost pressed too hard," added Sparks, who often had to remind his team to slow down after some rushed shot attempts.
While Ottawa shot 7-15 from long distance in the first half, which cooled to just 2-12 in the second half. Western was consistent throughout the game, shooting 51.9 per cent from the floor in the first and increasing to 60 per cent in the second half.
Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees
Marauders topple rival Gryphonas in Central showdown
It was a key OUA Central division contest and the McMaster women's basketball team knocked off the Guelph Gryphons 81-58 in Hamilton Saturday afternoon. The win moves the Marauder record to 5-2 , which ties them with Guelph at the top of the division.
Typical of McMaster-Guelph games it was intense and at times very physical as both teams understood the importance of beating a division rival.
With the score tied 13-13 in the opening quarter, the Marauders went on an 11-2 run to finish the period and take a 24-15 lead after 10 minutes.
The second quarter was pretty even, but the Maroon added to its lead and carried a 41-30 advantage into intermission. The big difference in the first half was that McMaster made 48% of its shots, while Guelph shot a cool 30% clip. The Marauders also got a huge boost from Hilary Hanaka, who came off the bench and scored 11 points.
In the fourth quarter, McMaster continued to press the attack and when Rachael Holmes and Linnaea Harper hit back-to-back treys, the lead had grown to 25. Credit the Gryphons for playing hard to the final buzzer, but the shots were not falling and the Marauders closed out the win.
Top shooter for Mac was Hanaka, who finished with 19, while making 8 of her 10 shots from the floor. Clare Kenney had her best game of the year with 17 points and 15 huge rebounds, while Danielle Boiago also had the double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Rachael Holmes also chipped in 10, but the whole roster contributed to the important victory. Guelph was led by Kate MacIntosh with 14 and 10 boards.
For the game, McMaster made 46% of its shots, while Guelph was only at 27%. The Marauders dominated the glass, grabbing 46 rebounds to Guelph's 31.
The Marauders now enter the exam/holiday break and resume OUA competition on January 13, 2016 at the University of Waterloo.
Source: McMaster Marauders
No. 7 Brock defeats Lakehead 72-50
ST. CATHARINES, ON -The No.7 ranked Brock University women's basketball team defeated the Lakehead Thunderwolves by the score of 72-50 Saturday night at the Meridian Centre.
Early in the second quarter, the Badgers held a 14-13 lead, before going on an 18-4 run to take a 32-17 lead with just over two minutes left in the half. Brock extended their lead to as many as 28 points in the second half, on route to their fifth OUA conference victory.
The Badgers had four players reach double figures led by Kira Cornelissen (Aylmer, ON) who added 16 points and eight rebounds. Kate Harper (Niagara on the Lake, ON) and Kayla Santilli (Brantford, ON) chipped in with 12 points each while Aryn Finley (Dresden, ON) added 11 points, including a career best three three-pointers.
Jenylyn Yumol (London, ON) added a season high nine assists to move her into first all time in school history surpassing Nickie Thompson.
Brock shot 46.6% (27-for-58) from the field, 31.8% (7-for-22) from beyond the arc and 57.9% (11-for-19) from the charity stripe.The Thunderwolves were held to just 25.7% from the field going 18-for-70. They were also 5-for-25 (20.0%) from long range and 9-for-12 (75.0%) from the free throw line.
Source: Brock Badgers
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball team dropped an 87-74 decision to the No. 4 nationally ranked Ryerson Rams on Saturday, November 28 at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
With the loss, the Blues head into the December break with a 2-4 record, in third place in the OUA East division.
The Bell NBA All-Star Challenge, presented by Air Miles was on hand for an evening full of contests, prizes and more! The Toronto Raptor, Raptors Dance Pak and NBA legend Mo Pete ran the show, where contestants competed to win a trip to the NBA All-Star Game in Toronto. The promotion will also be back at Goldring Centre on Saturday, February 6 when both Toronto men and women host the Laurier Golden Hawks.
Fifth-year guard Abena Addo notched a career-high 18 points and added six boards, two assists and two steals, while third-year forward Emily Piccini had 16 points and veteran Alanna Garner recorded 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Rahshida Atkinson tallied nine points, with rookie Sarah Bennett adding eight in the loss.
