THUNDER BAY – Midway through the third quarter, it looked like the Lakehead Thunderwolves had a really good chance to snap a season-long losing streak.
The women’s basketball team had battled back from a six-point deficit at halftime to take a 35-37 lead on the visiting Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks at 5:25 of the third quarter, Ally Burke nailing a pair from the charity stripe to break the tie.
Then the bottom fell out at the Thunderdome.
The T-Wolves wouldn’t score again for 11:16, while the Golden Hawks, given a scare when they gave up the lead, went on a 28-2 run, scoring 19 straight points, and wound up winning by 23, downing Lakehead by a 65-42 count.
It was not the finish the Thunderwolves (0-6) were looking for, given Laurier’s 1-4 record heading into Saturday’s match.
It was also their fifth loss by 20 points or more this season.
“We thought we played really hard for three quarters. We thought we were right in it and the game plan was working for us. We thought we had some good shots in the fourth, and they didn’t drop. As they stretched us, we had to take some more chances,” said interim coach Dave McCallum.
“We’ve got to find better ways to score consistently.”
Laurier bolted out to a 6-0 lead in the first, then upped it to 17-8 thanks to a pair of treys by Janet Rose, sandwiching a two-point bucket, but a Hanna Whalen three-pointer at the quarter’s close cut the Golden Hawks lead to 20-14 after one.
Lakehead never trailed by more than eight in the second and the Wolves kept pressing in the third, Alexia Giroux finally drawing the home side even midway through the period, burying a three-pointer to tie the game at 35.
Their lead only lasted 76 seconds.
Miranda Campbeel tied things up at the free-throw line and Maddy White put the Golden Hawks up for good shortly afterward as Laurier closed out the quarter on a 10-0 run.
They scored the first nine points of the fourth before Lily Gruber-Schulz got a couple back for Lakehead 6:12 into the final frame.
By then the damage had been done, Laurier owning a 15-point lead with less than four minutes to play.
“They’re a very resilient group. They’re obviously disappointed, which is natural. They’re a very competitive group. They want to get some wins, so they’re ready to get back to work this week,” McCallum said.
The Thunderwolves host McMaster (3-3) next weekend at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse.
