Sports

The wins just keep coming for the women

By Matt Lee

It’s been business as usual for the women’s basketball team after their UBC clash last weekend, as the Clan steamrolled past Thompson Rivers University by an 88-49 score.

Laurelle Weigl poured in 20 points and was 9-for-13 from the field, pacing the Clan to their dominating victory. Kate Hole also pocketed 11 points in the win and Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe entered double digits with 10. The Clan were a staggering 55.7 per cent from the field in the second half. The win moves the top-ranked Clan to 15-0, three games shy of a perfect regular season record.

Robyn Buna and Matteke Hutzler spent the most time on the floor with 22 minutes each.

It was difficult at the start of the season to gauge the chances of the women’s basketball team defending their national crown, but after their convincing win over Thompson Rivers University, chances are the club will again be the favourite.

Of the 43 teams in the CIS, Simon Fraser has clearly emerged as the team to beat for the national banner. Heading into their weekend date with Thompson Rivers University, the Clan led the league in points per game with 83.5 more than five points ahead of second-best Calgary. That’s an interesting feat considering that the Clan have no one in the top 50 for league scoring, while their biggest offensive threat, Weigl, is just 36th in points per game.

What has made SFU so lethal this season is the scoring depth from their first player to their last. Even without Lisa Tindle, who averaged 8.1 points per game last season, the Clan have had a number of players step up to fill the offensive void.

Buna has averaged 14 points a game, and the consistent scoring from Kate Hole, Raincock-Ekunwe, Hutzler, and Katie Miyazaki (a combined 41.3 points per game) has given head coach Bruce Langford so many options throughout contests.

Perhaps most pointedly, it’s been SFU’s ability to shut down their opponents late in games which has given them the edge all season. The Clan have posted 450 points in the fourth quarter this season while holding other clubs to a mere 266, the lowest total compared to the first three quarters. Langford has implemented a system which has allowed his team to move the ball around late in games, controlling the flow of the game, while limiting offensive chances for the other team.

Given their strong play throughout the whole course of the season, one can expect that when the CIS national championship takes place in mid-March, SFU will likely be one of the final two teams duking it out for national glory.