The McGill Basketball Classic should bring tough battles and matchups, which is exactly what the Badgers need in preparation for the start of the OUA season.
The Brock Badgers women’s basketball team will be competing in the McGill Basketball Classic in Montreal, Quebec from Oct. 20th to 22nd as they conclude their exhibition schedule before the regular season begins at home on Nov. 3rd.
The Badgers are coming off a 1-1 weekend at home where they lost to Laval University 80-65 on Friday but defeated St. John Fisher University 91-62 on Sunday afternoon.
In their first game of the tournament, the Badgers will be up against the 2023 Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec (RSEQ) Runner-up Bishop’s Gaiters. The Gaiters dominated the regular season a year ago, winning 14 of 16 matches en route to the top spot in the league. Their only two losses of the regular season were by one point and three points, putting up a hard-fought effort in every game.
Bishop’s will be without last season’s graduating star Amaiquen Siciliano, but the Gaiters still have many quality pieces which should test the Badgers as they prepare for the start of the OUA season.
One of the key pieces for Bishop’s, who should have a bigger role in Siciliano’s absence, is forward Victoria Gauna. The Argentinian averaged 12.2 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game last season in 15 games played. Gauna’s versatility as a big, scoring from in the paint but also stretching the floor shooting 34 per cent from three last season, will test Brock’s Madison MacInnis and Olivia Fiorucci. Guarding Gauna will serve as beneficial preparation for forwards MacInnis and Fiorucci as they’ll likely be matched up with similar players all season long.
In Brock’s second game of the tournament, the Badgers are up against the University of New Brunswick Reds.
The Reds finished last season in fourth place in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Conference amassing a 12-8 record. UNB squeaked past Memorial University by one-point in the quarterfinals before falling to Acadia in the semis.
Leading the Reds is senior wing Jayda Veinot. The six-footer had a remarkable season a year ago showcasing her capabilities on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Nova Scotia-native scored 17.5 points per game last season which was fifth-most in the AUS, along with the fourth-highest three-point percentage at 41.6, and the third-highest field goal percentage at 50.6 percent. On the defensive end, Veinot ranked third in steals with 37 and secured the fifth-most rebounds on the defensive glass with 98.
Veinot’s athleticism will test the Badgers’ defence that had a solid statistical season last year. Brock’s defence allowed the fourth-lowest field goal percentage, fifth-lowest points against per game and sixth-lowest three-point percentage against in the OUA in 2022-23. Head coach Mike Rao will be looking for defenders Theresa Brown and Noor Bazi to step up against Veinot in anticipation of similar statured and styled players that OUA rivals – McMaster, Carleton and Ottawa – have to offer.
To conclude the tournament, McGill – the hosts – will be Brock’s final opponent of the 2023 exhibition schedule.
While McGill had a poor season a year ago, finishing in last place in RSEQ with a 3-13 record, there are many intangibles from that game that can prepare the Badgers for the upcoming season.
The hostile McGill crowd at Love Competition Hall in Montreal is one of them and will serve as an electrifyingly devious atmosphere against the Badgers. The experience of playing in an atmosphere like that is important for when those similar environments arise come playoff time and at the U Sports National Championship in Alberta that Brock hopes to be a part of.
The McGill game will also be the final in-game opportunity for fringe players to show Coach Rao why they deserve to be in the rotation to start the season. Expect that the Badgers will play hard from start to finish, with bench players getting the bulk of the minutes hoping to seize the opportunity.
The Badgers open the regular season at home on Nov. 3rd against the Toronto Varsity Blues. For more information on the Brock Badgers women’s basketball team click here.