Poor shooting performance leads Gee-Gees to their fourth regular season loss
The University of Ottawa women’s basketball team hit the road again to take on two Ontario University Athletics (OUA) rivals, and ended up splitting their games over the weekend.
Western
On Friday, Jan. 27, the Gee-Gees travelled to London to take on the University of Western Ontario Mustangs.
In this tight affair, the Gees snuck in a 53–50 win that went right down to the wire.
The first quarter went back and forth, with the Gees taking the 10–5 lead on a jump shot from Melina Wishart. Late free-throws by Western brought the score to 14–13 for the Gees at the end of the first.
The second quarter saw the Gees extend their lead to 31–25, with a layup from guard Brooklynn McAlear-Fanus with mere seconds remaining.
Sarah Besselink, the Gees’ top scorer, was shut down in the first half, with zero points on only one field-goal attempt.
Besselink finally got on the board with just over three minutes left in the third, getting her first and only basket of the game.
The Gees began to pull away in the third, but Western battled back and the Gees held a slim 42–41 advantage going into the last quarter.
The final frame was close and hectic as both teams went back and forth, but the Gees never let Western take a lead in the quarter. The Garnet and Grey ended up winning, with two clutch free-throws by Jennifer Crowe sealing the deal in a 53–50 victory.
Despite shooting the ball at a dismal 33.3 per cent, the Gees were relentless on the defensive end, causing the Mustangs to turn the ball over 20 times.
Windsor
The Gees weren’t so lucky against the University of Windsor on Saturday, with the Lancers leading from start to finish to take a 63–47 win on their home court.
After the Gees got out to an an early four-point advantage, Windsor took the lead and never looked back.
Windsor showcased their range in the first quarter by hitting three triples. The Gees struggled on the offensive end and ultimately trailed 18–12 after one quarter.
Turnovers were a problem for the Gees in the first half, and the Lancers took advantage of this to gain a 27–21 lead going into the third quarter. Gees guard Amelie Hachey shot 100 per cent from the field on her way to ten points in the half.
Windsor’s domination in rebounding the ball forced coach Andy Sparks to try different strategies to help his team in the third period. Going into the final quarter, the Gees were down 47–35.
The Gees reduced the Lancers’ lead to 52–45 with a jumper by Julia Dostaler with five and half minutes to go, but that was as close as they would get. The Gees ultimately lost 63–47 against a strong Lancers team.
The final rebound count was 45–25 in favour of the Lancers, who imposed their will under the basket.
The Gees will be looking to bounce back, and to avenge their loss to Carleton earlier this season at the Capital Hoops Classic.
The next home game for the Gee-Gees will take place on Feb. 17 at Montpetit Hall at 6 p.m. Plus, don’t miss your chance to see the Gees take on Carleton this Friday, Feb. 3 at the Canadian Tire Centre for Capital Hoops. Tickets for this event can be purchased via Ticketmaster.
