February 6, 2009
LADY VEES LOOK TO CLEAN SWEEP THEIR WAY INTO BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
SUDBURY, Ont. - The Laurentian Lady Vees basketball team will look to clinch a playoff spot for the seventh consecutive season under head coach Mike Clarke as they host the Queen's Gaels on Friday and the RMC Paladins on Saturday. The Lady Vees would clinch a playoff spot if they were to win both games this weekend. Both games will tip off at 6:00 p.m. at the Ben Avery Gymnasium.
On Friday night, the Lady Vees will welcome the Queen's Gaels to the Ben Avery Gymnasium in a game with massive playoff implications. The Lady Vees and the Gaels are tied in the standings and hold the fifth and sixth positions, respectively, in the OUA East. Both teams are trying to hold off York, who trails by six points. Both teams also trail Ryerson by two points for fourth place and home court advantage in the first round of the OUA East playoffs.
The Lady Vees have not had much success in the last couple seasons against the Gaels, losing three straight games in the head-to-head series. Most recently, the Gaels defeated the Lady Vees on Jan. 10 in Kingston by a score of 71-62. In that game, the Gaels used a strong third quarter to negate the Lady Vees halftime edge and coasted to the win in the fourth quarter. Brittany Moore (Hannon, Ont.) led all scorers in the game with 19 points for the Gaels.
The Lady Vees will need to shut down Moore this weekend if they want to be victorious. Moore leads the OUA in scoring with 18.6 points per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Lady Vees will need to look inside for Lisa Furchner (Sudbury, Ont.) and Darrah Bumstead (New Hamburg, Ont.). Furchner leads the OUA in field goal percentage this season, shooting 53.6 percent, and is averaging 11.2 points per game, while Bumstead leads the team in scoring and sits 17th in the OUA averaging 12.3 points per game.
On Saturday night, the Lady Vees will take on the RMC Paladins. With a win Friday night, the Lady Vees would more than likely be able to clinch a playoff spot against the Paladins. RMC have not defeated Laurentian since they began their basketball program. RMC almost won their first-ever game against Laurentian on Jan. 9 but the Lady Vees were able to pull out a 64-59 win. In that game, Furchner led all scorers with 17 points but the Lady Vees struggled to contain Kim Egert (Westport, Ont.) who connected on 4-of-6 three point attempts to lead the Paladins with 16 points.
While the Lady Vees will need to keep an eye on Egert on the perimeter, they will also need to shut down Sharlene Harding (Brampton, Ont.) who leads the team in scoring, averaging 11 points per game. Perimeter defence will be a focus for the Lady Vees this weekend. In the last eight games, the Lady Vees divisional opponents have connected on 63-of-189 from three-point range, good for 33 percent shooting.
"Queen's is always a tough match-up for us because they're balanced and they're physical," said Clarke. "RMC is better than they have been and they are bigger. They just don't play well on the road. It's an important weekend for us. We haven't clinched a playoff spot but we have had a good week of practice so we'll see what happens."
The Lady Vees will look to bounce back from their mini two-game losing streak as they take on their divisional opponents from Kingston this weekend. The Lady Vees will play host to the Queen's Gaels on Fri., Feb. 6 and will take on the RMC Paladins on Sat., Feb. 8. Both games will tip off at 6:00 p.m. in the Ben Avery Gymnasium. Fans can also track the games live on www.luvoyageurs.com.
Source: Voyageurs Athletics
On Friday night, the Lady Vees will welcome the Queen's Gaels to the Ben Avery Gymnasium in a game with massive playoff implications. The Lady Vees and the Gaels are tied in the standings and hold the fifth and sixth positions, respectively, in the OUA East. Both teams are trying to hold off York, who trails by six points. Both teams also trail Ryerson by two points for fourth place and home court advantage in the first round of the OUA East playoffs.
The Lady Vees have not had much success in the last couple seasons against the Gaels, losing three straight games in the head-to-head series. Most recently, the Gaels defeated the Lady Vees on Jan. 10 in Kingston by a score of 71-62. In that game, the Gaels used a strong third quarter to negate the Lady Vees halftime edge and coasted to the win in the fourth quarter. Brittany Moore (Hannon, Ont.) led all scorers in the game with 19 points for the Gaels.
The Lady Vees will need to shut down Moore this weekend if they want to be victorious. Moore leads the OUA in scoring with 18.6 points per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Lady Vees will need to look inside for Lisa Furchner (Sudbury, Ont.) and Darrah Bumstead (New Hamburg, Ont.). Furchner leads the OUA in field goal percentage this season, shooting 53.6 percent, and is averaging 11.2 points per game, while Bumstead leads the team in scoring and sits 17th in the OUA averaging 12.3 points per game.
On Saturday night, the Lady Vees will take on the RMC Paladins. With a win Friday night, the Lady Vees would more than likely be able to clinch a playoff spot against the Paladins. RMC have not defeated Laurentian since they began their basketball program. RMC almost won their first-ever game against Laurentian on Jan. 9 but the Lady Vees were able to pull out a 64-59 win. In that game, Furchner led all scorers with 17 points but the Lady Vees struggled to contain Kim Egert (Westport, Ont.) who connected on 4-of-6 three point attempts to lead the Paladins with 16 points.
While the Lady Vees will need to keep an eye on Egert on the perimeter, they will also need to shut down Sharlene Harding (Brampton, Ont.) who leads the team in scoring, averaging 11 points per game. Perimeter defence will be a focus for the Lady Vees this weekend. In the last eight games, the Lady Vees divisional opponents have connected on 63-of-189 from three-point range, good for 33 percent shooting.
"Queen's is always a tough match-up for us because they're balanced and they're physical," said Clarke. "RMC is better than they have been and they are bigger. They just don't play well on the road. It's an important weekend for us. We haven't clinched a playoff spot but we have had a good week of practice so we'll see what happens."
The Lady Vees will look to bounce back from their mini two-game losing streak as they take on their divisional opponents from Kingston this weekend. The Lady Vees will play host to the Queen's Gaels on Fri., Feb. 6 and will take on the RMC Paladins on Sat., Feb. 8. Both games will tip off at 6:00 p.m. in the Ben Avery Gymnasium. Fans can also track the games live on www.luvoyageurs.com.
Source: Voyageurs Athletics
