By Matt Vocino and Raine Hernandez
The Ryerson Rams women’s basketball team made sure to leave their mark in the 2019 U SPORTS Final 8 tournament, defeating the Acadia Axewomen 91-67 to claim fifth place.
It was a game to remember for the Ryerson Rams’ three graduating seniors as Katherine Follis, Sofia Paska and Cara Tiemens combined for 46 points in the win.
Following their win against Regina, Follis was unsure of how her final game as a Ryerson Ram and the consolation championship would go down.
“It’s definitely going to be emotional, we’ll have to put our emotions aside and try and get the win.”
Albeit an emotional game for the three seniors, the rest of the team would be able to rally around them and continue their performance in the semi-finals and dominate the game right out of the gate.
In the first quarter, the Axewomen would be bottled up by Ryerson’s great defence and the Rams would also combine that with their play on the offensive side of the court. allowing the home team to cruise 26-15 lead after the opening frame.
In the second quarter, it was much of the same for Ryerson, as Acadia would have no match for Ryerson’s inside power and rebounding dominance.
The Rams would limit Acadia to shoot only 20 per cent from the field, while continuing their first quarter success by shooting 56 per cent from the field.
Ryerson’s lead would grow to 23, as they headed into the brake with a commanding 55-32 lead.
Controlling in every aspect of the game, Ryerson continued their dominance in the second half, as 4 players would hit double-digit points.
Tiemens led the way with a game-high 18 points, while Paska had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Also hitting double-digits were Follis with 11 points, and Marin Scotten also had 14 points, highlighted by two key three-pointers.
The last quarter of the season was highlighted by the exits of the three graduating players. First it was Follis, followed by Paska and finally Tiemens would exit the game in style.
“It was great. I started in my first year, coming off the court first back then, to now coming off last, it was bittersweet, hugging all of my coaches and teammates, it meant the world to me.” said Tiemens after the game.
The Rams finish the season on a high note with a 27-12 record, and two impressive victories to cap off the Final 8 which begun with a disappointing loss to the Laval Rouge-et-Or.
Looking forward
Rams head coach Carly Clarke hasn’t thought about the off-season, however is adamant regarding the future of the program.
“We’ll definitely spend some time reflecting,” Clarke said. “As for now, we’ll spend the rest of the day celebrating, but the future is definitely bright.”
Leave a Reply