THUNDER BAY -- For a team that struggled with its shooting, the Lakehead Thunderwolves found a way to win on Saturday night.
The Wolves, who missed their first nine shots from beyond the arc and hit just 10 of 24 free-throw attempts all night long, instead found success under the basket.
August Ricketts scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half and Daron Mainville took over the game in the third quarter, scoring 10 points, as Lakehead opened the OUA regular season with a 66-55 win over the visiting Algoma Thunderbirds.
“It felt pretty good,” said Ricketts. “I just did what I had to do on defence and stayed compose on offence so I could finish the way I need to, the way I’m supposed to. I just went out there, gave it my all, played my hardest.”
Ricketts scored six in the first quarter as the Wolves jumped out in front 19-10. But given a rest to start the second quarter, the Thunderbirds rallied back, taking a 25-24 lead before the Utopia, Ont. native was reinserted back into the contest.
It didn’t take her long to start having an impact, a hoop and foul re-establishing the Thunderwolves as the front-runner in a game in which they’d never trail again.
When Ricketts rested in the third, it was Mainville who turned on the jets.
The Minnesota native, in her third season of eligibility, but first year in Thunder Bay, was a force down low, scoring back-to-back buckets to push LU out in front by five. Up six after hitting one of two free throws, she grabbed the offensive rebound off her miss and put it back, stretching the lead to eight.
“I guess I woke up a little bit more and decided it wasn’t working out. I said I guess I’ve got to move around, I’ve got to switch up my game a little bit. I get too into doing one move, so I tried to do some more things tonight, I guess,” Mainville said.
Kreiner credited their success to the early pressure they put on Algoma in the first that led to some easy lay-ups.
“But when it comes down to it, that’s the change of style we need to play. We’re not going to be the best at any one style. We can’t pressure all game, we can’t pressure for long periods of time, so our bigs will come in and we’ll let them do their thing.”
As Mainville’s hot streak ran out of steam, the Wolves outside game finally found its mark, rookie Nikki Ylagan burying the team’s first three of the night, Bridget O’Reilly following with one of her own as LU led by 15 after three.
Sydney Resch led Algoma with 12 points, while Thunder Bay’s Karissa Kajorinne collected four in a losing cause.
Court shots: Guard Cassandra Soulias (Achilles) sat as a precaution, Kreiner said … Lakehead hits the road next weekend for Hamilton and a double date with No. 3 McMaster.
