Rams skip past Vikes in first pre-season game

By Gavin Axelrod

The Ryerson Rams women’s basketball team held on late to defeat the Victoria Vikes 90-83 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in their pre-season opener on Oct. 5.

It became clear that whichever team could get hot and stay hot would win this game. It was a true back-and-forth affair, with six lead changes and nine ties.

Ryerson’s veteran trio of Marin Scotten, Hayley Robertson and Jama Bin-Edward were key in the victory over the Vikes combining for over half the team’s points.

Bin-Edward was a perfect 6-6 from the field, which included her connecting on three triples, a block and two steals. And even though it was a preseason game, her hustle was on full display, diving for loose balls in the seven-point win.

“Any hustle plays or heart plays, I think that it’s good to show everyone on the team that it’s expected of them no matter if it’s regular season, playoffs or preseason,” said Bin-Edward.

Ryerson’s recipe for success consisted of tenacious defense, transition offense, and crisp ball movement.

Robertson was one of six Rams to score in double-digits. The fifth-year guard notched a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists.

“We got a ton of weapons,” said Rams head coach Carly Clarke. “This team is really unselfish, that’s our style of play this year and it’s great to see a bunch of people put it in the bucket.”

Scotten led Ryerson in scoring with 18 points while also making some big plays late, converting on a three-point play to give Ryerson a one-point lead heading into the second half.

Late in the fourth quarter, Scotten drilled a three-pointer to put Ryerson up 83-77 and ice the game.

Victoria could not find an answer for Ryerson’s late surge, even behind Kristy Gallagher’s game-high 27 points. Gallagher owned the free-throw line, cashing in on 13-15 of her attempts.

The Rams were able to hold on late in what was their first meeting against the Vikes since October of 2016.

“To have to execute down the stretch, that’s an important thing to have to do,” Clarke said. “I was happy with how we hung on there.”

UP NEXT: The Rams head to Montreal to take on McGill on Oct. 10. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.