In their first game back in action after the winter break, the Brock women’s basketball team hosted the Nipissing Lakers in a chippy contest at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
It took a few minutes for both teams to shake off the post-break rust, as the first basket wasn’t scored until Jamie Addy found herself with a free lane to the rim off a Lakers turnover, giving the Badgers their first lead of the game.
The first quarter was mostly a back-and-forth affair — especially on the inside — after both teams were sharing buckets around the rim. This culminated in an and one for Ava Stranges, who slithered her way to the hoop off a drive and kick.
The middle portion of the quarter featured numerous hustle plays from both sides, highlighted by several offensive rebounds, much to the dismay of both head coaches. However, the theme of the game was endless diving for loose balls, as each frame saw a jump ball at least twice.
Sophie Milner was keeping the Lakers around with some aggressive drives that kept the Badgers on guard, while Addy made the game’s first three-pointer four minutes into the game. It wasn’t a great three-point shooting night for either team to say the least, as the Lakers shot just 5/22, while the Badgers made just one more at 6/20.
The Badgers put on a full-court press throughout most of the quarter; however, the Lakers had no problem breaking it, leading to a number of fouls on the inside from Brock. This would catch up to reigning OUA M.V.P. Madalyn Weinert as she picked up two fouls in the quarter.
At the end of the frame, the Badgers led 19-16.
The second quarter saw the Lakers show more life after they were able to convert on multiple second-chance opportunities created by crashing the glass. On the other end of the floor, the Badgers looked out of it to begin. Missed shots, turnovers and bad decision-making were allowing Nipissing to slowly inch back into the game. Brock’s perimeter defence was easily penetrated by Nipissing’s guards, allowing for easy buckets inside.
Before the midway point of the quarter, Weinert took matters into her own hands, keeping her team afloat with some hard-fought baskets off her own accord. This gave the Badgers some much-needed momentum as the team began to shine in transition, including some nice drives from Weinert. The tables had completely turned after Nipissing was unable to convert on many of their offensive possessions, while Brock was torching them with their physicality.
The run wasn’t without its faults, however, as Brock was still turning the ball over at an alarming rate. The Lakers struggled to make simple plays, as the two teams were throwing passes too high or too fast.
With just 11 seconds left, the Lakers cashed in on their first three-pointer of the game. A sigh of relief came from Nipissing’s head coach, but the Badgers still had one last shot. With just under 10 seconds to go, Addy brought the ball up guarded closely by her defender. After a nice move to get by, she dished it out to the corner to Stranges, who nailed a corner three at the buzzer to cap off a strong scoring quarter from the home team.
Brock led 42-29 at the end of the first half.
To begin the second half, Weinert picked up a quick third foul, putting Head Coach Shae Dheensaw in a tough spot: should she sub out her star player or not? Her decision to leave Weinert in the game paid off after the OUA All-Star drained a three-pointer to extend the Badger lead. Shortly after that, Addy would make a three of her own, followed by an and one by Shailah Adams. Brock was in full control at that point, and their confidence showed it. Not only were they in full form on offence, but their rebounding was outstanding on both offence and defence. Weinert finished the game with 11 boards, while Janee Harrison grabbed eight and Vienna Vercesi pitched in with five.
Nipissing’s lack of three-point shot-making was now on full display. The Lakers couldn’t string a run together due to their inability to make shots from beyond the arc. This allowed Brock to get more comfortable on defence, prioritizing their paint presence over hard close-outs.
By the quarter’s end, Brock held on to a 62-41 lead, led by Weinert, who had secured yet another double-double.
Although Brock’s lead was more than safe, things got shaky when Weinert picked up her fourth and fifth fouls of the game, sending her to the bench for the remainder of the contest. With just over eight minutes left, the Badgers would be without their number one option. At first, it looked like smooth sailing for the home team, until Nipissing turned it up several notches. Turnover after turnover, and the Badgers were looking lost without Weinert on the floor. Two passes out of bounds, a three-second violation, and Brock had suddenly spiralled out of control. Nipissing was pushing, captained by Taryn Gauthier, who was getting anything she wanted around the net.
As the final buzzer sounded, Brock was able to hold on to the win, beating the Lakers by a score of 72-63. However, what was at first a smooth game turned into one with glaring issues. If the Badgers can’t operate without Weinert on the floor, there’s going to be some issues moving forward.
Weinert finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, while Addy had 16 points and four steals.
Brock moves to 8-4 on the season and extends their win streak to four games as they move on to play Lakehead in Thunder Bay.