HAMILTON, Ont. – On the opening night of the 2017-18 OUA regular season, the Gryphons women's basketball team showed some opening night jitters. They also showed that their young squad has the ability to go toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the conference.
 
Wednesday night in Hamilton, the Gryphons were on the wrong end of a hard-fought 70-61 score line against a perennial playoff contender in the high-powered McMaster Marauders.
 
"Defensively, I thought we played well enough to win the game," said Gryphons second year head coach Mark Walton. "Overall, there were more positives than negatives to take away from tonight. We were getting the shots we wanted, we just couldn't get them to drop."
 

The Gryphons shot 29.6% from the field (21-71) and were just 3-17 from beyond the arc. A trio of Gryphons finished in double figures in scoring with Sarah Holmes (11 points), Skyla Minaker (11 points) and Ashley Wheeler (10 points) leading the way offensively.
 
The real story Wednesday night, however, was the effort the Gryphons put forth on the defensive end of the floor. Last season, the Marauders were the highest scoring team in the OUA, averaging 78.6 PPG. Despite the fact that McMaster graduated star guard Danielle Boiago from last year's squad, the Marauders still pack plenty of offensive firepower. Wednesday night however, the Gryphons were relentless defensively. Leading the way Burke Bechard, who received some high praise from her coach post-game.
 
"Burke set the tone defensively for us tonight. She was getting deflections, coming up with steals, grabbing rebounds. It's a treat to watch the way she battles every play," added Walton.
 
Burke Bechard, a rookie who played her high school ball at Chatham Kent Secondary School, filled up the stat sheet on the night with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists in her OUA debut.
 
The Gryphons, who trailed by 15 late in the 3rd quarter, would make a push and trim the deficit to seven early in the 4th with a bucket from fellow rookie standout Skyla Minaker. But the Marauders would hold off the Gryphons late to secure the 70-61 win. The Gryphons, after holding McMaster to just 12 points in the 3rd quarter, were forced to press late and would give up 22 to Mac in the frame. Guelph outscored Mac 24-22 in the 4th.
 
The Gryphons (0-1) will now play their second of four consecutive road games to start the season as they will head to Windsor for a Saturday matchup against the Lancers. Game time at the St. Denis Centre in Windsor is set for 6pm on Saturday. The home opener for the Gryphons is set for Wednesday, November 8 versus the York Lions.