Box Score
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL – Golden Hawks Clip Gryphons 75-69

GUELPH, Ont. – The Gryphon women's basketball team dropped a 75-69 final tonight to the Laurier Golden Hawks at the W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre.

It was a tale of two halves for the Gryphons, as they stormed out to an early lead, only to see their hopes slip away thanks to some costly misses at the free throw line. After hitting 87% from the line in the first half, Guelph was only able to convert 45% in the second half from the charity stripe. With the loss, the Gryphon's fall to 5-8 on the season, while Laurier improves to 9-4.
  Leading the Gryphon's in scoring was Ali Dzikowski (Brantford, Ont.), who netted 15 points, while Samantha Russell (Paradise Valley, AZ), Kayla Goodhoofd (Oakville, Ont.), and Jasmine Douglas (Guelph, Ont.) all added 14 points apiece. Douglas also grabbed a game high 13 rebounds, while Goodhoofd added a game high six steals. Point guard Marlee Freeman (Orillia, Ont.) ran the offence effectively, committing no turnovers and played exceptional defence throughout, while pacing the Gryphons with five assists.

Felicia Mazerolle had a do-everything game for the Golden Hawks, going for 17 points, seven rebounds, and five steals, all team highs. Kimberley Yeldon added 14 points and seven boards, with Laura Doyle scoring all 12 of her points from behind the three point line.

Guelph opened the game using sound ball movement to take an early 21-15 advantage. Russell was especially effective early on, scoring eight points in the opening quarter, finishing a nice passing play with an easy layup in the lane. Rookie Barbara Inrig-Pieterse added five straight points to close out the quarter on a high note.

Laurier cut into the Gryphon lead behind Mazerolle, who shot an impressive 5-for-7 from the field in the opening half while effectively running the Hawks offence. Shelby Kurt came off the bench to add eight points by halftime, and
Guelph held a slight 33-32 lead.

Goodhoofd opened up the second half on a tear, scoring five straight points to push the Guelph advantage. Laurier was able to close the deficit to 44-44 thanks in large part to a strong defensive effort, while the Gryphon's continually shot themselves in the foot with costly turnovers. By the end of the third, Laurier had taken a 55-53 lead, shooting 53% in the third quarter.

The final quarter saw Laurier jump out on a 7-0 run to take a 62-53 lead just two minutes into the fourth. Yeldon scored seven in the final quarter, while Mazerolle maintained her solid play throughout to give the Gryphon's fits on defence. Guelph answered back with an 8-0 run to cut the lead to just 62-61, but couldn't convert their free-throws, hitting just 4-of-10 in the fourth.

Guelph will hope to put an end to their road woes when they take on the Waterloo Warriors Saturday, January 21^st. Tipoff is scheduled for 1pm.  

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