The Badgers’ women’s basketball team composed an 82-73 comeback victory against the McMaster Marauders to win their fourth game of the season and the Badgers’ third victory in Paint the Meridian Red history. Paint the Meridian Red is a community basketball event that is aimed at bringing members of the Brock community and the Niagara Region together by filling the Meridian Centre in a sea of red.
The Brock supporters donning red were excited because of Oluwatito Akinnusi’s performance, as she illustrated a Picasso-like masterpiece, scoring a career-high 37 points to lead Brock to the win.
Akinnusi announced her presence early, as the five-foot-10 forward scored 12 points in the opening quarter on six-for-11 shooting. The Psychology major dominated the paint, as she scored the vast majority of her points through back door cuts and pick-and-roll plays with her teammates.
However, the Marauders were also proficient on offence in the first quarter.
Sophia Urosevic drained two of her game-high five made three-pointers in the frame, providing a spark off the bench for McMaster. Cassie Joli-Coeur contributed with six points of her own, as the Marauders took the one-point lead after the opening quarter.
In the second, McMaster continued to be on the front foot.
Urosevic and Emily Frankovic combined for 10 of McMaster’s 20 points in the frame, as the two bench players went a collective four-for-six in limited minutes.
For the Badgers, Madelyn Weinert was the spark plug, scoring nine of her 25 points in the second to limit the McMaster lead to just 42-38 at the half.
Weinert remained red-hot in the third, having an effect on both ends of the floor.
Offensively, the 2022 OUA Second-Team All-Star added 11 points to her tally on 62.5 per cent shooting, while picking up two blocks and a steal. Weinert finished the game with a game-high four blocks to go along with three steals, which was second to teammate Noor Bazzi’s four.
The Marauders responded to Weinert’s third quarter dominance by not letting the home side take a lead in the quarter.
Jenna Button, second in the OUA in three-point percentage, showed her efficient shooting abilities, going a perfect two-for-two from beyond the arc in the quarter to lead her team with eight points in the frame.
Ashley Guerriero added another six off the bench, scoring both of her three-point attempts, as the Marauder long ball kept them in the lead through three.
However, the McMaster lead faded in the fourth. Weinert found a wide open Akinnusi in the paint to take the 68-66 lead for Brock’s first lead since it was 23-22. From that point, it was all Badgers as they went on a 10-0 and 14-1 run to start the quarter.
Akinnusi was once again the focal point of the Badger offence as she scored 14 of Brock’s 18 points in the fourth.
Jamie Addy was also a pivotal piece off the bench that kickstarted the comeback. The rookie point guard was a defensive workhorse, irritating the lethal Marauder shooters which led to McMaster being limited to only seven points in the quarter.
The St. Catharines-native also showed promise on the offensive end by showcasing her playmaking abilities in front of her hometown crowd, picking up a career-high two assists in 15 minutes of action.
Addy’s contributions along with Akinnusi’s outstanding display of artistry led to the Badgers painting the standings with another win, 82-73, to improve to 4-3 this season.
Next up for the Badgers is a road trip in Waterloo against the Waterloo Warriors and Laurier Golden Hawks to close out the first half of the schedule before the holiday break. For more information about the Brock Badgers’ women’s basketball team, head to gobadgers.ca.
