Garnet and Grey beat out Golden Hawks and Warriors
THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa women’s basketball team ended their 2011 regular season with a bang, winning both games with ease. The Gees (6-2) competed against the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks (5-3) on Dec. 2 at Montpetit, fighting for a 10-point win in a second-half revival. The following day, the U of O faced the University of Waterloo Warriors (1-7) on the court, bringing home the second win of the weekend.
Ottawa managed a comeback win against Laurier on Dec. 2, with the Golden Hawks up by seven points at halftime. First-year Ariane Lachance-Scantland shot a quick six points late in the third frame, while leading rebounder fifth-year guard Elizabeth Lennox contributed 11 rebounds to the game. The end of the fourth quarter saw the Garnet and Grey dominate the court to take the win, 65-53.
Head coach Andy Sparks was unimpressed with the Gees performance during the game.
“That first half was [the Golden Hawks] wanting it more than we wanted it,” said Sparks to Sports Services after the Friday game. “And we have to understand that everybody’s ready to give us their best shot; everybody knows we have a talented group of girls. You can’t rely on those kinds of comebacks.”
The Gees challenged themselves to do better on Saturday, managing a convincing win over the Waterloo Warriors.
Ottawa easily buried 24 points in the first quarter with the help of fourth-year centre Jenna Gilbert, who continued to throw her perfect two-point shots from the baseline corner. Waterloo was unable to make a basket until the last minute of play with the Gees continuously scoring on the rebound.
The second quarter began with a back-handed throw by fifth-year centre Hannah Sunley-Paisley, ending the game with another high record of 21 points. The Gees picked up their momentum, gaining control of the court as the game progressed and finishing the first half with a significant 54-17 lead.
“I’d say the last three games before this, we weren’t playing the way we really wanted to play,” said first-year point guard Kellie Ring. “We weren’t playing 40 minutes of basketball. But today … we played more than 20 [minutes] and that has to be our main goal—just to play the whole game nonstop 110 per cent every time.”
The court was filled with new players in the second half, with Sparks giving the rookies on the team the opportunity to prove their worth. The lineup included Ring and first years Elissa de Wit, Ashley Hoover, Maddie Stephen, and Lachance-Scantland. Hoover led the attack with nine points in the basket.
“A [much] better start by the starters at the beginning, which gave an opportunity to the rookies to show what they could do, and they competed,” said Sparks. “They did a very good job for us. We have been hoping to give them some minutes and they got some tonight.”
“It’s always a good opportunity,” added Ring. “If you get a chance to go out there, it’s your time to prove yourself and I think we are all gelling together very well.”
With the help of Lennox—who took eight points and 12 rebounds—the Gees brought the game to a close with a blowout score of 83-37.
While the Gees are now finished their 2011 regular season, they will be competing in the UQAM exhibition tournament on Dec. 27–29, where they will face some of the top-ranked teams in the country.
—Katherine DeClerq
