By Jack MacCool
After 67 days, the Ryerson women’s basketball team returned to the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC), where they defeated the York Lions 79-55 on Wednesday night.
Morale was high for the Rams after an extended break due to Ontario’s COVID-19 restrictions.
“I think everyone was really excited and grateful to be back after such a long break and so much uncertainty,” said Rams guard Marin Scotten following the game. “We’re all just excited to have the feeling of competitiveness back again.”
After the long layoff, the Rams showed no signs of rust as they opened scoring with a perfectly executed offensive set resulting in a Rachel Farwell three-pointer, immediately followed by forcing a shot clock violation at the defensive end.
It was clear from the start of the quarter the Rams were putting an emphasis on stopping York, bringing full-court pressure while allowing just one point in the first three and a half minutes of action.
The defensive intensity continued throughout the opening quarter as the Rams forced the opposition into eight turnovers while holding the Lions to just seven points. Through one quarter of play, the Rams led 28-7, capped off by a beautiful buzzer-beating layup by guard Tiya Misir off the feed from Jama Bin-Edward.
Despite finishing the first quarter with momentum, the Rams weren’t able to find the same rhythm in the second. York forced their way inside while shutting Ryerson out through the first three minutes. After shooting a scorching 52.1 per cent in the first quarter, the Rams shot just 29.4 per cent from the field in the second.
Where they struggled on offence in the second quarter, the Rams made up for it on the defensive end, securing multiple shot clock violations while allowing just four points after five minutes.
After going down big after the first, the Lions proved they were not going to roll over. They hit the offensive glass with purpose while finding themselves at the charity stripe far more than the Rams would have liked, going 7-10 in the quarter.
Following a very strong quarter by the visitors, the Rams led 39-26. It was a balanced attack from Ryerson in the first half with a handful of players scoring at least five points. If the Rams were going to hold on to the lead, they had to make defensive rebounding a focus, as York scored half their points off of second-chance opportunities.
“We made a few adjustments offensively and talked about some key defensive pieces and really just to keep competing,” said Rams head coach Carly Clarke. “I think everyone is still getting their feet back under them, so it was important to push through that moment and stay connected.”
The start of the second half saw York cut the lead to single digits before Farwell opened the scoring for the Rams, nailing her second three-pointer of the evening. The intensity of both teams was clearly elevated coming out of the break as each looked to start the new year with a win.
The ensuing third quarter was a slugfest, with both teams answering any change in momentum with an immediate counter shot. With three and a half remaining in the third, York was able to once again cut the lead to nine. The Rams then answered with a gorgeous feed from Kaillie Hall to Farwell for an easy two-point basket.
Two minutes later, Farwell repaid Hall with a nice dish of her own, finding her on a dive to the basket from the top of the three-point line. Through 30 minutes of action, the Ryerson lead was cut to 11, 57-46.
Three minutes into the fourth, the lead remained locked at 11 as each team ramped up the intensity on both ends. The Rams needed a big play to regain momentum and Scotten nailed a corner three to bring the lead back to 12 with just under six minutes remaining.
Down the stretch, experience reigned supreme for the Rams as they were able to execute effectively on both ends. Demonstrating their intangibles, they recovered loose balls and battled hard on the glass, negating the advantage York had there in the first half.
With three minutes remaining the Rams put the nail in the coffin, as Farwell and guard Eve Uwayesu nailed back-to-back threes to extend the lead. Scotten led all scorers in the game with 17 points.
With the Rams facing York again on Saturday, it was important to get this win under their belt to begin the second leg of the season.
“These back to back matchups are tough. We get to go back, watch film and now we have to go to their place which is always a tough place to play,” said Clarke. “To get the win on the front end in the first game back, obviously that’s meaningful for us.”
UP NEXT: The Rams travel to the Tait McKenzie Centre where they take on York on Feb. 12. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
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