THUNDER BAY – SPORTS – Lakehead’s women’s basketball team defeated the Guelph Gryphons by a score of 76-64 on Saturday night. The win gives the #9 USPORTS ranked Lakehead team another weekend sweep, an 11-1 OUA record, and a seventh win to add to their streak.
“It was another rough start, but I was happy with how we turned it around,” Thunderwolves head coach Jon Kreiner said. Lakehead ended the first quarter down 24-15 and carried a small deficit into the half, but the Thunderwolves won every quarter after the opening period.
“We still struggle with the little things,” Kreiner said, “and we got outworked for much of the game, which we’ll have to address.”
Guelph finished ahead in many “hustle” categories, including rebounding, steals, and blocks. Each squad finished with 18 turnovers.
“I thought we really moved the ball much better on offense today,” Kreiner said. “Tianna was our glue. She got the rebounds and loose balls we needed, gave us energy, and played hard all game.”
Tianna Warwick-Dawkins finished with 7 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block in 30 minutes of play. She had only 1 turnover and 1 personal foul.
Offensively, Lakehead was led by Leashja Grant and Nikki Ylagan, who contributed 25 and 23 points, respectively. Ylagan shot an excellent 8-14 from the floor, including 4-7 on deep shots, and Grant added 12 rebounds.
“Leashja and Nikki played phenomenally on the offensive side of the floor,” Kreiner said, “and Leashja came out in the second half and played very good defense for us.”
Thunderwolves basketball returns to the Thunderdome next weekend for the first home games of 2019. The women will face the 7-5 Windsor Lancers on January 11th and 12th.
