Shorthanded women’s b-ball falls to Canada’s top team
The Gee-Gees women’s basketball team had a strong win against the Western University Mustangs in London on Jan. 23 with a 79-43 win, followed by 76-47 loss 24 hours later in Windsor.
“Going into the weekend with only nine players, we had a good win against Western, with over 30 points,” said team captain Kellie Ring.
As for the game against Windsor, it wasn’t the same ball game.
“We started off well in the first half of the first quarter, but we weren’t ready to play, we just lost focus,” said Ring.
Indeed, they were leading 7-2 with 5:21 remaining in the first, but the Lancers overtook Ottawa with just over three minutes, a lead they never regained.
“We can’t hang our heads in shame. We can learn from this in order to play better team basketball,” said Ring. “If we play on a game-by-game focus, hopefully we can peak by the end of the season.”
The Gee-Gees will collect themselves for their next game coming up against Algoma on Jan. 30. They remain in first place in the Ontario University Athletics North Division.
– William Hume
Gee-Gees track triumphs at McGill Team Invitational
The Gee-Gees track team headed to Montreal on Jan. 23 for the largest indoor track meet in Canada.
The two-day McGill Team Invitational attracted about 900 athletes from across the country, and the Gees sped into the top ranks.
The relay teams were united as the women’s squads placed third in all of their events. Specifically, the 4×200-metre team of Charifa Labarang, Devyani Biswal, Gift Okwanku, and Alannah McBride ranked third with a time of 1:42:91, classing them fourth in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport rankings.
The Gee-Gees men’s relay team placed fourth in both the 4×400-metre (3:22.49) and 4×800-metre (8:03.38) relay, while placing an overall sixth in the 4x200m (1:29.92).
The Gees competed exceptionally well in individual races.
The fourth nationally- ranked high jumper Steve Nkutsi placed third with a jump of 1.93 metres. Nelson Cecereu placed third in pole vault with 4.63 metres, breaking his season best of 4.40.
Devyani Biswal placed fifth in the 60-metre hurdles, with a final time of 8:69.
Meanwhile, fellow U of O student and Ottawa Lions star Sekou Kaba placed first in the 60-metre hurdles with an outstanding time of 7.86.
On Jan. 30, the track team will head to their next meet in the Big Apple for the Armory Collegiate Invitational.
– Tima Hacini
Women’s volleyball on three game win streak
The Gee-Gees women’s volleyball team is on a roll coming off the winter break, having added a third consecutive win against the Brock Badgers on Jan. 25 with a score of 3-0.
It’s also the third time in a row that the team has swept the board, winning all sets during the match.
“We came in with a focus, and we really stuck with it. We were one step ahead of Brock throughout the match,” said libero Steph Theiler.
“The third set they came out and pushed back, but I felt we responded really well.”
“(They) changed up their style of play, and we had a little trouble with adjusting to it. But eventually we regained our rhythm and our lead,” added left side Kaly Soro.
The team’s consistent rhythm of play has helped set the tone for each game, said Soro.
“Our serve receives and serving was good so it gave us a lot of opportunities to run our offensive plays,” she said.
The team currently sits in seventh in Canadian Interuniversity Sport and second in the Ontario University Athletics East, behind the Toronto Varsity Blues who are fourth in the country.
Next, the team will play two home games at Montpetit Hall, first against the Queen’s Gaels on Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. and then against the Royal Military College of Canada on Feb. 1 at 2 p.m.
– Tima Hacini
