Thrilling win

Tasia McKenna is money at the line.

The fifth-year guard calmly sank a pair of free-throws with less 10 seconds to go Friday night, lifting the Lakehead Thunderwolves to a 78-77 exhibition win over the Bishops Gaitors at the four-team Victoria Inn Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Thunderdome.

The baskets capped a mini comeback for the Wolves, who led from the early stages of the second quarter until the final minute of regulation, when Bishops Guard Jessy Roy sank a pair of free throws to give the Gaitors a 77-76 lead, erasing what had been a 16-point second-half Thunderwolves advantage.

Former NCAA forward Lacey McNulty, who scored 16 in her home debut for the Wolves with her mother and sister in the stands, said there were some first-home-game jitters the team had to shake off, but better to have them happen in non-conference play than during the regular season.

“We had some sloppy moments, but we bounced back,” the Belleville, Ont. native said.

“You’re going to be nervous the first home game, but we pulled it out and it was fun.”

It was the second quarter that did it for the Wolves, who in fact only won one quarter on the night, and trailed by three, 20-17, after the opening 10 minutes.

McKenna began the comeback in earnest, dropping a three off an in-bounds pass that gave the Wolves the lead 22-21, then grabbed an offensive board at the other end and sent newcomer Darcey Zinck alone on the fast-break for a pair that sent the Wolves on their way to a 26-8 run that put them up 15 at the half.

LU coach Jon Kreiner said the effort at both ends of the court in the second is the type of play his team must learn to execute all game long when the games start to take on more meaning.

In this case it was a matter of matching lines and using speed to take away the Bishops attack.

“They were beating us at some things, so we went with a shorter lineup. We talked to the girls about how we were going to make the adjustments, and then out of the (first) quarter we made those adjustments,” Kreiner said.

"Then at the half Bishops made adjustments. I’d say for about six minutes of the third quarter we stayed even. I think we just broke down in transition. We turned the ball over and took too many early shots and were trying to get the ball to the post with the early past and it led to transition shots by (Katie Germain).”

Gabrielle Cote-Caouette kicked off the comeback eight minutes into the third, sinking a free-throw to cut the LU lead to 13 and then immediately dropping a three-pointer to cut it to 10.

Annick Stephanny Charles, off a late McKenna turnover, made it an eight-point game, hitting a hard-charging lay-up at the buzzer to make it 60-52.

Germain hit a three to start the fourth, and then the Wolves started to struggle at the charity stripe. Lindsay Druery missed a pair, and the six-foot-two McNulty went 1-for-2, allowing Bishops an opening.

With just over two minutes to play, having chipped away at the Lakehead lead, Roy hit a three-pointer  that tied the game 69-69.

Lakehead continued to hang on, but Roy showed her mettle, completing a three-point play off a lay-up and driving to the net for another pair to make it 76-75 for the home side.

After McNulty missed a jumper at the other end, Roy was fouled with 18.5 seconds to play, leaving Roy at the line, where she made no mistake.

McNulty said the Wolves were outmatched for a bit, but managed to come through in the clutch.

“Coming back in the second half we really wanted to try to maintain that lead ... They were kind of beating us for a little bit, but we tried to hang on as best as we could,” said the former University of Toledo Rockets player.

The Wolves take on Laurentian at 8 p.m. Saturday and wrap up the tournament on Sunday at noon, with a tilt against Winnipeg.

Winnipeg and Bishops tangle Saturday at 6 p.m. Laurentian beat Winnipeg 53-50 in Friday's early tilt.