OUA women's basketball roundup: Lancers extend win streak

WINDSOR, Ont. - The No. 2 nationally-ranked Windsor Lancers (6-0) women's basketball team extended their winning streak to five games with a 74-71 victory over the Queen's Gaels on Friday night at the St. Denis Centre.

On the court, the Gaels jumped out to 19-15 first quarter lead as they surprised Windsor with some strong interior play and outside shooting.

The Lancers responded in the second quarter with a 20-8 run of their own to take a 35-27 halftime lead.

The Gaels cut the lead to six in the third quarter before another run in the fourth quarter tied the game up.

Down the stretch, the Lancers knocked down some timely shots and important free throws as they hung on for the 74-71 victory.

Jessica Clemencon (St. Rambert, France) led the way again with 16 points and seven rebounds while Shavaun Reaney (Sherwood Park, Alta.) added 15 points and five rebounds.

WESTERN 66, QUEEN'S 53

At Western, Amanda Anderson (Chatham, Ont.) scored a game-high 21 points and added four assists and three rebounds as the Mustangs improved to 5-1 with a 66-53 win over the Queen's Gaels (3-4) at Alumni Hall on Saturday.

Beckie Williams (London, Ont.) and Melissa Rondinelli (Sarnia, Ont.) added 13 and nine points off the bench respectively, while Rebecca Moss (Waterloo, Ont.) grabbed nine rebounds and two steals for Western.

Senior forward Erin Skippon (Kelowna, B.C.) was solid, especially early, for the Gaels. She finished with six steals - five in the first half - 13 points and four rebounds.

The teams played a tight first quarter, with Queen's going inside early and often. When they missed, they were all over the glass. Western led 18-17 after the first quarter.

But going on 10-1 run from the end of the first quarter through the second, Western held Queen's scoreless for over five minutes using a variety of defensive pressures. The Gaels hit just one shot from the field in the quarter and were shooting a dismal 29 percent from the floor in the half.

Anderson led Western with 12 first-half points, while Skippon led the Gaels with five steals and five points.

RYERSON 69, BROCK 51

At Brock, the Ryerson Rams (6-2) defeated the host Badgers 69-51 on Saturday afternoon in St. Catharines, Ont.

To open the second quarter, Ryerson went on a 12-0 run over the first four minutes to extend its lead to 14 points 28-14, which the Badgers could not recover from.

The Rams had four players in double digits led by Lisa Goldring (Burlington, Ont.) who recorded nine of her game high 16 points from beyond the arc, going 3-of-5. Ashley MacDonald (Port Colborne, Ont.) contributed with 15 points and six rebounds while Angela Tilk (Welland, Ont.) added 12 points and seven boards in the victory.

Leading Brock (5-1) was junior Hillary Woodside (Fall River, N.S.) who recorded 13 points while Emily McKay (Toronto) finished with 10 points in the loss.

TORONTO 68, GUELPH 60

At Guelph, Nicki Schutz (Toronto) tallied 21 points as the Toronto Varsity Blues (4-2) defeated the Gryphons 68-60 on Saturday at the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre in Guelph, Ont.

Both teams came out ready to go and with Guelph (0-6) holding a slight 22-19 advantage after the first quarter. Toronto rallied in the second and gained a two-point lead (35-33) at halftime.

The Blues and Gryphons exchanged baskets throughout the third quarter as U of T still held a narrow 50-48 lead heading into the final frame.

The blue and white put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Gryphons 18-12 to secure their fourth victory of the season.

Schutz added eight boards to her game-high 21 points, while three other Varsity Blues reached double digits on the night. Veteran guards Erin McNeely (Kingston, Ont.) and Joanna Medri (Toronto) tallied 13 points apiece, while third-year forward Megan Stoncius (Mississauga, Ont.) had 11 in the victory.

Third-year guard Alex Yalling (Port Colborne, Ont.) led the Gryphons with 20 points in the loss.

