By Libaan Osman
A collective team effort helped the Ryerson Rams women’s basketball team snap a two-game losing streak, defeating the no. 3 ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees 71-63 on Jan. 6 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Five players scored in double-digits for the Rams as they won their first game of the new year, improving to 10-2 on the season.
Rams guard Hayley Robertson led the team in points, scoring a career-high 16 points to go along with four assists and three rebounds on 3-5 shooting from three. After losing to the defending national champions in Carleton on Saturday, Robertson was eager to flip the switch against Ottawa, who came into the matchup with a 10-game winning streak.
“Yesterday we didn’t match that, so that kind of fired me up personally, and I really think that fired our team up to come and get this win,” Robertson said.
With guard Marin Scotten sidelined with an injury, Robertson has started in the last two games for the Rams. Head coach Carly Clarke says she expects Scotten to return next week.
In Scotten’s absence, Robertson continues to excel as a playmaker for the Rams, ranking top three in the OUA in assists with 4.2 per game. Robertson is averaging 9.2 points and 5.6 rebounds on 35.6 per cent shooting from deep.
“She’s starting to control the game for us,” Clarke said. “I think our team is really comfortable when she has the ball in her hands and it’s nice to see her playing with confidence.”
A big point of emphasis for the Rams was to control the paint, and they’d do just that with Gee-Gees forward Angela Ribarich in foul trouble for most of the night. Ribarich ranks first in the OUA in blocks (1.6) and fifth in rebounds.
Ryerson would end up finishing with 40 points in the paint and 22-second chance points compared to the Gee-Gees eight.
Ottawa knocked down 75 per cent of their shots from long distance in the first quarter, but the Rams made it a priority to contain the hot shooting of the Gee-Gees as the game progressed. The Rams allowed just one three in the second quarter, while the Gee-Gees went 1-9 from long distance in the second half.
“We wanted to make sure we weren’t sagging or overhelping and we identified where they were and thought we did a nice job challenging their shots today,” Clarke said.
Ranking first in the OUA in field goal and three-point percentage, the Rams managed to hold the Gee-Gees to their worst shooting performance of the season of 34.3 per cent. Off the bench, for Ryerson, it was fourth-year forward Katherine Follis who provided a spark with 10 points and nine rebounds on 5-8 shooting in 13 minutes of action.
Jama Bin-Edward also had another strong game for the Rams, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks on 4-7 shooting in this contest.
UP NEXT: The Rams will head to Kingston to take on the Queen’s Gaels at the Athletic and Recreation Centre on Jan. 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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