GUELPH, Ont. – It wasn’t the smooth start to the second-half of the season they were looking for, but the Lakehead Thunderwolves will take the two points.
After trailing most of the opening half, only to take the lead for good on an 11-0 run to close the third, the ninth-ranked T-Wolves survived a final-minute scare from the host Guelph Gryphons on Friday night to claim a 67-66 win, their sixth straight triumph.
“We held on to a tough-fought one-point game with a strong defensive stand on the last possession after a bad turnover,” Kreiner said in a release issued by the school’s athletic department.
“We got up 12 early in the fourth quarter, but Guelph ran a 1-3-1 half-court zone press that caused us to turn the ball over and make mental mistakes.”
Lakehead led 67-59 with less than two minutes to go, but had to hope a desperation shot at the buzzer by Guelph’s Ivana Vujadinovic missed the mark.
It did.
Four players, led by Leashja Grant, hit double digits for the Thunderwolves.
Grant finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds, five steals and a blocked shot. Nikki Ylagan had a dozen points, while Karissa Kajorinne chipped in 11
Burke Bechard led Guelph with 20 points and 11 boards.
“We will need to learn how to handle Guelph’s half-court pressure if we are going to get the win again tomorrow,” Kreiner said.
The Wolves and Gryphons battle again on Saturday night and return home next weekend for games against Windsor on Friday and Saturday night.
