Jylisa Williams scores 42, Thunderwolves knock off No. 8 Queen's

There’s something about Jylisa Williams and season debuts.

Last January, in her first game in a Lakehead Thunderwolves uniform, the Atlanta native dropped 39 points, an impressive introduction to the OUA.

On Friday night she was even better, torching the No. 8 Queen’s Golden Gaels for a team-record 42 points, leading LU to an upset 82-76 home-court win at the Thunderdome.

“It’s my last year, so I’ve got to do everything. I vowed to myself every game I’ve got to put it on the line. The shots were falling and coach kept putting the ball in my hands.”

Williams, who brought NCAA Division 1 experience to Thunder Bay, had 18 at the half and added 24 the rest of the way, helping stave off a Golden Gaels squad that trailed by 13 at the half but rallied to tie it up 75-75 late in the fourth.

Williams, who added eight boards and five steals to her totals, had no idea she’d set a new team mark for points in a game.

“I honestly didn’t know that. But it doesn’t change anything,” Williams said. “Our mission is to make playoffs and then after that win a championship. We just want to build from here. That’s a team win, so I don’t have to look at my stats.”

And yet it’s hard not to, said coach Jon Kreiner, calling it the single-greatest one-game performance he’s seen in 11 years at the Thunderwolves helm.

He had a feeling she might be ready for a career kind of game, based on comments she made to the media earlier this week.

“She said pre-season was nice, but the real season starts tonight and I’m going to be more ready than I ever have been,” Kreiner said.

“She was logged in, she was ready to go and you could tell she wore down a little bit as the game went along, but found a way to come up with that energy, especially some key defensive plays down the stretch that she was involved in that you might have noticed she was there.”

Williams helped keep fifth-year Queen’s guard Liz Boag at bay when it mattered most, down the stretch. Boag, who finished with 19, was key to the Golden Gaels comeback early in the fourth, hitting two buckets, including a three-pointer, to open the quarter, pulling her side within three.

That was with Williams on the bench.

It seemed every time the Golden Gaels responded, Williams answered right back. She free throws – all 10 of them – and hit bucket after bucket as the Wolves struggled a bit defensively coming home.

It was homegrown Katelyn Andrea, who finished with 11 points and six rebounds, who put the Wolves up for good, taking a pass from the returning Corina Bruni for a 77-75 lead. Williams pushed the lead to four, then hit another two from the charity stripe to put it out of reach.

“It feels really good,” said Andrea, a St. Ignatius graduate. “Coach really prepared us well for this game. We knew the game plan and we came out and executed throughout the game.”

Of course Willims’ contributions helped a little.

“She loves being the underdog, for sure. Once she sees an opportunity she just goes for it, takes it full seam and that’s what happens.”

Essa Jacobsen, who finished with a double-double, and Katie Ulakovic had 10 points apiece for Lakehead. Emily Hazlett added 19 for Queen’s.