MCMASTER 84, YORK 49

At York, the McMaster Marauders (4-1) continued crossover play, travelling from Sudbury, Ont. to Toronto to play the Lions (1-6) on Saturday. The Marauders emerged winners 84-49.

Nicole Rosenkranz (Niagara Falls, Ont.) got the first point of the game at 9:26 and made the score 3-0 for the Marauders at 8:37. Rebecca Rewi (Ancaster, Ont.) put MAC up five before Nadia Qahwash (Kitchener, Ont.) got York into the game with a three at 7:35.

The Marauders, starting with two baskets from Smith, followed by a basket plus free throw from Taylor Chiarot (Hamilton, Ont.) and a basket by Milligan, controlled the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Qahwash's three at 6:31 was followed by a 6-0 run by the Marauders.

The Marauders shot very well and had a big edge on rebounds. Top scorer for the Marauders in the half was Chiarot with 13 points. Smith added nine and Lisa Marie Iavarone (Hamilton) eight. For the Lions, April Hill (Montreal) had 11 points.

Chiarot played particularly well for the Marauders. She finished with a game-high 19 points. Four other Marauders were in double digits, Rosenkranz and Iavarone with 11 each and Smith and Milligan with 10 each.

LAURENTIAN 82, LAKEHEAD 78, OT

At Laurentian, the Lady Vees (4-3) took on the Lakehead Thunderwolves (3-2) on Saturday and beat their northern rivals 82-78 in overtime.

Katie Goggins (Hanmer, Ont.) led the way with 17 points and six rebounds for the Lady Vees. Lisa Furchner (Sudbury, Ont.) added 16 points and 12 rebounds, Darrah Bumstead (New Hamburg, Ont.) chipped in 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Norma Jean Roberts (Burnaby, B.C.) added 16 points for the Lady Vees. Chiaki Nakamura (Nagasaki, Japan) led all scorers with 27 points along with four rebounds for the Thunderwolves. Tasia McKenna (Timberlea, N.S.) added 15 points in a losing effort for the Thunderwolves.
 
Lakehead would go on a 5-0 run early in the third quarter in an attempt to get back into the game. After the teams traded baskets the Thunderwolves exploded and went on a 10-0 run. In the closing seconds of the quarter, Furchner nailed a shot to stop the run. The third quarter ended with the Lady Vees leading the Thunderwolves 55-51.
 
Mylaine Mageau (Sudbury, Ont.) opened the fourth quarter with her second three pointer of the night for the Lady Vees. McKenna connected on a three-pointer to pull the Thunderwolves within four. The Thunderwolves responded with a 15-0 run to go up 71-64 and take their first lead of the game during the run.

With 26.7 seconds left Lisa Styles (Greenwood, N.S.) scored for the Thunderwolves to put them up by two. In the last 10 seconds of the game Goggins made a lay-up to tie the game 73-73. The fourth quarter finished with the teams tied 73-73.
 
The Lady Vees started the overtime with a quick 6-0 run to take the lead 79-73. The Thunderwolves responded with a 5-0 run of their own to come within one point of the Lady Vees. The Lady Vees would close out the game making three free throws to knock off the Thunderwolves in a thrilling 82-78 overtime win.

OTTAWA 76, LAURIER 68

At Ottawa, the Gee-Gees (4-3) recorded their fourth win of the season as they defeated the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 76-68 on Saturday evening at the Montpetit Hall.
 
It was an even battle for the Gee-Gees and Hawks in the first quarter, with Laurier's fourth-year guard Kandice Baptiste (Shannonville, Ont.) scoring a two-point buzzer-beater at the end to tie the score at 18 points. Laurier finished off the second quarter with yet another two-point buzzer beater, to bring the game to an even 33 points apiece.
 
uOttawa gave up 12 turnovers in the first half, double that of the Golden Hawks (1-5).
 
The Gee-Gees picked things up in the second half, with first-year forward Alex Naylor (Calgary) scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter alone. First-year guard Awo Farah (Ottawa) also had a strong personal performance, scoring 12 points and six rebounds. Third-year centre Hannah Sunley-Paisley (Toronto) led the Gee-Gees in scoring with 25 points and 11 rebounds.

