THUNDER BAY – SPORTS – The Lakehead women’s basketball team took down the Algoma Thunderbirds once again this weekend, winning their first regular-season matchup 110-53 tonight in the Thunderdome.
The Thunderwolves raced out to an early lead, going into the half up 59-13, and left no room for Algoma to mount a comeback. Nikki Ylagan led Lakehead with 31 points and 5 steals on a night in which 11 different Thunderwolves saw ten minutes of action or more.
“Nikki going 6-6 in the first quarter set a great tone offensively,” Thunderwolves head coach Jon Kreiner said. “I thought our defense set us up for that to happen, and our game plan was well executed. We now need to get ready for game two tomorrow.”
The men’s squad turned in a tough defensive effort but lost a close match 69-71 to the Algoma Thunderbirds.
The Thunderwolves faced an early deficit, finishing the first quarter down 12-18 and going into the half down 30-38. A third-quarter comeback nearly managed to turn the game around, but Algoma came out ahead after a few last-minute turnovers doomed Lakehead’s team.
Isaiah Traylor led Lakehead with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Kevin Ndahiro chipped in 16 points of his own.
“Our effort was better in the second half,” Thunderwolves head coach Ryan Thomson said, “but we have some guys who need to learn to keep their composure through the typical highs and lows of a competitive game. Tomorrow should be another battle.”
The squads face off again tomorrow evening at the Thunderdome, with the women playing at 6 pm, and the men following at 8 pm.
