Timely shooting keeps game out of reach for the Rams
The University of Ottawa Women’s Basketball team has been lighting up the league, and their game last Friday was no exception. With a 62-58 win against the Ryerson Rams, the team pushed their winning streak to nine games, making them a team to watch in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) play.
It was a tight game from the very start. The Gee-Gees took an early 4-2 lead on points from Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu, and managed to hold on, closing out the first quarter with a 16-14 advantage. But it wasn’t all good news for the Garnet and Grey, as forward Jennifer Crowe suffered an injury during the game.
The second frame started off tough, with both teams trading points until shooting from Amélie Hachey put the Gees up 22-17, giving them more breathing space. But the game remained close, with the Gees hanging on to a 33-32 lead, nine of those points by Hachey, as the teams closed out the second quarter.
In the third quarter the Gee-Gees, who had been leading much of the game, came out flat-footed. Unable to find the net, they quickly fell behind 38-33. The Garnet and Grey had to fight to tie the game up again, and two quick points from Angela Ribarich tied the game at 42 with just under four minutes left in the third frame.
Then something clicked for the Gees, and they started to pull away. A three-pointer from Hachey got things started, and the team didn’t let up for the rest of the quarter, scoring nine unanswered points to take a 51-42 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Just for good measure, Hachey scored another three-pointer to kick off the fourth quarter, giving the team a 54-44 lead right off the bat. But the Rams weren’t ready to let the game go, and continued to chip away at the deficit. The Garnet and Grey struggled to hold onto their lead, and the Rams drew close, bringing the game to 56-54 in favour of Ottawa, with three minutes left in the final frame.
But some timely points by Lefebvre-Okankwu widened the Gee-Gees’ advantage, bringing the score to 62-56 with a minute remaining.
In the end, the Gees were able to hang on to win the game 62-58, and push their win streak to nine games.
Hachey had a strong offensive showing with 15 points, Ribarich had 12, and Lefebvre-Okankwu had 11 to give the Gees the win.
