THUNDER BAY – Nikki Ylagan has one of the smoothest shots in the OUA.
It was on full display in the first half of a 74-42 win over Nipissing on Saturday night at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse.
With the visiting Lakers keying in on start Lakehead Thunderwolves forward Leashja Grant, Ylagan provided the spark that broke open a slow-evolving contest that saw just three baskets in its opening five minutes.
Ylagan changed that in a hurry, hitting a pair of quick buckets then draining back-to-back shots from beyond the arc, helping the Wolves go on a 12-2 run to end the quarter and stretch a one-point lead to 11.
It was more of the same to start the second.
The southern Ontario native generated a quick steal that led to another bucket on the opening possession of the period, then dropped another bomb a couple minutes later, LU jumping in front 29-11.
It was just one of those nights, the sophomore guard said.
“We knew that the ball was going to get to Leashja in the paint, because we were so paint dominant. That means other team knew they had to double-team in the paint. That just left me wide open. I just had to be ready to shoot and it was all about confidence.”
For the night Ylagan was 7-for-16 from the field, finishing with 17 points and four of the 21 steals the Wolves recorded on the night.
“It seemed like Nikki was all over the place,” said LU coach Jon Kreiner.
“She was Super Woman tonight, stealing balls. We’d turn it over and she’d steal it right back.”
That stretch in the first was just what Kreiner’s team needed.
“It was 4-3 for the longest time and they were playing a zone and one,” he said. “We needed a shooter out there and … we sent Nikki out there and she’s a zone buster.”
Grant never really got going, but still managed to put up a fourth straight double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in just 20 minutes of court time.
The Wolves cruised to the half, leading 43-16 at the break, out-scored the Lakers 16-10 in the third before taking their foot off the gas in a fourth quarter in which Nipissing (1-2) finally outscored their opponent, edging the Wolves 16-15.
By then it was too late.
“It feels good for the team,” Ylagan said of the two lopsided wins the Wolves experienced in their opening weekend at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse.
First-year guard Tianna Warwick-Dawkins had a strong night for the home side, putting up 10 points to go with four rebounds, two assists and four steals as the Wolves improved to 3-1 and took over second place in the OUA West, owning a game in hand over the three other teams tied with six points.
Not a single Lakers player hit double-digits, Devanne Dewey and Jamie Soffer each collecting eight points to tie for the team high.
Lakehead faces winless Algoma for a pair on the road next weekend, before returning home to face Ottawa and Carleton in two weeks.
