WATERLOO, Ont. - After suffering a home loss to the Waterloo Warriors on Wednesday night, the Hawks were looking to bounce back and even up their season series in the second leg of the home-and-home. Despite holding a double-digit halftime lead, the Warriors completed the comeback to secure a 43-42 win.
In the first quarter, it was all Laurier, with the Golden Hawks outsourcing Waterloo 14-8. The hot start was led by
Emmanuelle Felix and
Cassidy Hirtle, who combined for 12 of Laurier's 14 points in the quarter. Hirtle came into Friday's action ranked third in OUA rookie scoring.
In the second quarter, both teams struggled from the field, scoring just 12 points combined. Despite that, Laurier outscored Waterloo 8-4, resulting in a 10 point lead going into the half. The third quarter was another low-scoring affair. However, it was Waterloo who outscored Laurier this time, which started their comeback. Going into the fourth, Laurier led 29-24, hoping to hold off a late charge.
Laurier found themselves ahead for most of the fourth quarter, thanks to a big three-pointer from
Miranda Campbell. They held their lead until there were three minutes left in the quarter. At that point, Waterloo completed the comeback, going up by two. From that point, Laurier attempted to keep it close with a few last-minute possessions, but the Warriors were able to just squeeze out the one-point win.
In this close affair, Laurier outshot the Warriors, shooting about 29% from the field compared to Waterloo's 18%. However, the difference came at the free-throw line, where Laurier went just 8 for 21 while the Warriors were able to hit all but just one of their 17 attempts.
On the defensive side of the ball, Laurier played outstanding, recording 21 steals. With the loss, Laurier moves to 4-6 on the season with six games to play.
Top Performers
Laurier Golden Hawks
G
Cassidy Hirtle
Hirtle played a great game, having racked up 14 points with eight boards and three steals. The Laurier guard also didn't commit a turnover in her 34 minutes of playing time.
Waterloo Warriors
G Vanessa Hughes
The fourth-year guard led the Warriors with 16 points, six rebounds, and three steals in the close, comeback win.
Next Up
The Golden Hawks travel to London to play the Western Mustangs on Wednesday, February 23. Tip-off for the Reading Week match-up is for 6 PM.
