by Eva Tam
A new season started with the same result against a familiar foe for the women’s basketball team. The Rams lost 61-45 to the Carleton University Ravens Saturday night.
Low shooting percentages and early fouls plagued the Rams early in the game.
“We allowed Carleton to get on the (free throw) line 31 times. It’s hard to win when you give a team so many chances to score,” said coach Sandra Pothier.
Any hope of a comeback was lost when two of Ryerson’s post players, newcomer Danielle Williams and veteran Amanda Redhead, fouled out. Redhead’s 12 points and 10 rebounds led the team.
“We had low shooting percentage and fouled a bit too much. We also have to watch our turnovers and fouling because we were giving (Carleton) more opportunity (to score). We need to be more patient. The team also needs to execute better five on five,” Pothier said.
The team beat St. Lawrence College 71-28 the night before, but was lacking the dominant form against a much worthier foe in the Ravens.
“We definitely showed moments of brilliance, but we collapsed later. But this showed that we have tons to build on and lots to learn,” said Lisa Greig, a third-year Rams veteran. Greig was one of the top three scorers for the team that night with eight points.
Although disappointed, the players were not entirely disheartened by the results.
“I feel positive about this game even though we lost. It shows that we have a lot to work on. We have seven new players this season. We have to work on playing as a whole,” Greig said.
Inexperience is a problem for this year’s team and its seven rookies.
“We’re very young and inexperienced. This is our first game against an actual university. We were anxious and a little rushed, but all this can be fixed with experience,” said Rams rookie Julia Ounphongxay. She was also one of the top scorers on the team on Saturday night, with nine points.
“We did a lot of good things (Friday night). We had aggressive defence, nice transition baskets, and nice steals off the press. This is a great opportunity to test out knowledge. (This game) was a good competitive match,” Pothier said.
The women are looking to improve on last year’s 6-16 finish, and hope to build on the plethora of new, young talent.
“It’s hard to predict this season. Loss records cannot dictate how competitive we actually are. We have a good bunch this year with seven rookies,” she said.
Next up for the Rams is the Raptors Invitational Tournament at Ryerson, beginning Friday, Oct. 28. The Rams open their regular season Nov. 4 when they host the University of Toronto.
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