By Raine Hernandez
The Ryerson Rams women’s basketball team used their stingy defence to grab a win on Oct. 31, defeating the Guelph Gryphons 74-59 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
A week after their impressive season-opening victory against the University of Toronto, the Rams were back at it. This time, they’d square off against the University of Guelph Gryphons.
Coming into the matchup, Guelph was tied for first in the OUA West, sitting with a 2-0 record with victories against both Western and Brock. This would be the second of a five game road trip for the Gryphons. The Rams would be without their star forward Sofia Paska, who missed her second consecutive game with a foot injury.
It was a sluggish start for the Rams in the first half. Following a turnover in their first possession, they would add another five in the first quarter. Although it didn’t seem to affect the Rams in the first quarter, it all started to go wrong in the second.
With a combination of 16 turnovers and a field goal percentage of 37.5 per cent, the Rams would find themselves on the wrong end of a 16-4 run with Guelph leading 33-26 heading into halftime.
“I didn’t think our effort was where it needed to be in the first half.” said Rams head coach Carly Clarke. Fortunately for the Rams, things started to turn around in the second half.
Ryerson would start the third quarter on a 15-7 run, led by the strong defensive play from Jama Bin-Edward, who had three steals and a block in the frame. “Jama’s such an impactful player because of her length and speed, but I also thought the whole team stepped defensively as well,” Clarke said.
From there, the Rams seemed to settle down and take over the game. Fourth-year guard Hayley Robertson was crucial off the bench for the Rams, closing the game down the stretch with her offence, which included a terrific and-one play in the late stages of the final quarter. The hometown native ended the game with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The rest of the starting five for the Rams also contributed as well. Veteran guard Cara Tiemens led the way for the Rams, leading the team in points with 15, while shooting 9-12 from the free-throw line.
Forwards Bronwyn Williams and Katherine Follis had 14 and 11 points respectively, while Bin-Edward had 10 points to go along with her three steals and one block. Finally, last year’s OUA Rookie of the Year Marin Scotten contributed on all ends of the ball, collecting 14 rebounds along with five points and two blocks.
UP NEXT: The Rams will face off against Algoma University at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Nov. 3. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Leave a Reply