CARLETON 69, WATERLOO 48

At Carleton, the Ravens (4-3) concluded its last home game of 2009 with a 69-48 win against the Waterloo Warriors (1-5) on Saturday night.

Going into the half, the Ravens led the Warriors 40-21.

The Ravens came out strong in the third quarter, but the Warriors slowly chipped away at the Ravens lead outscoring the Ravens 16-12. But Carleton stayed ahead 52-37 going into the last quarter of play.

In the final quarter, the Ravens were able to keep their composure despite a Warriors full court press and half court trap. Limiting their turnovers and making strong moves to the basket made the Ravens successful against the pressure.

The Ravens were led by Alyson Bush (Ottawa) who tallied 21 points while teammates Jessica Resch (Orleans, Ont.) and Ashleigh Cleary (Kemptville, Ont.) contributed 13 and 10 points respectively. Fourth-year Warriors guard Reanne Holden (Peterborough, Ont.) and fifth-year forward Laura Becotte (Thunder Bay, Ont.) led the Warriors with 10 points each.

RYERSON 74, GUELPH 49

At Guelph, the Ryerson Rams defeated the host Gryphons 74-49 on Friday night.

The Rams set the tone early, jumping out to a 22-7 lead after the opening quarter before extending their lead to 41-21 at the break.

Angela Tilk (Welland, Ont.) recorded a game-high 19 points with a team-high nine rebounds for Ryerson. Lisa Goldring (Burlington, Ont.) had 17 points, while Ashley MacDonald (Port Colborne, Ont.) added 15 points and a game-high seven assists.

Jasmine Douglas (Guelph, Ont.) led Guelph with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

BROCK 72, TORONTO 45

At Brock, the Badgers improved to 5-0 on the season as they rolled past the Toronto Varsity Blues by the score of 72-45 on Friday night at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.

Brock led 16-4 after 10 minutes and 41-20 at the half. The Varsity Blues struggled as a team early on shooting a dismal 5.9 percent (1-of-17) from the field in the first quarter.

The Badgers once again used a balanced offence with four players in double figures. Hillary Woodside (Fall River, N.S.) led the offence registering 13 points going 5-of-7 from the field including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Emily McKay (Toronto) added 12 points and seven rebounds while Whitney Gorges (Welland, Ont.) added 11 points. Devyn Cuncic (Hamilton, Ont.) finished with a season high 10 points and five assists.

The lone Varsity Blues player in double digits was Nicki Schutz (Toronto) with 11 points shooting just 5-of-21 from the floor.

LAKEHEAD 71, YORK 64

At York, Lindsay Druery (Smithville, Ont.) recorded a double-double as the Lakehead Thunderwolves knocked off the Lions 71-64 on Friday night at the Tait McKenzie Centre in Toronto.

Druery scored 18 points, adding 15 boards and three blocks to lead the Pack as they rebounded from a tough loss last weekend at home versus Ryerson.

Lakehead built up a 37-32 halftime lead to take control of the game and maintained their advantage with timely three-point shooting. The Wolves went 8-of-18 from beyond the arc, led by point guard Tasia McKenna (Timberlea, N.S.) and forward Sarah Gordon (Halifax) who connected on three three-pointers apiece.
 
McKenna finished with a solid stat line of 15 points, nine assists and no turnovers. Gordon, meanwhile had 10 points, six rebounds and three steals.

Inside, fifth-year senior Shannon Vellinga (Thunder Bay, Ont.) played a great game with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting.   
 
Brittany Szockyj (Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ont.) played well for York, collecting 20 points and 10 rebounds while going 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Nadia Qahwash (Kitchener, Ont.) and Emma Dilon (Aurora, Ont.) each scored 13 points for the Lions.
 
Lakehead won despite sending York to the charity stripe 28 times where the hosts scored 22 points.

