Warriors weekly recap: Nov. 20-24

As we move closer to exam season and wrap up the fall term, the Warriors look to finish off strong in their second-to-last week of competition before they take a break for the holiday season. 

Wednesday, Nov. 20

Kicking things off, the women’s basketball team was in action at PAC for a midweek regular season matchup against the York University Lions. The Warriors came out hot as they outscored the Lions 47-34 in the first two quarters going into the half with a 13-point lead. The Lions surged in the second half, trying to create a come-from-behind victory, but the Warriors held on to come out on top 70-63. Yemi Oladipo led the team in scoring with 16, Tamara Popovic added another 13, and Jamie Newell added 12. Nehita Oko-Oboh continued her dominance in the paint, grabbing 10 boards while adding 8 points. 

The men were also back on the hardwood, hosting the York University Lions. The Warriors stumbled out of the gate, getting off to a slow start, scoring 11 in the opening quarter. Regardless, the Warriors bounced back in the second quarter, outscoring the Lions by eight. The Warriors were able to hold onto a slim lead going into the second half and came out on top 73-70. Christian Craciun had a stand-out performance with 25 points, shooting lights out from beyond the arc, going 4/7 while also adding 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. 

Saturday, Nov. 23

Flipping our attention to the ice, the men’s hockey team took to their home ice for an afternoon matchup against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Gee-Gees came out hot as they scored the opening goal in the first frame, jumping to an early 1-0 lead. Fast forward to the second frame, Emmet Pierce was able to find the back of the net less than 10 seconds later, Liam Fedak tucked one away giving the Warriors a 2-1 lead. The Gee-Gees were able to respond and tied it up in the third which called for overtime (OT). Under five minutes into the OT frame, the Gee-Gees were able to find the back of the net to close the door on the Warriors 3-2. This marks the second game in a row the Warriors dropped in overtime on home ice. The Warriors move to 4-9 on the season, and they will look to bounce back as they travel to Kingston to take on the RMC Paladins on Nov. 29. 

Back to the hardwood, the Warriors women’s team hit the road to Toronto to take on the TMU Bold for a regular season matchup. The Warriors held their own and played a tough brand of basketball for all four quarters, but ultimately fell short to a strong TMU squad 64-59. Win or lose, regardless of the outcome, it has become the norm for Oko-Oboh to put up elite numbers, this game being no different. She dropped 19 points, adding 12 rebounds (six defensive and six offensive), three blocks, three steals and an assist. The Warriors move to 4-5 on the season and will look to get back in the win column as they travel to North Bay to take on the University of Nipissing Lakers on Nov. 29. 

The men’s basketball team also took on the TMU bold in a tough one for the Warriors from the get-go as they were outscored 22-4 in the opening quarter and went into the half down 44-16. The second half was much of the same as the Bold put up 83, with the Warriors only being able to muster up 35. The Warriors fall to 4-5 on the season and will look to capture momentum with a win rolling into the holiday break as they also take on the University of Nipissing Lakers on Nov. 29. 

Sunday, Nov. 24

To close out the week, the women’s hockey team travelled to York University to take on the Lions for a regular season matchup. Kassidy McCarthy opened up the scoring for the game as she was able to find the back of the net in the first frame. The Lions were unable to answer for the remainder of the game. Nikki McDonald put the icing on the cake as she was able to put one away short-handed with less than four minutes to go in the game, giving the Warriors the edge and ultimately allowing them to come out of top 2-0. Kara Mark had another strong performance in the net as she stopped all 28 of the shots she faced. The Warriors stay at the top of the OUA West and move to 9-2 on the season.