Coming off a huge win the night before over the U of T Varsity Blues, the Lions women’s basketball team was able to win consecutive games for the first time this season as they walked away with a 58-48 victory against the Ryerson Rams on January 11.
Through a team effort, four York players were able to score in the double digits, Shauney Fischer and Courtney Osborne leading the way with 13 points each.
Osborne also had a solid game crashing the boards, coming just a rebound shy of a double double. Her dominance was most felt at the free throw line where Osborne was able to nail seven out of seven attempts, accounting for more than half of her offensive production.
The Lions were able to overwhelm their opponents from the very start, forcing the Rams to play catch-up for the entire game. The Rams found themselves playing very sloppy basketball in the first half, losing the battle on the boards and sending their opponents to the line far too many times in order to be successful.
After holding the Rams to just six points in the first quarter, an offensive explosion in the second allowed York to really open up their lead as they capped off the first half with a buzzer beater by Taylor Ross that sent the Lions into halftime on top 33-20.
The Rams came out of the break with an aggressive defensive attack that led to some turnovers and points for them, but mostly just escalated their earlier foul trouble as they continually handed York points from the charity stripe. The Rams were able to keep pace with the Lions in the third quarter, but the 13-point cushion created after the first half was enough to keep Ryerson at arm’s length for most of the quarter.
With the score sitting at 49-35 going into the fourth quarter, the game became much closer than expected as a late-game surge by Ryerson created panic on the Lions’ sideline. Both teams came out lobbing bricks in the fourth, but suddenly the Rams caught fire with just seven minutes remaining on the clock. A quick jump shot followed by a strong play at the basket by the Rams’ Chloe Mago led to a seven-point run for Ryerson as they pulled within just six points, with the score sitting at 49-43.
The surge forced York’s head coach Bill Pangos to call a timeout, which proved to be a turning point in the game. After watching the Rams drop seven straight points, Llyandra Kerr kept her cool as she came down the floor on consecutive possessions, nailing two shots from the left corner to dash any hopes of a Rams comeback.
The win now boosts York to a 3-9 record so far this season and gives the Lions the sixth and final playoff spot in the Ontario University Athletics East Division. This four-game stretch for the Lions is likely the most important of the season as all of four of the teams they are playing are battling for the final few playoff spots.
After earning two huge wins over the Blues and Rams, the Lions could really solidify their playoff chances by capping off this four-game stretch undefeated. In order to do that, York will have to travel to Northern Ontario to take on the winless Algoma Thunderbirds on January 17, followed by a matchup against the Laurentian Voyageurs in Sudbury the next night.
Ryan McCabe
Sports and Health Editor
