With the regular season heading into its final weeks and a key stretch of games coming up, Women’s Basketball (8-5) is heating up at just the right time. Following two impressive displays against visiting RMC (0-13) and Queen’s (8-5) this weekend, U of T has made it five wins in a row.
The Blues now sit in second place in the OUA East Division and face a stretch of games that will test the muster of the team. Laurentian (7-6) visits this Friday coming off of consecutive victories over Ottawa and Carlton. The following night the Blues host rivals York (11-2), who arew currently atop the division, before traveling the following week to Kingston for a re-match with the Golden Gaels.
While these next few games will set the tone for the post-season, if this weekend is any indication, the Blues are more than up for the challenge. Using a balanced scoring attack featuring six players with eight or more points, the Blues defeated RMC 75-37 Friday. U of T jumped all over the visiting Paladins in the first half, building a 33-point lead before cruising on from there for a decisive victory.
The win over RMC served as the prelude to the marquee match-up of the weekend. Queen’s Golden Gaels came into Saturday one game better than the Blues. Toronto came out strong in the first half, using their high-pressure defense to force Queen’s into turning the ball over and taking bad shots. Guard Jessica Hiew and forward Leila Bellony seemed to particularly frustrate the Golden Gaels.
On offense, the Blues were able to turn the Golden Gaels’ miscues into quick transition baskets. When the game did slow down, Toronto was effective in getting the ball into the hands of Bellony, who notched 12 points and five rebounds, and forward Christine Cho, who finished the game as the Blues’ leading scorer with 18 points while pulling down seven rebounds. The hard work on defense and execution on offense translated into an 11 point lead for the Blues at the break.
Queen’s turned up the pressure at the start of the second half, an it was clear the Golden Gaels were not going down without a fight. Thanks to excellent outside shooting from Sarah Barnes and Jessica Sellinger and strong interior defence, the visiting squad pulled within six by the end of the third quarter.
But the final period belonged to the Blues, thanks in particular to Alaine Hutton. The guard from Hamilton ended the Golden Gaels’ hopes of a comeback with two key steals and some timely scoring in the fourth quarter, sealing Toronto’s 73-59 win.
