Nerves get Griffins in dying moments as they suffer heartbreaking 72-68 loss to Brandon
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
23 | 12 | 16 | 21 | 72 |
|
|
16 | 13 | 23 | 16 | 68 |
Team Stats
Brandon
| Game Statistics | Brandon | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (27-65) | (27-65) |
| Field Goal % | 41.5% | 41.5% |
| Rebounds | 35 | 43 |
| Assists | 12 | 18 |
| Turnovers | 22 | 26 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 25 | 11 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 11 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 36 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 8 | 3 |
| Bench Pts | 17 | 27 |
Jason Hills
For MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON — In big moments, sometimes the nerves can just get to you, especially when you're as young and inexperienced as the MacEwan Griffins are.
MacEwan held a small lead heading into the fourth quarter against the Brandon Bobcats and led for the majority of the fourth, but couldn't hold on, as the Bobcats hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:09 left to steal a 72-68 win over MacEwan on Saturday afternoon at the David Atkinson gymnasium.
Toni Gordon led MacEwan with 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Samantha Hickey recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while adding five assists and four blocks in the loss.
Piper Ingalls led Brandon with 23 points in the win for Brandon, while Amaya McLeod recorded 16 points and seven rebounds.
"We made some great adjustments from yesterday, and I thought we did a great job in our offensive attack. We haven't been in a lot of these situations. We've been in more the past two weeks than ever before, and this is really good learning for us," said Griffins head coach Katherine Adams.
"We had some really good moments, we were right there, and then we just panicked, and the nerves hit a little bit and we didn't capitalize on the opportunity given to us. It's great learning and we learn and grow from it."
It was a heartbreaking weekend for the Griffins, who fell 64-61 to Brandon in OT on Friday, and lost both games by just a combined total of seven points.
Samantha Hickey hits a jumper in the middle of the fourth quarter to put the @MacEwanGriffins up by four in another barn-burner vs. @BUBobcats!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/qhTFTPpk3e
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Basketball Team (@Griffins_WBB) November 30, 2024
In fact, when you look at the stats sheet in Saturday's loss, you could argue MacEwan deserved the victory — but things can happen when a team is young and inexperienced.
Gordon had another strong performance, her fourth-straight game scoring in double figures and Hickey continues to be a menace on the boards, recording her second double-double in three games.
Ava Regier recorded a career-high 11 points and showed she can be dangerous from long range, hitting three from beyond the arc.
In the loss, they out-rebounded Brandon, shot the ball better from two-point range and they dominated the Bobcats in the steals department with a 13-4 edge, led by Unity Obasuyi who also chipped in with 10 points.
"That's what we can really build on. Our athletes are doing a lot of great things and finding ways to contribute in a lot of different ways, and they're carving out roles," said Adams.
"They took our messaging today to heart, and we found some success. You'd like to get a different result, and sometimes you feel you work so hard, and you feel you deserve a different result, but you have to take those lessons and say OK, we were happy with our effort, but it wasn't quite good enough today, and just keep working at it."
MacEwan was down 35-29 at the half, as Brandon took advantage of some turnovers, and were able to hit some timely shots to keep the Griffins from closing the gap.
But in the third quarter, the Griffins flipped a switch and took it to Brandon.
They got in lanes to pick off passes. Put a lot of pressure on the Bobcats backcourt shooters and put forward a gritty effort at both ends of the floor.
Ava Regier goes flying on a mid-court collision with Brandon's Anna Cushon on Saturday (James Maclennan photo).
They took their first lead (42-39) off a three-pointer from Paige Massier and continued to show they weren't going to back down in the second half.
Gordon made a nice spin move to the basket late in the third quarter to give MacEwan a 52-49 lead. Two nice jump shots from Sofia Makinen gave MacEwan a 64-60 lead, but then Brandon started to tighten it up defensively, and they were able to turn the tide in the final moments.
"We've been in a few of those situations lately, and I think we were hoping we could pull through and get some shots up, but they got that little lead in the end, and it was tough or us to push back," said Hickey.
"The looks were good, we got good looks at the rim, we just need to finish, but I think that will come with growth as the team gets more experience."
Over the past couple weeks, the Griffins have come close to earning the elusive first W of the season, but as they head into the Christmas break, they can certainly say their game is growing and building in the right direction.
"There's a lot to build on," said Adams. "I feel like a broken record when I say we're a young team and we're learning and growing, and it's hard when you're putting in the work and you want to see the results, but I feel like we're learning and competing."
