Box Score
The Guelph Gryphons matched up against the No. 9 CIS ranked Brock Badgers this afternoon (Jan. 28) at the W.F. Mitchell Centre in the annual Shoot For the Cure game and pulled out a huge 66-62 win.
The win propels the Gryphons to 7-9, while the loss drops the Badgers to 11-6 in OUA West standings.
Gryphon head coach, Tom O'Brian and honourary Gryphon captain, Aleisha participated in the ceremonial tip off. Aleisha is a breast cancer survivor, and her life changed dramatically when she was diagnosed. After undergoing a lifesaving surgery, she was deemed cancer free and has been in remission for the past year. Aleisha is only four years old.
The Gryphon women's basketball team raised more than $3,200 for the 'Shoot For the Cure' initiative and all funds raised will go directly to the Breast Cancer Society of Canada.
The Gryphons knew today's game would be tough, but reinforced why they dominate the league in free-throws and blocked shots by going 100% from the free-throw line and shutting down their opponents in the key.
Guelph and Brock traded points for the majority of the first quarter, with the Gryphons maintaining a slight advantage on the scoreboard. Jasmine Douglas (Guelph, ON) was paramount to the Gryphons defencive success, with 11 total rebounds for the game.
The game remained close in the second quarter, but the Badgers were held to just 38.2% shooting in the first half of the game compared to 45.5% from the Gryphons.
In the third quarter, the Badgers kept getting beat off the dribble and had a tough time keeping the Gryphons contained. Gryphons took advantage of Badgers mistakes and Brock was left to chase the lead.
In the fourth quarter, a big turn over would give Brock the advantage on the scoreboard, 51-49. The Gryphons and
Badgers would continue to exchange baskets and keep the score close. At 4:48 left in the game, the Gryphons took a time out and came back with a big basket from Kayla Goodhoofd (Oakville, ON) to tie the game at 59-59. With the clock running down, there was an intense battle for the lead on the court.
Ali Dzilkowski (Brantford, ON) drained a big 3 pointer to extend the Gryphs lead. Like clock work, Brock would respond with a 2 pointer, but couldn't manage to sink crucial lay ups when it counted the most.
A Brock foul would take Dzilkowski to the free-throw line once more with 3.5 seconds left on the clock, she made both baskets to end the game in a 66-62 victory for the Gryphons.
Goodhooft lead the way for the Gryphons this evening with14 points, followed by Dzikowski with 13 and Sam Russell (Paradise Valley, AZ) with 12.
For the Badgers, Nicole Rosenkranz (Niagara Falls, ON) was top scorer with 18 points followed by Samantha deJong (St.Catharines, ON) with 16 and Andrea Polischuk (Brantford, ON) with 10.
The Gryphons will look to build off tonight's momentum and take down the Mustangs Wednesday, February 1 at the W.F. Mitchell Centre. The game begins at 6:00 p.m.
WBBALL vs. Brock - Shoot for the Cure Gallery
