By Armen Zargarian
The Rams women’s basketball team secured a dramatic win against the Brock Badgers on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
The Rams were down 61-60 with less than 10 seconds left when Kyia Giles drove to the paint. Giles missed a shot at the rim, giving Rams guard Rachel Farwell an opportunity at an offensive rebound, which she gathered and put up for the game-winning basket.
The Badgers did get two attempts to win the game, but missed both shots.
“We put a lot of preparation, energy and time into building every aspect of our program,” said Rams guard Kaillie Hall.
The second-year standout was relentless on the glass throughout the game and was often in the mix, setting hard screens and diving on the ground for loose balls.
When these two teams last played on Feb. 29, 2020, the Badgers handed the Rams a stinging loss in the Critelli Cup Final. The Rams say they’ve left that game far in the past.
“It feels like ages ago,” said Rams head coach Carly Clarke. “Our team is so different, their team is so different, it’s hard to compare.”
“I think we just tried to focus on us today,” added Hall.
The Rams started the game with crisp ball movement, leading to an and-one for Stefanija Mrvaljevic. The Rams defensive start was equally as encouraging, holding the Badgers to a single made free-throw four minutes into the game.
But the Badgers battled back, taking an early 12-6 lead.
In the second quarter, the intensity picked up, but the offence went cold. The Rams missed some makeable shots and turned the ball over ten times in the first half.
Brock was able to push the pace and make shots, heading into halftime up 31-16.
The second half started similarly to the first, with Mrvaljevic heading to the free throw line for an and-one opportunity.
This time the Rams kept up the pressure, storming back from a 15 point first-half deficit to tie the game with four minutes left in the third quarter. Their impressive run was highlighted by perimeter shot-making, better control of tempo and a continued defensive effort.
To start the fourth quarter, the Rams offence stalled again and the Badgers regained control, taking a 54-43 lead with a little over seven minutes remaining in the game.
The resilient Rams rallied once again with a flurry of three-pointers from Farwell and Giles, drawing them within one point in the last three minutes.
In addition, Rams newcomer Tiya Misir hit a step-back three with the shot-clock winding down to give the Rams their first lead since the opening minutes of the game.
A pair of free throws gave the Badgers a 61-60 edge, but left plenty of time on the clock for the Rams, which ended in the game-winning put-back by Farwell, who had a game-high of 19 points.
“We managed to find some rhythm and find some fight, I thought that was really good,” said Clarke.
If you’re looking for a rematch between these two teams in the near future, don’t get your hopes up as the Rams don’t face Brock in the regular season.
Instead they’ll turn their attention to the Western Mustangs when the Darcel Wright Memorial Classic tips-off on Friday, Oct. 22.
UP NEXT: The Rams welcome Western to the MAC on Friday, Oct. 22. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
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