The University of Toronto ended their first half of the season with two road losses to the McMaster Marauders on Dec. 2 in Hamilton, Ont. and on Dec. 3 in Thunder Bay, Ont. to the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
These two games were originally scheduled for Nov. 13-14 but were postponed as per OUA policy due to confirmed cases of HINI.
Lakehead’s Tasia McKenna was the difference maker in the Blues 69-65 loss on Thursday night at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse. The point guard hit two three-pointers to open the game and went on to torch Toronto for 31 points.
Toronto drops to 4-6 on the year in conference play, while the Wolves improve to 5-3 and are tied with McMaster for fourth place in the OUA West division.
Nicki Schutz (Toronto) was a workhouse for the Varsity Blues racking up another double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Toronto native Joanna Medri added 11 points and eight rebounds with Megan Stoncius from Mississauga, Ont. scoring tallying 10 points.
McKenna shot 50% (6-of-12) from beyond the arc, had zero turnovers and six assists. The Timberlea, N.S. native picked a good night to explode offensively, as her team struggled shooting the basketball, knocking down just 32 percent of their shots and turning it over 24 times.
With the Blues up 36-33 at the half, the Wolves rallied in the final two quarters in what would be a battle to the end.
Things got interesting with 4.5 seconds left and the Pack up 67-63. Medri attempted a desperation heave from the three-point line and was fouled by Wolves' guard Lisa Styles.
The third-year guard missed the first free throw, limiting the chances of a Blues comeback. She hit the next two free throws, however, Toronto was the forced to foul McKenna, who stepped to the charity strip and iced the game knocking down both free throws.
In Wednesday’s match-up, first-year forward Nicole Rosenkranz (Niagara Falls, Ont.) netted a game-high 25 points to lead the McMaster Marauders to an 83-71 victory over the Varsity Blues.
Both teams traded baskets in the early going with the first quarter ending in a 17-17 deadlock. The Marauders pulled in away in the second quarter, taking a 42-36 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Marauders added to their advantage in the third, outscoring the Varsity Blues 25-14 to take a 67-50 lead. In a valiant fourth-quarter comeback attempt, the Varsity Blues outscored the Marauders 21-16, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Marauders held on for the win.
The OUA’s leading scorer at the break is Toronto native Nicki Schutz (Toronto), who again led the Varsity Blues in offensive output. She had a solid 25-point effort at MAC, sharing game-high honours with Rosenkranz. The six-foot-one forward also hauled in nine rebounds. Calgary native Emily Larson had a season-high 11 points and added three helpers, while Medri knocked down nine points and four boards.
Rosenkranz also contributed 13 rebounds. Other high-scorers for the Marauders were third-year guard Rebecca Rewi (Ancaster, Ont.) with 14 points and third-year forward Taylor Chiarot (Hamilton, Ont.) with 10.
Toronto returns to the court on Dec. 28-30 when they travel to Windsor, Ont. to take part in the Windsor Lancers annual basketball tournament.
OUA regular season action resumes on Saturday, Jan. 8 in Kingston, Ont. where the Blues will take on the Queen’s Gaels. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
