Women's Basketball Weekend Recap | October 30, 2017
The Lakeland Rustlers Women's Basketball team swept their home and home series with the NAIT Ooks on the weekend.
Friday night, the Rustlers defeated the Ooks in Lloydminster 66-53. Saturday, the Rustlers downed the Ooks on their home court 81-70.
Friday night, the Rustlers came out strong, moving the ball, attacking the basket and finding open shooters. Third year forward Brianne Herrgott made her presence felt inside, drawing fouls on the smaller Ooks team. The Rustlers opened up a 14-6 lead, forcing the Ooks to call a timeout. The Ooks responded and made a push late in the quarter, but the Rustlers led 19-14 after one.
In the second quarter, it was the Ooks turn to come out strong, tying the game at 22. The Rustlers responded, going on a 5-0 run before the Ooks responded with a 9-0 run of their own. The Rustlers struggled to rebound and secure the ball in the quarter, having more turnovers than rebounds. The Ooks cut into and took the lead, 31-29 at the half. The teams were back and forth to start the third quarter before the Rustlers went on a 9-0 run to get some breathing room. The Rustlers forced the Ooks into poor shots and to turn the ball over.
At the end of three quarters, the Rustlers led 46-39. In the fourth quarter, the Ooks fought hard to keep the game close, with the Rustlers struggling to build a double-digit lead. With two minutes left, the Rustlers were able to push their lead to 12 with a well-balanced attack of a post presence and outside shooting. The Rustlers went on the defeat the Ooks 66-53.
The Rustlers were led by fourth year forward Anna Mbuyi who came off the bench to give the Rustlers 15 points and five rebounds. The Rustlers also got 10 points, five rebounds and four assists from second year guard Angela Baran and 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks from first year forward Bailey Johnson.
Player of the Game for the Rustlers was #25, Brianne Hergott, with 10 points and ten rebounds.
Saturday night in Edmonton, the Rustlers defeated the Ooks 81-70. The Ooks came out strong, playing with a sense of urgency early on, as they got out to an 11-0 lead. The Rustlers outscored the Ooks 10-7 in the remainder of the quarter but still found themselves down 18-10 after one. After struggling to score in the first quarter, the Rustler came out shooting in the second quarter, scoring 27 points. The Rustlers scored inside and out, getting the ball to Hergott and Mbuyi in the paint and second year guards Meg Ferraz and Angela Baran knocking down shots from outside.
The Rustlers strong second quarter gave them a 37-34 lead at the half. The two teams battled it out in the third, trading baskets for much of the quarter. The Ooks took a five-point lead midway through the quarter, but the Rustlers responded and led 56-55 after three. The Rustlers pulled away from the Ooks in the fourth quarter, coming away with the 11 point win.
The Rustlers were led by Baran with 15 points and six rebounds, while Hergott earned her second Player of the Game honours of the weekend with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Rustlers Head Coach Chris King was pleased with the way he saw his team battle on the weekend. "The games were physical," King said, "the girls had to be tough and battle. The physicality and tight score made depth a factor, which worked in our favour since we are a deep team."
The Rustlers (6-0) return to the court Friday, November 3, as they travel to Edmonton to play the Concordia Thunder (3-1). The Rustlers and Thunder will then face off Saturday night in Lloydminster. Tip-off is at 6:00 pm.