LAURENTIAN 70, MCMASTER 59

At Laurentian, The  Lady Vees took on the McMaster Marauders on Friday and handed McMaster their first loss of the season at a score of 70-59. 

The Lady Vees would be led by Lisa Furchner (Sudbury, Ont.) who had a game-high 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds. They also received helping efforts from Darrah Bumstead (New Hamburg, Ont.) who had 12 points and eight boards and Katie Goggins (Hanmer, Ont.) who chipped in with 11 points and five assists.  McMaster received strong performances from Taylor Smith (Hamilton, Ont.) who scored 15 points along with six helpers and Taylor Chiarot (Hamilton, Ont.) who scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
 
The second quarter saw the Lady Vees take off on an 8-1 run. McMaster would counter back with a 5-0 run of their own to pull the Lady Vees lead to just five points. The Lady Vees would have 10 of their 13 points scored by Furchner as they led 34-26 going into the half.
 
The Lady Vees would explode in the third quarter, which would be capped off by a Norma Jean Roberts (Burnaby, B.C.) three pointer that would extend the Lady Vees lead to 18 points. They would take a 52-36 lead into the forth quarter.
 
McMaster would get a strong effort in the fourth from Smith who would go 2-of-3 from behind the arc and add eight points, which saw the Lady Vees lead go as small as nine points  Fortunately for Laurentian, it was too little too late for the Marauders and the Lady Vees would hand McMaster their first loss of the season at a score of 70-59.

OTTAWA 70, WATERLOO 57

At Ottawa, the Gee-Gees led the action in this battle against the Waterloo Warriors, coming out on top with a 70-57 victory.
 
Waterloo took the initial points of the game but the Gee-Gees took the lead after that, never allowing the Warriors closer than five points. uOttawa lengthened their lead late in the third quarter by 18 points as the Warriors had no answer to the Gee-Gees drives to the basket.
 
Third-year center Hannah Sunley-Paisley (Toronto) had a lower than average game but still solid with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Sunley-Paisley is currently the leading scorer in the country with 102 points over five games and averaging 20 points per game.

Waterloo's Reanne Holden (Peterborough, Ont.) and Erin Tilley (Oakville, Ont.) each contributed 13 points in the loss. Tilley went 2-of-3 on three-point field goals.

Third-year guard Émilie Morasse (Quebec City, Que.) went 50 percent in her four attempts from the top of the circle. Morasse led the Gee-Gees in scoring this game with 12 points.

CARLETON 74, LAURIER 51

At Carleton, the Ravens took care of business on Friday night at home against the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, winning 74-51.

The Ravens had a strong first quarter, making good plays on the offensive end. Raven defence was key as the women were able to take the Golden Hawks out of their offence. The Ravens took an early lead finishing the first quarter up 22-12.

The Ravens continued their offensive attack in the second quarter while containing the Golden Hawks on the defensive end. The Ravens would go into the half time break with a 40-24 lead.

The Ravens, who in previous games struggled coming out of the half, meant business and did not back off. Even with a full court Golden Hawks press, the Ravens kept their composure and outscored the Golden Hawks once again 20-10.

Leading 60-34 going into the fourth, the Golden Hawks were able to outscore the Ravens 14-17, but it was too little too late as the Ravens won 74-51.

Top scorers for the Ravens were Alyson Bush (Ottawa) and Ashleigh Cleary (Kemptville, Ont.) with 16 points each. First-year players Jessica Resch (Orleans, Ont.) and Jennifer Stoqua (Ottawa) would also contribute 12 points each in the victory.

The Golden Hawks were led by fourth year guard Renata Adamczyk (Greensville, Ont.) who would be the only Golden Hawk to score in double digits with 18 points.

Source: Ryerson Rams, Brock Badgers, Lakehead Thunderwolves, Laurentian Voyageurs, Windsor Lancers, Ottawa Gee-Gees, Carleton Ravens, Western Mustangs, Toronto Varsity Blues, McMaster Marauders