The Varsity Blues women’s basketball team left for their two-week winter break with a four-game losing streak, after a tough 57–81 loss against Queen’s Gaels on December 3, 2022. On Wednesday, January 4, the Blues faced the York Lions at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
Earlier this season, the Blues and the Lions faced off on November 16 and the Lions took the win with a final score of 55–73.
What happened
The Lions broke down the Blues’ defense early on and used every counterplay to their advantage, which gave them an early lead. With just under five minutes left in the first quarter, the Lions’ guard, Kiara Leveridge, scored a three-pointer that secured a nine-point lead, at 14–5.
This allowed the Lions to continue creating smart offensive plays and regaining possession through rebounds to help maintain a double-point lead on the Blues throughout the rest of the first half. Leveridge played a huge role for the Lions offensively and finished the match with 13 points.
Although the Lions led the Blues 50–24 going into the second half, the Blues were determined to regain control of their defense and assert more pressure offensively.
The Blues’ duo, Jessica Muha and Ellen Ougrinov, led their team on the court and the scoreboard. Muha, the Blues’ forward, attacked the key aggressively and secured her free throws in the third quarter, finishing the game with a total of 18 points.
Ougrinov, Blues’ guard, scored a total of 13 points and led her team with five assists. Despite the duo’s performance, the Blues were unable to make a comeback and fell to the Lions with a final score of 83–56.
What’s next
On Saturday, January 7, the Blues lost a 74–66 nail-biter against the Guelph Gryphons for the first time this season. The Blues are ranked fifth in the OUA Central division, at 3–9 overall with a 0.25 win percentage. The Blues women’s team will play their next game against Lakehead University on January 13.
