Friday, November 19 @ York
York 87, Waterloo 63
Brittany Szockyj continued her impressive play this season, recording her second straight 20-point game, and the York University Lions women's basketball team recorded their first home win of the season in an 87-63 victory over the Waterloo Warriors on Friday (Nov. 19) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
After beginning the season 0-3, the Lions (2-3) have put together a two-game win streak in which they have outscored their opponents by a total of 32 points. With the win, the Lions jump to fourth in the OUA East with four points, two points behind the third-place Ottawa Gee-Gees.
Szockyj (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.) and rookie forward Llyandra Kerr (Markham, Ont.) were standouts on a Lions squad that did not face much of a challenge from the Warriors (0-5). Szockyj went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc on her way to a 24-point performance, while Kerr recorded 15 points and seven rebounds.
With another strong showing, Szockyj improved her points average for the season to 18.4 points per game and is now third in OUA scoring.
In the first quarter, Warriors forward Meghan Martyna (St. Albert/Augustana) (St. Albert, Alta.) opened the scoring with an early basket, but the Lions took control of the quarter from there with a balanced scoring attack. Kerr scored six of the Lions' first nine points and Szockyj capped the quarter off with a three pointer that give the Lions a 21-10 lead heading into the second quarter.
Led by Szockyj and Emily Perras (Lindsay, Ont.), who finished with a season high 17 points on the night, the Lions continued to roll in the second. Szockyj and Perras combined for five baskets and helped the Lions to a 26-point outburst in the quarter that increased their lead to 47-32 heading into the half.
The Warriors scored most of their points in the quarter off offensive rebounds and turnovers, but the Lions tipped the scales in their favour with good ball distribution and clutch three-point shooting from Szockyj and Perras.
The duo of Szockyj and Kerr continued their strong play into the third, helping the Lions to an 18-point lead, their biggest of the game. Szockyj continued to drain threes with ease and Kerr used her incredible power to dominate in the paint at both ends of the court. Both players' impressive play helped the Lions to a commanding 70-52 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lions refused to sit back on their lead in the fourth, choosing instead to continue their impressive attack. Knowing they had the game in hand, the Lions played a confident quarter and cruised to the 87-63 victory.
Laura Burnett (Heidelberg, Ont.) led the Warriors in scoring with 13 points, while Erin Tilley (Oakville, Ont.) led her team on defence, recording nine rebounds and two blocks.
Saturday, November 20 @ Laurentian
Laurentian 85, Waterloo 50
The Laurentian Lady Vees got their first win of the season as they took on the Waterloo Warriors at the Ben Avery Gym on Saturday evening. With both teams looking for their first win of the season the Lady Vees came out with an inspired effort and were able to push the tempo and play well on both sides of the ball on the way to their 85-50 victory.
Continuing their momentum gained in a hard fought loss yesterday evening, Laurentian came out strong from the opening tip-off. Generating offence from inside the paint, as well as from three point land, the Lady Vees jumped out to an early lead, finishing the first quarter on a 17-0 run to take the lead 25-6.
The domination continued from there and at half time Laurentian was shooting 19-37 from the field and 4-8 from three point territory, putting the score at 51-22.
The second half was an opportunity for Laurentian to rest their starters and to get some of their rookies playing time. They continued to shoot the ball very well from the field and ended the game shooting 45.2%, one of their strongest showings of the season.
Fifth year star Lisa Furchner (Sudbury, ON) led the offensive charge for the Lady Vees as she continued her strong weekend performance contributing 26 points to go along with nine rebounds as the Warriors didn't seem to have an answer for her strong play in the post. Another strong performer for Laurentian was rookie point guard Erin Simpson (Sudbury, ON) who came off the bench and put up 14 points in 21 minutes of playing time.
The Warriors continue their cross-conference play next weekend as they host a pair of OUA East teams in the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night and Ryerson Rams on Saturday night. Both games are set for 6:00 pm and can be viewed live on the Streaming Sports Network (SSN Canada).
