The Brock Badgers’ women’s basketball team fell 73-65 to the TMU Bold in the OUA quarterfinals, losing their first game at home all season, eliminating them from the OUA playoffs.
Despite the loss, Madalyn Weinert shined for the Badgers, scoring a game-high 27 points while adding 15 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season.
Angeline Campbell also contributed for the Badgers, making her presence felt from the opening tip. The Toronto-native nailed three of her five made three-pointers in the opening five minutes of the game, tallying 11 of her 21 points in the first quarter.
Campbell’s first quarter dominance kickstarted an impressive opening 10 minutes for the Badgers. The Badgers limited the Bold to only three made field goals on 14 attempts, while forcing four TMU turnovers, leading to an 18-10 lead after one.
In the second, the Badgers continued their superiority growing their lead to 15 points midway through the quarter, 28-13, until the Bold found their shooting stroke.
Catrina Garvey initiated the comeback with a three-pointer before teammate Jayme Foreman hit back-to-back triples in a 30-second span to cut the Brock lead to just three. Garvey nailed another triple after Campbell scored a pair of free throws, capping a 16-3 run to close the half.
The Badgers had a slim 31-29 halftime lead, but it was quickly erased at the beginning of the third.
Foreman and Garvey continued their immaculate shooting, each scoring a three-pointer sandwiched around a trio of free throws, opening the half on a 9-0 run to take a seven-point lead.
The Badgers responded with a couple of mini runs of their own. Oluwatito Akinnusi scored six of her eight points in the third as Weinert added five, cutting the TMU lead to four entering the fourth quarter.
Opening the fourth, Campbell drained a three as TMU committed a foul, resulting in the basket to stand and Brock getting another possession which Weinert capitalized on, completing a rare five-point play to take the one-point lead.
However, it didn’t take long for TMU to retake the lead.
Corrynn Parker went on a 5-0 run before Garvey followed suit with five consecutive points of her own – finishing the game with 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting – leading to a maintainable lead which the Badgers were unable to reclaim.
The Bold were victorious 73-65, advancing to the OUA Semi-Finals to face the Queen’s Gaels on Wednesday, while eliminating the Badgers from the playoffs.
Stay tuned to next week’s edition of The Brock Press for a year-end review of the Badgers’ women’s basketball team’s 2023/24 season, including the Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player and Most Valuable Player awards, as determined by TBP.
