GUELPH, Ont. – On Wednesday night (Nov. 30) at the Gryphon Athletic Centre the U SPORTS No. 7-ranked Gryphon women's basketball team extended their unbeaten streak, taking down the McMaster Marauders 82-73.
 
The Gryphons came into Wednesday's game prepared to take on their toughest competition to date of the 2022-23 OUA season. The Marauders and Gryphons were both at the top of their respective divisions, McMaster leading the OUA's Central Division with a 5-3 record and the Gryphons leading the West at 6-0. Along with the Marauders came the OUA's leading scorer in point guard Sarah Gates who would be matchup with Gryphon standout MacKeely Shantz for much of the contest.
 
The opening quarter saw the Gryphon off to a slow start, being outscored by the visiting Marauders 17-12 and shooting just 35.7% from the field while turning the ball over seven times. The Gryphons would respond with their best quarter of the night, outscoring McMaster 33-14 on the backs of guards MacKeely Shantz and Natalie Vigna, both of whom have been off to incredible starts to the OUA season. Both Shantz and Vigna would score 10 points to help the Gryphons head into the locker room with a 14-point lead, up 45-31.
 
The third quarter would see the Gryphons quickly extend their lead to 26 points before the Marauders would respond well and close out the quarter to bring their deficit back to 14 points. The final frame of the match saw the Gryphons once again control the pace of play for much of the period. McMaster would eventually gain momentum, but the Gryphon lead would prove to be too much to overcome in limited time remaining.
 
 The Gryphons were once again led by All-star talent MacKeely Shantz, who came just two assists shy of a triple double in Wednesday's affair. Shantz walked off the court with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, adding to her incredible 7-game stretch to open the 2022-23 season. Alongside Shantz was fellow guard and Gryphon standout, Natalie Vigna. Vigna finished the match with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting while adding 4 helpers and 2 steals. Fellow starters Marielle Klueskens and Julia Colavecchia also eclipsed the 10-point mark with 11 and 12 points respectively. The Gryphons as a team shot 50.8% from the field, 35% from beyond the arc, and 90% from the free throw line on route to their 7^th straight win.
 
The Gryphons (7-0) will play their final match of 2022 on Saturday (Dec. 3) when they head to London for a rematch of the 2021-22 OUA quarterfinal round against the Western Mustangs. The game can be seen live, online at www.oua.tv.