THUNDER BAY – SPORTS – The Lakehead women’s basketball team (12-8) lost 67-57 tonight in their annual ‘Shoot for the Cure’ game to the McMaster Marauders (16-4).
The Thunderwolves started today off much stronger than yesterday as the two teams played a back and forth game for the majority of the first quarter.
McMaster pushed a small lead in the second, but the Wolves stayed right in it as they trailed by only two at halftime (33-31).
McMaster gained a quick 7 point lead after a layup and big three by Erin Burns in the middle of the third and the Thunderwolves found themselves down 53-45 by the end of the quarter.
The Wolves brought it within five in the fourth, but with a combination of turnovers and a strong McMaster offense, the Marauders pushed an 11 point lead in the fourth to carry on for the win.
A big factor was the Wolves went 5-10 from the free throw line while McMaster was 17-20.
“Proud of our ladies tonight. We battled our hardest and toughest all year from tip to buzzer. Leashja was tremendous tonight but ended up fouling out early but I felt we had great stretches today when she was out and that our players battled hard. McMaster had a nice run in the third when we weren’t organized vs their press but besides that I felt we were right there.” – Coach Jon Kreiner
Leashja Grant was unstoppable tonight with 23 points and 19 rebounds.
Despite the loss, the Thunderwolves had one of their best Shoot for the Cure nights as they raised over $6,000 in donations that will be put towards breast cancer research in Northern Ontario.
The Thunderwolves remain in third place in the OUA West and are back on the road next weekend as they head to Brock for a weekend doubleheader.
