WATERLOO, Ont. – It was a battle of Waterloo and for a share of first place in the OUA West on Wednesday night as the Golden Hawks and Warriors squared off for the first time this season. Waterloo would keep its string of success going against Laurier, coming away with a 69-57 win at the Carl Totzke Court.

The Hawks and Warriors came into their mid-week match-up with identical 7-4 records but with Laurier having lost four straight against Waterloo, including six of their last eight. 

Laurier came out on the attack with pace from the opening tip. Second-year forward Kate White got her first basket of the game just five seconds in and wouldn't let up, as she went on to record seven in the quarter and finish with game-highs in points (22) and rebounds (11) for her second career double-double.

The Golden Hawks were able to build on the momentum, with Cassidy Hirtle and Janet Enge combining for 12 points to open up a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second was a complete role reversal as the Warriors quickly gained possession and control of the game, going on a 10-point run to erase the deficit two and a half minutes into the quarter.

White was the lone Golden Hawk to record all of Laurier's five points in the frame as the purple and gold struggled from the field, going 1 for 17 en route to being outscored 24-5 heading into the halftime break.

The third quarter saw some improvement as Hirtle tried to create a bit of an offensive spark. Showing good aggressiveness, four of Hirtle's team-high six points in the third came from the free-throw line. She finished a perfect 8 for 8 from the charity stripe by the end of the night.

Not helping things in Laurier's efforts to start a comeback was Waterloo's ability to hit their shots almost at will, converting on 70% of their 13 attempts.
 
The Golden Hawks took back control in the final quarter though, playing as though they were in a whole new game - which was thanks to finding their shooting stroke from beyond the arc. Laurier, which ranks second in the conference in three-pointers made per game with an average of just under eight per 40 minutes, sank six in the fourth alone after going 4 for 20 in the previous three quarters.

They also picked things up defensively, recording eight of their 13 steals on the night in the last ten minutes of regulation. The Golden Hawks also rank third in the OUA in that category, averaging 10.8 per game.

Brittyn Graves, Maddy White, White and Hirtle all put points on the board, posting  22 for the team's highest-scoring quarter of the game. 

Despite the Golden Hawks' best efforts, Laurier dropped its fifth game of the season (and fourth on the road) to now sit third in the division.

Up Next

The two teams will meet again in a Battle of Waterloo rematch on Saturday, January 13 at the Laurier Athletic Complex Gym. Tip-off is at 1:00 pm and tickets are on sale now!

If you can't make it to the game, catch the live stream at OUA.tv or follow along on X at @WLUAthletics.