For Women’s Basketball (13-11), a quick foray in the postseason featured their most dominant performance of the year. Sadly, three days later, three minutes was all it took to send them back home.
U of T annihilated Ottawa (9-14) 73-32 in the Ontario University Athletic quarterfinal here Feb. 18.
“We just clicked,” said coach Michele Belanger. “It was kind of stunning, as we had lost 10 days prior to the same team in a game where our baskets didn’t fall in.”
They certainly did this time around, as the Blues shot 52 per cent from the field. U of T guard Kendall Smith had twenty points to lead all scorers.
“She was just outstanding,” Belanger said of Smith. “The game imbued our girls with confidence heading into York.”
In their semi-final matchup at York (21-2), the Blues went toe-to-toe with the OUA East champs before falling 64-54 Saturday.
“We had a great start keeping up with them in the first half, and had taken a quick lead in the second,” Belanger said. “But we had three bad minutes that consequently lost us the lead. We fell off-kilter there, fouling York’s players and giving them the momentum. After that we were playing on the back of our heels, and eventually lost by ten.
“Basketball is such a fickle sport, eh?”
Belanger also cited the play of Lions guard Kimberly Gibbs, who had a breakout game for York, scoring 11 of her 16 points in the second half.
Guard Alaine Hutton had 16 points in the loss, and forward Christine Cho had eight points to go with 12 rebounds. Both were OUA all-stars for the Blues.
