Badger Ballers run season to 9-1

Brock University's Women's Basketball team rang in the New Year with a split against the Guelph Gryphons and Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks. The sixth-ranked Badgers had their perfect record broken as they looked for their 10th victory on the road against the Hawks, and now sit with a 9-1 OUA record — still good for first place in their division.

Brock first hosted the Gryphons Jan. 4 at home with a 30-point clobbering of the Gryphons, 82-52. Guelph scored the game's first five points but they would only score one more by the end of the quarter as the Badgers ran the score to 15-6 at the first break.

Head Coach Si Khounviseth commanded high pressure on both sides of the ball. It was evident there would be no getting away with taking possessions off, regardless of the scoreboard, as the Badgers worked to shake off the holiday inactivity despite a tournament win over Central Florida College during the break.

"The score showed we beat them pretty good, but I can't say I was happy with our execution or our intensity," said Khounviseth. "The adage is that a win is a win, but for me I never look at the end result. I look for execution and at our intensity [when judging performance]."

Nicole Rosenkranz (Niagara Falls, ON) had a monster first half, scoring 17 of her 21 points and recording nine of her 13 boards for her fifth regular season double-double of the year. The McMaster transfer shot 6-11 from the floor in the first half as the Badgers hit the locker rooms with a 40-21 lead. Brock shot 34.8 per cent, but held the Gryphons shooting to just 24.2 per cent, out-rebounding Guelph 29-21 and forcing 14 turnovers. Chipping in offensively was Andrea Polischuk (Brantford, ON) with eight of her 10 total points on perfect shooting for the half.

Brock tore into the Gryphons to kick off the second half, scoring the frame's first 16 points, with Guelph finally breaking the ice with 3:29 remaining. The lead would allow Brock the opportunity to play the entire bench, but the level of intensity expected from Khounviseth did not waver.

"That's what we're after all the time. I don't care what the score is or who is on the floor, whether it be the number 11 or 12 player or a first year that never sees a lot of [playing] time," said Khounviseth. "They're going to get the coaching they deserve as we expect they'll play significant minutes down the road. So, in a game like this — this is where they need to realize to use this opportunity to get better in a real game situation."

The Badgers' lead, which ballooned to as much as 38 points, even allowed Khounviseth to challenge his players by twice calling timeouts with a Brock shooter at the free throw line. While some would say why ice your own shooter, Khounviseth viewed it as an opportunity to improve situational free throws.

"If I read that maybe somebody's tired, [a time out] can be used to refocus our players, make sure we're ready for the next defensive possession. You never know when an opposing team is going to do the same thing, so understanding the process [of keeping focus through a time out] may help us down the road."

Four Badgers hit double figures, including Rosenkranz and Polischuk. Emily McKay (Toronto, ON) scored 13 points on 6-13 shooting, while Tara Giallonardo (Fonthill, ON) dropped 10. Guelph's leading scorer was Samantha Russell (Paradise Valley, AZ) with 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Overall, Brock shot 32-81 (39.5 per cent) compared to the Gryphons' 18-57 (31.6 per cent) performance. The Badgers won the battle on the boards 43-36, including collecting 14 offensive rebounds. Brock's bench also outscored their Gryphon counterparts 39-16.

On the road against Laurier Jan. 7, the Badgers overcame an opening 13-0 deficit, but could not match a 14-1 run in the fourth quarter as they fell 77-69 to the Hawks (7-3 OUA). Polischuk led the Badgers with a career high 22 points, with Rosenkranz and senior Jessica Del Signore (Brantford, ON) chipping in 15 and 12 points respectively. The Badgers were held to 18.8 per cent shooting from three point territory and were outrebounded 50-30 including 18-9 on the offensive glass.

The Badgers will next host three games in four days, starting with historical rival McMaster (5-5 OUA) Jan. 11 at 6:00 p.m. at the Bob Davis Gymnasium. Brock will then take on the second-ranked Windsor Lancers (7-2 OUA) Jan. 13 at 6:00 p.m. and Western Mustangs (3-6 OUA) Jan. 14 at 5:00 p.m.