After losing their first game of the weekend to the nationally ranked Brock Badgers by a lopsided score of 64-33, the York Lions women’s basketball team came out flying, but failing against the McMaster Marauders on November 23.
The Marauders entered the game riding a two-game losing streak after winning their first five games of the season. Despite a gutsy performance, a late game rally by the Marauders dashed any hopes of a Lions’ win as the road team walked away with a 56-54 win.
York jumped all over the Marauders early in the game, holding their opponents to zero points halfway through the first quarter. Third-year forward Llyandra Kerr was able to score three quick baskets to put York ahead 6-0, followed by a drive and score by Nadia Qahwash to cap off a 8-0 run by the Lions.
Foul trouble aside, McMaster quickly recovered from their slow start by scoring 11 points in the latter part of the first, pulling within four heading into the second.
The Lions found their mojo again in the second, with Emma Thompson draining a long three to begin the quarter followed by another bucket from beyond the arc a few plays later by Qahwash to give York a 22-11 lead. After starting the quarter on a dominant 11-1 run, the Lions once again allowed the Marauders to climb back into the game as McMaster reeled off a 12-0 run of their own, giving York a slim 26-24 lead heading into the break.
A persistent theme throughout the game, the Lions once again overwhelmed the Marauders coming out of halftime, with Courtney Osborne converting on an and-one on York’s first possession of the second half.
A series of strong plays beginning with a steal off a McMaster inbound was followed by team co-captain Kayla Pangos crashing the boards to grab an offensive rebound that eventually led to another basket for Kerr as the Lions jumped ahead 31-24. Kerr impressed the crowd all night, shooting 77 per cent from the field for a team-high 16 points, while also adding eight rebounds.
The Lions’ sizeable lead would once again vaporize as the Marauders were down but not out. Staring at a 35-26 deficit, the Marauders battled back in the final minutes of the third quarter to bring the score to just a three-point lead for York. The scoreboard read 40-37 heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was the most hotly contested of the game as both teams went back forth until the final shot. With every Lions’ basket the Marauders would answer with one of their own, the scoreboard reading in York’s favour 44-42, 46-44, 48-46, and 50-48 at various times throughout the quarter.
It wasn’t until 37 seconds remained in the game that McMaster was able to claim their first lead of the game, which proved to be the only lead they would need as a last-second Lions’ shot attempt failed, giving the Marauders a 56-54 victory.
Despite the loss, York put forth their best performance of the season giving the highly praised Marauders a proper fight. Co-captain Qahwash was a force leading all York players with 36 minutes and putting together an impressive stat-line that included 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Fellow captain Pangos was able to contribute nine points and six rebounds in the losing effort. She takes a lot of positives from her team’s impressive performance.
“It was an unfortunate ending to the game, but we came out strong and got a 12-point lead for a while,” Pangos explains. “This was definitely one of our strongest games of the season. Mac is a good team, but I thought we executed well, and we scored tonight which is something we have been struggling with, so all in all it was a great game.”
Pangos’ father, who is also the York Lions’ head coach shared similar sentiments about his team’s performance but also realizes why his team fell short.
“Well, it was an awesome performance,” Bill Pangos says. “McMaster is one of the top teams in the country, and we played phenomenally. We lacked execution down the stretch. We were throwing shots and not executing in key situations, and part of that is inexperience being in those situations. But in terms of the player’s effort and attitude, it was fantastic.”
The Lions now begin their divisional games with their first at home on November 29 against the Queen’s Gaels. Although the Lions did not come away with a win in their game against McMaster, they proved they can go toe-to-toe with one of the best— a massive confidence booster, says the younger Pangos.
“It’s huge. Friday’s game is clutch for us because we are starting to play teams we’re battling with for playoff spots,” she says. “So this game was a huge confidence boost, and hopefully we keep our heads high and get some momentum going into Friday’s game.”