Trailing by as many as 15 points, the Blues rallied late in the third quarter and a three-pointer from Addo at the buzzer brought the Blues within seven (69-62) heading into the final frame.
Addo didn't stop there, hitting another three early in the fourth to bring the Blues within four (65-69). Midway through the frame two points from Atkinson cut the deficit to one (71-70), but that was as close as the Blues would come as Ryerson went on a 10-0 streak to put the game out of reach.
Keneca Pingue-Giles led all players with 25 points, while adding eight rebounds for the Rams and Sofia Paska notched a double-double of 24 points and 11 boards in the win.
The Varsity Blues will host the U of T Holiday Invitational, December 28-30, at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. They resume regular season action on Friday, January 8 when they host the York Lions in a School Day game at 11 a.m.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
Warriors wrap up 2015 with loss to Gaels
The visiting Queen's Gaels had an impressive 31 point third quarter to handily overcome the Waterloo Warriors 84-69 on Saturday night at the PAC.
Queen's took the lead from the early going as they held a 24-18 lead after the first quarter. Twice in the second Waterloo was able to narrow the gap to four points, but ended the half behind 40-32.
To start the second half Queen's quickly made the lead double digits and kept scoring. In that third quarter Queen's shot 72.2% from the field. For the game they shot 49%.
Waterloo did outscore the visitors in the fourth to make the final margin just 15 points.
The Warriors were led by Emily Wilk (Oakville) with 14 points, Kristen Osborne (Markham) with 12 and Jacqui Rodrigues (Waterloo) with 11. Caitlin Macleod grabbed 7 rebounds. Queen's had 4 scorers in double figures, led by Jenny Wright with 19 and Abby Dixon with 16. Dixon added 10 rebounds.
Waterloo ends the fall semester portion of the OUA schedule winless in seven starts. They now take a break for exams and holidays and return to action Wednesday, January 13 when they host McMaster.
Source: Waterloo Warriors
Laurier ends 2015 with loss to York
WATERLOO, Ont. (November 29, 2015) – The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's basketball team were unable to close out the Fall portion of their schedule with a victory on Saturday night as they lost 77-65 to the York University Lions at the Athletic Complex.
The Golden Hawks started the game in fine form as they steadily crafted a 10-point lead within the first five minutes of play against the Lions, who then had to work to close the gap to a 16-13 Laurier lead by the end of the quarter.
Something switched on for the visitors from York University for the second quarter, however, and Laurier watched their lead disintegrate into a six-point deficit by half time.
The Lions (2-5) did well at spreading out the ball and taking opportunities on high-percentage shots, earning their 38 points off of the strength of their 45.9 field goal percentage. Second year forward Taylor McAlpine (Huntsville, Ont.) led her team with 10 points by the halfway mark and added six rebounds.
For Laurier it was junior guard Nicole Morrison (Hamilton, Ont.) really stepping up as she contributed 12 of the Hawks' 32 points by the half and added a couple of rebounds. Fifth year guard Courtney Bruce (Orillia, Ont.) was also putting her best foot forward for the purple and gold as she put up nine points and eight rebounds.
The second half revealed no shift in momentum for the Hawks' favour, and the home team struggled in vain to find their typical tempo on the court. McAlpine was unstoppable against the Hawks defensive efforts and she counted 10 more points in the second half to end the game with an outstanding double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Despite taking the 77-65 loss, Morrison finished the night with a game-high 22 points and added four rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Bruce also had a strong night for her personal performance as she recorded a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds.
The Golden Hawks (3-4) will return to the court in the new year to take on the Brock Badgers at home. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on January 16th in the Athletic Complex Gym.
Source: Laurier Golden Hawks
Carleton takes down CIS titleholder Windsor with 80-63 victory
(OTTAWA, ON) — It's not every day that you get a chance to knock off the five-time defending champions of the CIS, but the women's basketball team accomplished the feat on Saturday evening in a 80-63 win over Windsor (4-3) at the Ravens' Nest.
