The Brock Badgers women's basketball team hosted the Western Mustangs at Bob Davis Gymnasium on Saturday, Feb. 3, defeating them by a score of 65-58, for their 10th consecutive victory; the longest active streak in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) league.
Third-year guard Madalyn Weinert continued her run of strong play, recording a massive 26 point and 14 rebound double-double, while adding six assists and going 14-for-14 from the free-throw line on the night. Third-year forward Olivia Fiorucci also played a massive role in the team victory, dropping 15 points on 58% shooting.
The first quarter consisted of lots of back-and-forth action, as both teams struggled to settle into a rhythm, resulting in turnovers leading to fastbreak points for both sides. The Mustangs established a bit of a lead later in the frame thanks to a 9-2 run, but the Badgers didn't go away. The hosts fought back into the game and narrowly trailed 16-14 at the end of the first.
Third-year guard Allison Addy and Weinert fueled the comeback surge for the Badgers in the second quarter, combining for 11 straight points to force a Mustangs' timeout. The pressure didn't stop at the timeout, as Weinert hit back-to-back deep jumpers to give the Badgers their first lead of the game. A late three-pointer from the Mustangs to beat the buzzer saw the game all tied-up with a score of 35-35 heading into the halftime break.
Similar to the start of the game, both teams struggled to find consistent shooting coming out of the break. The Mustangs led for much of the quarter, but the Badgers grit and grind style of play led to numerous second chance baskets that allowed them to keep the ball game competitive. Weinert drained six of her 14 free throws in the quarter to give the Badgers the lead, but again, another late bucket from the Mustangs tied the game at 45-45.
Fifth-year guard Noor Bazzi set the tone early in the fourth for the Badgers, draining a deep three over the closing Western defender. Fiorucci followed it up with back-to-back deep two-pointers to give the Badgers a seven-point advantage; their largest lead of the night up to at the time. Fiorucci continued to take over following the stoppage, knocking down a three and another deep two to extend Brock's lead. A late push from the Mustangs proved to be too little, too late, as the Badgers held on for the hard-fought victory.
Up next, the Badgers (15-4) will continue to defend home court, as they welcome in the visiting Laurentian Voyageurs (5-13) on Friday, Feb. 9. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bob Davis Gymnasium. The graduating members of the team will be honoured in a ceremony after the game. You can purchase your tickets at https://brocku.universitytickets.com/ or catch the game live on OUA.tv.
