GUELPH, ON –
Ivana Vujadinovic has always been good with numbers. The Burlington native is currently in her second year at the University of Guelph studying Mathematical Science. On Saturday night however, you did not have to be a math wizard to understand what was at stake on her last second shot: if it goes in, the Gryphons win. Fortunately, for the Gryphs, Vujadinovic's geometry was spot on. The second year guard banked in a game-winning jump shot from just inside the three-point line with less than a second to go, giving the Gryphons a dramatic 71-70 victory over the visiting Lakehead Thunderwovles.
"I was just hoping they would execute the play and understand what all their options were. So that's exactly what they did. They read the play, they read their options," said Gryphons head coach
Mark Walton after the game. "Megan (Brenkel) inbounded the ball correctly to the right player at the right time. Ivana (Vujadinovic) made the shot when she had to make the shot. It was a great amount of poise for everybody involved. Especially, when they're young players, it was nice to see them finish the way they did."
For a second straight night, the Gryphons and Thunderwolves were locked in a game that came down to the wire. The Gryphons found themselves trailing 68-67 with under 20 seconds remaining. That's when Vujadinovic came up with a huge steal, leading to a Sarah Holmes lay-in with :12 seconds to go, giving the Gryphs a 69-68 lead.
With :06 seconds remaining however, Lakehead re-took the lead on a Nikki Ylagan jump shot, putting the Thunderwolves up 70-69, setting the stage for Vujadinovic's late-game heroics. In-bounding from under the Lakehead basket with just :04 seconds left on the clock, Megan Brenkel would find Vujadinovic on the perimeter. Ivana took one dribble, pulled up, and banked in the winning shot just before the final buzzer sounded. Vujadinovic came off the bench and scored just 6 points on the night, all of which came in the final quarter.
While the spotlight late in the game clearly belonged to Vujadinovic, it was third year guard
Megan Brenkel who was leading the way for the Gryphons for most of the night. Brenkel scored a career-high 23 points on an efficient 9-of-17 shooting. Four of the Gryphons starting five scored in double figures, with
Samantha Renshaw (14 pts),
Sarah Holmes (13 pts) and
Ashley Wheeler (11 pts) all putting together strong offensive performances. Holmes and Wheeler both narrowly missed out on double-doubles, each finishing with 9 rebounds.
The game featured 10 ties and 13 lead changes. It also had huge playoff implications. While Lakehead (7-10) remain comfortably in a playoff position, the Gryphons are locked in a fight for their postseason lives. The Gryphons are currently battling for the 12th and final spot in the OUA playoffs with just one game remaining on their regular season schedule. The Gryphs, who improved to 5-13 on the season with the win Saturday night, will close out their regular season schedule next weekend with a home game against the Waterloo Warriors (Saturday, February 18).
For Gryphons head coach Mark Walton, Saturday night's performance will be something the team can build off of for not just next week, but next season as well, "It's huge for our team. This will carry over into next year. If we make the playoffs, that's great. If we don't, this event will carry them over to next year, plain and simple."
The
OUA's Rating Percentage Index will ultimately determine whether or not the Gryphons ultimately make the playoffs. For most fans, trying to figure out exactly how the Rating Percentage Index even works can prove to be a challenge. But if there is one person on the Gryphons roster who is capable of making sense of the math involved in the Gryphons playoff chances, it's Ivana Vujadinovic. She certainly passed the test Saturday night. The Gryphs
currently hold the 12th and final playoff spot in the latest RPI rankings. For now, one final exam awaits. And it comes in the form of the Waterloo Warriors next Saturday.
