WBB | Voyageurs Sink Resilient Lakers, Push Win Streak to 3
The Laurentian women's basketball team extended their win streak to three games Saturday night with a second straight win over the Nipissing Lakers by a score of 60-54.
As the teams took to the court in North Bay, Laurentian quickly shook off the travel legs, getting off and running early, taking a quick 9-3 lead. The first quarter scoring was shared evenly amongst the squad and, defensively, they were able to shut down the Lakers, not allowing a single field goal in the first. However, the Voyageurs got into early foul trouble and gave up 13 free throws, in which Nipissing converted on 9 of them to make the score 13-9 after one.
The second quarter brought new found offensive life for Nipissing as, after the Voyageurs continued to hold them at bay, the Lakers finally got going mid-way through the quarter. They created a 9-0 run, overtaking Laurentian and, with it, was a half-time lead for the home team by a score of 29-28.
Back out for the second half, Laurentian knew that improving their shooting percentages would be key to winning as their first half shooting percentage was below 40%. In the third, they improved that percentage, going 7-14 overall, along with going 2-4 from beyond the arc, netting 16 third quarter points. Their improved shooting, along with some solid defense and outrebounding the Lakers 10-5 in the quarter, allowed the Voyageurs to retake the lead going into the fourth, 44-41.
In the final quarter, the atmosphere in the building kept was getting more and more tense. It was clear to everyone watching that the two teams were very evenly matched. Laurentian started the fourth going on a quick 6-0 run, extending the lead to nine before the Lakers were able to bring it back to within two with 45 seconds left. The Lakers had all the momentum with them but a three point shot with 30 seconds left by Princess Bernardino hit, pushing the lead back to five. That shot would end up being the dagger as the Voyageurs would emerge from enemy territory picking up their third straight win, 60-54.
The game's top performance was Bailey Tabin who had a game high 20 points along with seven rebounds and shooting a very respectable 60% from the field on the night.
Laurentian will go on their final road trip of the season next weekend as they face Ottawa and Carleton in the nation's capital on Friday and Saturday.
Andrew Lemieux