Tough battle versus tenth-ranked Queen’s, pounding of York highlight home weekend
The Gee-Gees women’s basketball team was in action against the Queen’s University Gaels and the York University Lions at Montpetit Hall on Jan. 29 and 30.
The team performed admirably in both games to improve their record to 11-1 and round out their fifth straight win.
First on the weekend was a tough game against the Gaels in a highly anticipated match between the ninth-ranked Gee-Gees and the tenth ranked Gaels. Both teams entered the game with identical records and, true to their ranking, the game was a nail-biter.
The final score was 46-40 in favour of the Gees, with Ottawa needing a big-time defensive effort to close out the game and prevent falling victim to a buzzer beater.
Fifth-year senior forward Kellie Ring and star point guard Julia Soriano were once again key for the Gees, however, they were matched by a ferocious Gaels defence.
Queen’s offensive success on the night was ornamented with deadly jump-shooting from Ontario University Athletics first-team all-star, Jenny Wright.
Despite the solid effort, the Gees seemed somewhat incapable of dealing with the Gaels’ more physical approach. The team was out-rebounded, 50-38, by the more physically imposing Gaels.
However, the team did manage to overcome a relatively poor offensive game by playing staunch defence, holding the Gales to just 22 per cent shooting from the field and forcing 17 turnovers. The Gees’ standout performer was Kellie Ring, who scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
“I don’t know if we deserved the win or not,” said Gee-Gees head coach Andy Sparks. “We’ve had so many of these, we’ve come from behind probably five of our last six games. It’s our execution we’re concerned about.”
In the next game the Gees executed much better with a confident team performance against the 2-10 York Lions, earning them an 82-52 win.
Sparks lamented the scoring from the bench—which contributed 37 points to the team’s cause—as the difference in this game.
“Kelly Forand made some shots, Sarah Besselink made some shots, yesterday nobody did. (This game) was more indicative of what we can do offensively.”
The Gees offence was in full effect, scoring a whopping 36 of their points in the paint.
Forward Katherine Lemoine had a game-high 15 points. There were no signs of fatigue from the team after a highly physical game the night before.
“Yesterday’s game was a different kind of game because we played against a zone, today we were man-to man, and typically we execute better against that,” said Sparks, pleased with his team’s performance in the win.
Sparks also praised the team’s level of fitness, which was instrumental in their high-paced offensive game plan.
Next up for the Gees is the much-anticipated Capital Hoops Classic game against the 8-4 Carleton Ravens on Feb 5. at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Tickets for Capital Hoops can be purchased on campus at the Client Services desks at Montpetit Hall and Minto Sports Complex or online at capitaltickets.ca.
