The Waterloo Warriors women's basketball team isn't just happy to be here.
They aren't just happy with their 17-5 record, or with claiming first place in the OUA West division, or with the fourth seed and a first-round playoff bye. They aren't just content to be a feel-good story, or a program on the rise, or a plucky underdog.
The Warriors aren't just happy to be here as a novelty; they're here to compete with the best teams in the province for a Critelli Cup title. Now, they have the receipts to prove it.
The Warriors displayed more of their trademark shutdown defense, and sharpshooter Vanessa Hughes (Hamilton, ON/) poured in 27 points as Waterloo topped the nationally-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees 66-56 in their OUA quarter-final matchup on Saturday night at the Physical Activities Complex. It was the black and gold's first playoff victory in 15 years, as they advance to the OUA semifinals against the top-seeded Queen's Gaels.
"I am super proud of our effort tonight," said Warriors head coach Jessica Roque. "Every single one of our players showed up, and we executed the game plan to perfection. It was a team collaboration at both ends of the court, for the entire game. Our commitment to team defense really shined through."
Indeed, the Gee-Gees likely had visions of gold uniforms and frenetic hands when they closed their eyes on Saturday night. Waterloo held Ottawa to 30.5% from the field and forced 20 turnovers, while outrebounding the Gee-Gees 49-28. They also held Ottawa's Natsuki Szczokin – the reigning USports player of the week – to just 11 points, after she put up 29 in Ottawa's opening round win over Laurentian last week.
Meanwhile, Hughes added 8 boards and 4 steals to her game-high 27 points, as the veteran went 5-12 from three-point range in the victory. The Warriors also got a massive performance from Kaitlyn Overeem (Brantford, ON/), who added 21 points, and Summer Pahl (Kitchener, ON/) and Jaime Newell (Brussels, ON/) each grabbed 10 boards apiece.
For a game that featured the fourth and fifth seeds in the OUA, Waterloo was a decided underdog. The Gee-Gees finished 18-4 in a loaded OUA East division, and had spent every week of the season inside the national top 10, while the Warriors – almost inexplicably – were never ranked in the national poll. It'll be quite difficult to keep them out of it now.
The Warriors came out firing on the offensive end, as Hughes hit a pair of threes and registered 8 points in the opening quarter. Overeem chipped in with 7 of her own, helping to magnify a defensive effort that was already giving Ottawa fits early on – the Gee-Gees opened the game with just one made field goal in the first five-plus minutes, and the Warriors led 20-15 after the first quarter.
The see-saw second quarter went back-and-forth as both defenses dug in, and points were hard to come by. The Gee-Gees pushed back enough to reclaim a short-lived one-point lead at 23-22, but the Warriors held on for a 31-29 halftime lead.
Still, with an advantage, the Warriors were not just happy to be there after 30 minutes. Instead, the clamped down even further in the third quarter, holding Ottawa to just 9 points on 4-17 shooting. Hughes herself matched that output for the Warriors, draining 4 of 5 shots from the field, including her only 3-point attempt of the quarter. As the dust settled, the Warriors had widened their lead to nine heading into the fourth.
The home crowd sensed the moment, as the pace and energy reached a fever pitch in the final quarter. Hughes was as clutch as they come, hitting two massive three-balls and pouring in 10 more points in the fourth, as the Warriors stretched the lead all the way to 16 points. A Gee-Gees run drew them back within two possessions, but the hosts matched Ottawa shot-for-shot from the free throw line, and the defense did the rest to salt away the ten-point victory.
It sets up a semifinal date with the top-seeded Queen's Gaels, owners of a 21-1 regular season record, and currently ranked second in the nation. It's a mountain that most outside of the program see as just too high for this Waterloo team to climb, but the Warriors won't be deterred. They won't just be happy with a semifinal appearance, and they won't just be happy to be on the floor in Kingston on Wednesday night. What they'll be happy with is another win, and a ticket to the Critelli Cup final.
