Waterloo Ont. – Having officially clinched an OUA playoff spot, the Golden Hawks were back home on Friday night to face the Windsor Lancers and start a four-game homestand to wrap their regular season schedule.
With both teams coming in carrying identical 9-9 records, it was Laurier who came away with an extra one in the win column, defeating the Lancers 65-62.
The first quarter started with a quick-paced attack by the Lancers, but a quicker turnaround from the Golden Hawks, which saw
Janet Enge lead the Golden Hawks on an eight-point run in two minutes.
With two converted free throws near the five-minute mark,
Cassidy Hirtle continued her climb up the Laurier women's basketball record books, officially passing Kerri Jilesen, who currently serves as one of the team's assistant coaches, for seventh all-time in career points.
Eventually finishing with a game-high 21 points, Hirtle has totalled 808 points as a Golden Hawk and trails Christa Mancino by 66 points for sixth-most all-time.
When asked about her accomplishment after the game, Laurier manager of women's basketball operations and head coach
Paul Falco shared the whole team's pride and excitement for Hirtle and that nobody is more happy for her than the aforementioned Jilesen.
The second quarter started very similarly to the first, with Golden Hawk
Brittyn Graves opening the scoring with a jumper.
She was closely followed by teammate Enge, who showed her athletic ability as she cut in and out of the key and sank a two-point jump shot to shrink the deficit.
Hirtle was a pivotal player during the quarter and her leadership abilities were not going unnoticed as she was seen calling plays and resets and moving the ball through the entire Golden Hawks squad. The Golden Hawks led 33-29 at the end of the second quarter.
The third quarter saw much more of the Golden Hawks controlling the play. When asked about the game, Enge shared that how "it was a goal of ours to make sure they stayed off the offensive and that we locked down their bigs who were around, and that's what we did."
Enge went on to explain that the players were most excited about following through with their original plan and accomplishing the goal they had originally set out on.
Throughout the third quarter, Hirtle, White, Enge,
Emmanuelle Felix and
Dylann Mazzuchin all put points on the board.
The fourth quarter saw a mix of Golden Hawks and Lancer control, as it was also the most aggressive quarter of the game.
Falco explained that one of the reasons the Lancers bounced back was their ability to switch up playing styles. He explained this further by saying, "They can play small ball, which they did in the fourth quarter. They sort of threw everything at us but we did a decent job of shutting it down."
The fourth quarter saw back-to-back threes from
Miranda Campbell and
Brittyn Graves as well as four points from
Cassidy Hirtle, which proved to be just enough to hold off the visitors, who made it nailbiter by going on a 12-4 run to end the game.
Top Performers
Laurier Golden Hawks
Janet Enge
Enge was a force the entire time she was on the court. She delivered much-needed baskets in the first, second, and third quarters and helped solidify the lead and secure the win during the fourth. She showed her athletic ability while challenging the Lancers' defence over and over again within the key.
Windsor Lancers
Maggie Denys
Denys was recognized by many Laurier players and coaches as having a particularly good game. The Lancers guard posted 20 points and was a force for her team.
Up Next
The Golden Hawks will be hitting the court at the Laurier AC Gym once again on Saturday against the York Lions (5-14). Tip-off is at 6:00 pm.
Watch the Hawks in action live at the AC or stream the game on OUA.tv.
