GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons women's basketball team didn't just start their 2018-19 season with a win. They started it with a statement.
Wednesday night at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre, the Gryphons dominated the Western Mustangs, winning 70-40 in a matchup that served as the 2018-19 OUA regular season opener for both sides. Sophomore guard
Burke Bechard led the Gryphons with 17 points, and the host Gryphons used a suffocating defence (forcing 32 turnovers and limiting the Mustangs to 0-for-10 from three-point range) to cruise to the 30-point victory. The Gryphons outrebounded the Mustangs 23-4 on the offensive glass and 52-28 overall.
Helping lead the way defensively was reining team MVP Burke Bechard, who recorded a team-high 6 steals to go along with her team-high 17 points.
4th-year forward Julia Kokonis locks down defensively vs Western
Bechard was one of three Gryphons to score in double figures, with backcourt mate
Skyla Minaker (13 points) and fourth-year forward
Ivana Vujadinovic (10 points) each making key contributions. Wednesday night also marked the Gryphons' annual "Shoot for the Cure" game in support of breast cancer awareness. Sue (Turnbull) Kaye, a breast cancer survivor of 13 years and a U of G alum who played from 1972-76 for the Gryphon women's basketball team, helped perform the ceremonial jump ball. Gryphon rookies Natalie Vigna and Tatjana Boskovic each took part in a hair-cutting at the halftime of the men's game to show their support as well.
Turning point
The Gryphons put together a 13-2 run to end the opening half, with Minaker and veteran guard
Sarah Holmes knocking down back-to-back three pointers to help the Gryphons take a commanding 37-18 lead into the locker room at the break.
Gryphon Take
"All summer long we have worked hard on focusing on our play at the defensive end of the floor and the results showed tonight. If you don't close out and guard those Western players tight, they can score on you. We were able to keep them from hurting us with the three-point shot, and that was critical. Hopefully we'll continue to carry on that kind of defensive effort going forward." –
head coach Mark Walton
The Record
Guelph is 1-0
Next up
@ Brock - Saturday, Oct. 27 (6pm)
