WBB | Laurentian Dominates Winless Ontario Tech

Coming off a narrow defeat to undefeated Queen's, the Laurentian women's basketball team bounced back in convincing fashion, defeating winless Ontario Tech 72–56 to improve to 3–5 on the season. 

Laurentian opened the game on a tear, scoring the first six points and holding the Ridgebacks scoreless until midway through the first quarter. The Voyageurs' defence set the tone early, and Cadence Pecore knocked down a pair of threes, as the home side built a 14-point lead by  the end of the frame. The strong start continued into the second quarter, as Laurentian scored the first five points to stretch the lead to 19. Ontario Tech responded with an 8–0 run to settle in, but the Voyageurs still carried a 32–19 advantage into halftime. 

The Ridgebacks came out energized in the third, opening the second half with nine straight points to cut the Laurentian lead to four. The Voyageurs quickly countered with a 6–0 run of their own, restoring control and rebuilding a double-digit cushion. They closed the quarter with authority and entered the fourth up 17.

Laurentian reached its largest lead of the evening midway through the final quarter when Claudia Pellerin connected from long range to make it 66–40. Ontario Tech battled to the final whistle and trimmed the margin late, but never threatened the result, falling 72–56.

Former OUA Second Team selection Emilie Lafond led the way for Laurentian with a dominant performance, posting 24 points, five rebounds, and three blocks. Jemaya Chinyelugo added 13 points and five rebounds off the bench. The Ridgebacks' offensive struggles continued, as they shot just 25.9% from the field.

Laurentian is back in action midweek, travelling to North Bay to face the Nipissing Lakers.

- Olly Sankar