Unity Obasuyi led the Griffins with 22 points (David Larkins photo).
Unity Obasuyi led the Griffins with 22 points (David Larkins photo).
November 23, 2024

Pushing for first win, Griffins within a point late with stellar effort, but Wesmen close it out 72-67

Box Score

Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

WINNIPEG, Man. – How close was the MacEwan Griffins women's basketball team to a victory on Friday?

They trailed by just one to the Winnipeg Wesmen and made a defensive stop to get the ball back with 40 seconds left.

Unfortunately, that was as close as they'd get to that elusive first win of the Canada West season as a turnover allowed Winnipeg to put the game away and win 72-67.

"It came down to a couple possessions at the end," said Griffins head coach Katherine Adams. "We did some really, really good things and the effort was there. There are a couple execution things we'll need to tidy up, but I'm really proud of the effort the girls put forward today."

With the result, the Wesmen improve to 3-1, dropping the Griffins to 0-5 on the 2024-25 campaign.

The 67 points scored marked MacEwan's best offensive output of the season to date, and they have plenty to be proud of in the contest. They held leads multiple times in the back-and-forth affair and were a confident bunch, attacking the paint, getting to the line and looking like a team that will be tough for anyone in Canada West to beat.

Which is a huge improvement over the early part of the season, especially last weekend when they lost by 55 points to Calgary.

"I thought there were a number of people who really came to play today and made huge contributions," said Adams. 

"Really pleased with the effort. I wish the result was different, but I'm happy with the work we put in."

Unity Obasuyi led the Griffins with 22 points, including going 10-for-13 from the charity stripe – tied for the sixth best free throw performance by a Griffin in Canada West play.

"It took her a bit to get going and find her rhythm but I thought in the second half, especially, she got down to business, figured some things out and made a big difference putting the ball in the hoop and getting to the free throw line," said Adams.

Toni Gordon recorded the third double double of her career with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Celine Quigley had her most impactful game as a Griffin to date with 14 points in 21 minutes off the bench.

"I thought Toni Gordon had an outstanding game," said Adams. "I thought Celine Quigley came in and just did a stellar job defensively and really battled, and hit some shots when we needed her to, as well."

Winnipeg's Raia Guinto had a game-high 29 points, while Anna Kernaghan chipped in 12 points.

The difference proved to be a 13-2 run the Wesmen went on over a span of 2:23 in the fourth quarter that wiped out a seven-point advantage the Griffins had.

"A couple turnovers and a couple boards that changed the momentum there at the end," said Adams. "I think that those are some things we can look at and take care of to hopefully have a different outcome tomorrow."

The teams will meet again on Saturday (6 p.m. MT, Canada West TV).

-With files from Wesmen Athletics