THUNDER BAY – Learning how to win is a process.
Sometimes it takes little steps.
The Lakehead Thunderwolves women’s basketball team managed to inch a little closer to finding the winning formula on Friday night, hanging with the No. 10 Toronto Metropolitan Bold for much of the opening half, the first of back-to-back games the two teams are playing this weekend at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse.
In the end, however, it was the Bold who came out on top, pulling away in the second half to record a 69-50 triumph.
“I thought our effort was really good, throughout the game,” said Timmins, Ont. guard Ally Burke, who enjoyed a bounce-back game of sorts, putting up 14 points to lead the Thunderwolves (2-11) in scoring on the night.
“We were trying our best, working hard, so that was good, especially compared to last week. Our energy was high and I think they capitalized on our mistakes and I think that’s what spread the game out near the end.”
It was foul trouble that plagued the Thunderwolves for most of the contest.
Lakehead sent the Bold to the charity strip 31 times on the night, giving TMU 17 free points. In contrast, Lakehead only made seven free-throw attempts, hitting just one.
It was a struggle, Burke said.
“That just makes it hard. Going to the line, those are two easy points for them. Tomorrow we definitely have to try to be more disciplined on defence and get those fouls lower,” she said.
Lakehead opened the game with back-to-back buckets, Burke and Kiera Chow hitting from the field to give the Thunderwolves a really early 4-0 lead.
The first quarter saw four lead changes, two by each team, but the Bold (9-4) managed to carry a 15-11 lead into the second quarter.
Lakehead’s Sara Azzolina opened the second with a three-pointer that cut the TMU lead to 15-14, then Burke followed with her first of two from beyond the arc to give LU a 17-15 lead.
The Bold answered quickly, Callie Wright coming off the bench to drop a three of her own, the Bold taking an 18-17 lead they’d never relinquish.
An and-one by Hailey Franco-DeRyck upped the Bold advantage to eight four-and-a-half minutes into the period. They’d lead by as many as 11 and settled for a 37-28 lead when the halftime buzzer sounded.
Toronto Metropolitan kept pushing to open the third and by the time the quarter reached its halfway point, the Bold had stretched their lead to 18.
A Burke three early in the fourth cut the lead to 14, but it was as close as Lakehead would come.
The foul differential was just too much to overcome, said second-year LU coach Hugo Boisvert.
“It seemed almost every possession they were at the free-throw line,” he said. “To us it was a battle today of can we defend, without fouling, and provide some sort of physicality and not allow them to get the basket.
“I feel it was either or today. Either we were fouling them or we were providing no resistance at all under the basket. They owned the paint tonight, so that was the big thing defensively.”
The two teams will meet again on Saturday night at the Fieldhouse. Tip off is 6 p.m.
