GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons women's basketball team seems to have found their game at just the right time. For much of the season, the banged-up Gryphons struggled to recapture the identity forged last season of a team that makes like tough on opponents. But Guelph capped a great weekend with a decisive 93-63 victory over the Waterloo Warriors at the GGAC Saturday night
 
The win was the team's third in the last four games as it aims to lock up a an OUA playoff berth.
 
Second-year guard Burke Bechard led the Gryphons with 27 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, including 17 and 8 in a dominant first half. The Dover Centre, ON native simply stuffed the stat sheet, adding 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
 
Veteran Ivana Vujadinovic looked like she was past a thumb injury that has plagued her this season as she added 19 points and 5 boards. Modupe Okeowo (12), Skyla Minaker (11), and Sarah Holmes (11) all reached double digits, with the latter two posting game-highs of 6 assists each.
 
Minaker was a catalyst all night and played the game despite the passing of her grandmother this week.
 
Guelph has fought through several injuries lately and only 7 of the team's 10 dressed players saw significant minutes. It's been a theme but that didn't stop the desperate Gryphons from putting the pressure on Waterloo from the opening tip.
 
Guelph's offence ran well in the first half, producing plenty of good looks and subsequent shots made. Waterloo managed to hang around and trailed just 24-21 but the Gryphons started the second quarter with Bechard helping orchestrate a 16-4 run that pushed the margin to 15 points.
 
Despite going through a bit of a cold stretch in the latter part of the first half, Guelph picked it up at the offensive end in the third quarter and carved up the Warriors on its way to a 66-48 lead before adding another 27 points in the fourth quarter.
 
The Gryphons made 7 of 15 shots from long range in the first half and then added another 4 three-balls as they padded the lead in the second. They also out-assisted and out-rebounded the visitors 23-10 and 48-35 respectively.
 
Kaitlyn Overeem was the only Waterloo player to score in double digits, posting a game-high 31 points. 
 
Gryphon Take
"This was a good win for us. We won every quarter for probably the first time all season. Burke was playing like her usual incredible self and Ivana really stepped up. Skyla was a star. She set the table with some great passes and certainly honoured her grandmother tonight."
 
"It's the most important time of the year and we need to peak. I told the players in the locker room after the game that we became a good team this weekend."  – head coach Mark Walton
 
The Record
Guelph is 8-14
 
Next up
@ McMaster, Wednesday, Feb 13, 6 pm