In defeating the Lancers, Carleton (5-2) pushed its winning streak to three games and now sits firmly in second place behind Ottawa in the OUA East division.
The Ravens were led by none other than third-year forward Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON), who managed 24 points (10 for 15) and 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.
"It's great that we have more bodies back to be able get more subs out on the floor," said Lindsay after the game. "We're really coming together as a team on our rotations. We've been practicing really hard and we have been scrapping like crazy in practice as well, and now it's showing in the games."
Even though Windsor opened the game with a 16-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter, Carleton was able pull back into the contest with a 16-13 second quarter victory of their own to tie the game up at 29-29 in a defensive first-half battle.
The two teams shared near identical numbers through the opening twenty minutes, as Carleton connected on 37% (10-27) from the floor while Windsor hit 38.5% (10-26) of their looks.
Carleton looked like the more determined team to start the second half as they dictated the tempo with an offensive burst, while maintaining the same defensive focus that guided them to victory against Western on Friday evening. Fourth-year Raven Lindsay Shotbolt (Markham, ON) commanded the ball in the post in the third, as she bullied her way into the paint for a few baskets followed by a 3-point shot that helped Carleton build an 11-point lead at the end of 30 minutes.
Windsor neutralized Carleton's inside game up until the fourth quarter with the inside duo of Cheyanne Roger and Emily Prevost. The two third-year forwards went toe-to-toe with Heather Lindsay for control of the paint, as Roger and Prevost took turns guarding Carleton's go-to offensive weapon.
Prevost eventually fouled out with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, but Lindsay finally let her presence be known as Carleton fed her the rock, and she went to work by netting 14 of 24 points in the final stanza.
"Windsor started to get a bit desperate late in the game since they weren't getting too many stops against us," said Heather Lindsay. "We really started to pull ahead when they started trying to mix things up."
"They weren't successful in trying to change the pace against us, and we were able to push the pace and move the ball up the floor."
Carleton's Natasha Plaskacz (Chelsea, QC) had a regular season-high tally of 13 points, as did Nicole Gilmour (Hamilton, ON), who scored 12 points while adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Carleton chose the perfect night to get contributions from everyone.
"We've been doing a really good job of sharing the ball and finding the open player, and we are playing more of an inside-out game," said Heather Lindsay on her team's offensive balance against Windsor.
Carleton will have several weeks off before they fly out to the Maritimes, where they will partake in the SMU Thunder Selects Holiday Classic from December 28-December 31, 2015, featuring teams from across the country.
Source: Carleton Ravens
Laurentian soars past Thunderbirds
The Laurentian Voyageurs women's basketball team was back in action on Saturday night, in their final game before the exam break. The team took on the Algoma Thunderbirds at the Ben Avery and came away with a 76-45 victory, improving to 2-5 on the season.
The game started slowly, with both teams struggling to score in the opening minutes of the game. The Voyageurs were able some offense in the second half of the quarter, executing plays to get good looks and took a 17-7 lead after the first. The Voyageurs controlled the pace of play in the second quarter as well, but timely three pointers by Algoma kept them relatively close. Laurentian took a 31-19 lead into the second half.
In the third quarter, the Voyageurs took control of the game. Driving to the hoop and drawing fouls, along with knocking down three pointers allow the team to win the quarter 24-12 and really put away Algoma. The team's defense was also strong forcing 30 turnovers on the night. In the end the Voyageurs cruise to victory in the fourth, allowing all of their young players to get in the game and coming away with a 76-45. Danielle Harris led the team in scoring with 17 points, and Adrienne Moreau and Emily Tinnes each had 12. Nine different Voyageurs scored as the young team gained valuable experience in a game they needed to win before the break. Now 2-5, the team will have to work to get back in the playoff picture but with more than over half the season to go, it is an attainable goal. The Voyageurs now get some time off for exams and Christmas break. The team's next OUA game isn't until January 16th vs their rival Nipissing Lakers. Both teams will come in with identical 2-5 records so it will be crucial for the Voyageurs to get off to a winning start in the New Year.
Source: Laurentian Voyageurs
