SAULT STE MARIE, Ont. – They are battered and bruised. But the Guelph Gryphons women's basketball team knew a win was a necessity. Guelph coughed up a big halftime lead but showed grit executing down the stretch to defeat the Algoma Thunderbirds 79-70 in the front end of a weekend doubleheader Friday night in Sault Ste Marie.
 
Guard Hanna Pryce scored 15 points for Guelph, which had five players in double digits to help snap a three-game losing streak. Point guard Skyla Minaker added 12 points and a game-high 7 steals, while rookie Natalie Vigna registered a career-high 12 points
 
The Gryphons were already banged up with just nine players on the bus for the long trip up north. And it got worse in the fourth quarter when star second-year guard Burke Bechard (14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in 27 minutes) was ejected after getting called for a controversial flagrant foul that apparently surprised both coaches.
 
Guelph, which never trailed on the night, was just looking to hang on at that point and the visitors hit their shots when they needed to. Julia Kokonis had a key basket when she followed a missed free throw and put it back to make it 74-68 with under 2:30 on the clock. Pryce added a clutch mid-range jumper from the right wing to extend the lead to 8 points and Minaker made one of two from the line late to push it to 77-70, putting the game out of reach for Algoma.
 
The Gryphons' struggles in the third quarter and early in the fourth allowed the hosts to storm back into the game and all but erase the 20-point deficit they faced at the half when Guelph was up 48-28. Algoma caught fire just as the Gryphons went cold shooting the ball and the lead was shaved down to 57-56 with 7:40 left in the game. But back-to-back steals helped halt the Thunderbirds' momentum.
 
The Gryphons benefited from 20 Algoma turnovers, which they turned into 22 points.
 
It was a tale of two halves. Guelph quickly found the offensive rhythm that had eluded them lately as the team moved the ball well in the first two quarters. The Gryphons, who shot the three-ball well and forced Algoma turnovers with excellent defence, began to pull away in the second quarter with a 15-3 run to go up 35-20. They outscored the Thunderbirds 28-11 in the second and headed into halftime with what looked like a comfortable lead.
 
Despite struggling at the free throw line (8-for-15, 53.3 per cent), Guelph made 7 of 20 three-pointers on the night (35 per cent).
 
The Gryphons will be down to eight players in the rematch Saturday night. According to OUA rules, a player who is ejected for a flagrant foul will miss the next game so Bechard is expected to sit. 
 
Gryphon Take
"We had a good first half and defended well. In the second half, we didn't play that team game, There was a lot of one pass and shoot. But we picked up the defence again in the fourth and kept the pressure on them. It was important to get the win." – head coach Mark Walton
 
The Record
Guelph is 6-13
 
Next up
@ Algoma, Saturday, Feb 2, 6 pm