GUELPH, ON - As the saying goes, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. On Friday night however, it was the start
and the finish that proved to be the difference for the Gryphons women's basketball team in a 64-54 victory over the visiting Algoma Thunderbirds. The Gryphons led 19-7 after the opening quarter. After Algoma battled back to tie the game at 48-48 with 8:07 to go in the 4th quarter, the Gryphs would go on a 13-0 run to seal the victory. The win was the Gryphs first in the new Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre. Guelph improve to 1-2 on their new home floor after previously having suffered losses to McMaster and Laurier. It was also marked the Gryphons second win of the season overall as they improve to 2-11. Algoma meanwhile, fall to 1-13 on the season.
The Gryphons defensively were causing the Thunderbirds all kinds of issues on Friday night. In the 1st quarter, Guelph forced Algoma into 30 turnovers on the night, 16 of which came in the opening 10 minutes. Thanks to a 6-0 run to end the 1st quarter, the Gryphons took a 19-7 lead to the 2nd. After the slow start, Algoma would bounce back with stronger efforts in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters, as the Gryphons held a slim two-point lead heading to the 4th. With the game tied at 48-48 in the 4th, the Gryphs would pull away for good with sophomore forwards
Ashley Wheeler and
Abbey Clark combining to score 11 straight points in a 13-0 run.
Wheeler finished the night with a team-high 17 points to go along with 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Clark came off the bench and chipped in with 10 points and 3 steals. The other Gryphons to score in double figures on the night were
Haley Belyk (12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks & 3 steals) and
Megan Brenkel (10 points on 5-of-11 shooting). The Gryphons will be right back in action again on Saturday night as they host Central Division rivals Brock. The Badgers (4-9) head into Guelph on a four-game losing streak after suffering a 92-75 loss to No. 7-ranked Ryerson on Friday. Saturday's game will mark the second meeting this season between Guelph and Brock, with the Badgers winning 82-53 back in mid-November when the teams met in St. Catharines. Tip is set for 6pm and can be seen live online at www.oua.tv.
