With a second-place finish and a bye in the postseason on the horizon, the women’s basketball team (11-8) aims to sweep its last three regular-season contests. The only difficulty is finding consistency.
“We’re an up-and-down team. Competing for a full 40 minutes has been our nemesis all year long,” said head coach Michele Belanger. “When we focus on our defensive strengths, playing intensely and limiting our lapses, the team plays its best.”
“We need to work harder on our low block positions for our post players and we need to understand the time and score as situations in games. We’ll keep refining and keep pressing on both sides of the ball as the playoffs come around,” added Belanger.
Hosting Ottawa and Carleton next weekend and Ryerson the following Friday, the Blues face three teams that could give them problems, Belanger believes.
Of the three, Carleton poses the most immediate threat to Toronto. The Ravens are two points behind Toronto in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) east division, and defeated the Blues 68-64 in Ottawa on January 28.
“It was a game we should have won, but it got away from us,” said Belanger. “We struggled on defense and we could not contain them.”
The Blues will have to keep veteran Carleton guard Sarah Kennedy in check in their next meeting. She netted 32 points against Toronto the last time the teams played and can single-handedly win games for her squad.
Belanger also said the Blues can’t take Ottawa and Ryerson lightly either, despite a combined 9-29 record. The coach cited each team’s athleticism and unwillingness to give up late in games as major strengths Toronto will have to deal with.
Over the weekend the Blues found some consistency, dominating winless RMC (0-19) 73-33 on Friday, and holding off Queen’s (10-8) in a 68-53 victory Saturday.
The contest with Queen’s was of great importance, as both teams were tied for second in the OUA east at the time.
Queen’s guard Jessica Selinger scored ten points in the first nine minutes, using her quick first step to penetrate the Blues defence. Fellow guard Claire Meadows followed Selinger’s play with a pair of driving jumpers, as the Gaels took an 18-14 lead early on.
It would be Ottawa’s biggest lead, as the Blues then shifted defensively from man-to-man to a tight zone in an attempt to stop Selinger. The move worked, as the Gaels’ leading scorer was limited to only eight points the rest of the game.
While U of T’s perimeter passing was centered on finding forwards Laila Bellony or Christine Cho in the paint early and often, Ottawa countered by double-teaming Toronto’s best post players. The result was poor shot selection from the outside early in the shot clock for the Blues, leading to many misses.
Trying to find a rhythm, the Blues sprung to life after Cho disturbed a Gael shot in the paint at one end, then drove to the Queen’s basket at the other.
Tied 21-21 with six minutes left in the first half, the Blues went on a 13-2 tear to finish the period. Guard Ashley Keohan played brilliantly during this run, making some superb passes and driving the length of the floor for baskets.
Guard Kendall Smith finished off the half by nailing a three-pointer as time expired to put the Blues up 34-23.
Toronto continued throwing bodies around and pressing Ottawa on the defensive end in the second half. Guard Malissa Lundgren, forward Kaila MacAlpine, and Hutton combined for six Blues’ steals in the period, and the Blues cruised to victory.
Cho was named player of the game. She finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and two blocks.
