Box Score WATERLOO, Ont. - Laurier's women's basketball team was back in action at home on Friday night in the first of back-to-back games against the Lakehead Thunderwolves. In a close game throughout, Laurier squeezed out a low-scoring 53-49 win, marking their first win of the 2021-22 season.
The first quarter started slow, with both teams shooting under 30% from the field. With four points from
Maddy White (Bolton, Ont.) and a late 3-pointer by
Cassidy Hirtle (Sarnia, Ont.), Laurier was able to get out of the quarter with a 14-9 lead.
This close defensive game continued into the second quarter, with Laurier being outscored 15-14. Lakehead also found their stride, shooting 13% better from the field than the Hawks. However, going into the halftime break, Laurier maintained a four-point lead, 28-24.
The third quarter was all Hirtle and
Miranda Campbell (Toronto, Ont.) for Laurier as they tallied 11 of Laurier's 13 points in the frame. Lakehead would still continue to win the quarter 15-13 though due to the Thunderwolves' dominance on the boards; tallying six more than the Hawks.
Going into the fourth, Laurier led 41-39, leading to a nail-biter of a finish. After storming back, Lakehead tied the game at 47 with five and a half minutes to play. The Thunderwolves found themselves in foul trouble late in the game, which allowed Laurier's
Emmanuelle Felix (Woodbridge, Ont.) to ice the game, hitting two key free throws to put the Golden Hawks up four with a few seconds left.
After this big first win of the season, Laurier head coach
Paul Falco thought his squad "competed extremely hard for 40 minutes".
"Overall, our defense was good. We made some errors but we got some key stops down the stretch. That was the difference in what was a very tight defensive battle from start to finish," he said.
When asked what the team needs to improve going into their next game and beyond, Falco noted a few areas, specifically.
"We need to be more efficient on offense and make better decisions with the ball. We also need to be more consistent with our communication. We have seen some good improvement in certain areas of our game, we just have to continue in that direction."
TOP PERFORMERS
Laurier Golden Hawks
G -
Cassidy Hirtle (Sarnia, Ont.)
Hirtle played a great game, tallying 20 points with four boards and a block, playing a huge role in this Laurier win.
Lakehead Thunderwolves
G - Tiffany Reynolds (Toronto, Ont.)
Reynolds recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort.
UP NEXT
Laurier (1-2) will look to even their record as they face Lakehead (0-5) again Saturday at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at
tickets.laurierathletics.com.
