GUELPH, Ont. – For the second time in the past three seasons, the Guelph Gryphons women's basketball team has picked up a victory in the OUA playoffs. Wednesday night at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre, the Gryphons kept their 2021-22 season alive for at least another game, earning a 77-67 win over the visiting Windsor Lancers in the opening round of the 2022 OUA women's basketball playoffs. The Lancers, who posted a 6-10 record during the regular season and snuck into the postseason as the No. 6-seed in the OUA West, managed to hang with the hosts for most of the game. But in the end, the No. 3-seeded Gryphons proved to be too strong, pulling away in the 4th quarter with standout guard,
Burke Bechard, leading the way with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists to lead Guelph to the program's first playoff win since Feb. 20, 2019 (which also came over the Lancers, a 62-59 road win for Guelph in Windsor). With the win on Wednesday night, the Gryphons advance to the OUA quarterfinals and will now head to London for a Saturday afternoon (March 19) matchup versus the OUA West's No. 2-seeded Western Mustangs.
The Gryphons started strong on Wednesday night, building up an 11-point lead at the half thanks in part to a pair of clutch back-to-back three pointers in the 2nd quarter from
Burke Bechard and
MacKeely Shantz that helped push the Gryphon lead to 38-29. Guelph ultimately took a 41-30 lead into the locker room at the break. Windsor fought their way back into the game after the half, outscoring Guelph 24-18 in the 3rd quarter to make it a five-point game heading to the final quarter. With six and a half minutes remaining in the final quarter and Guelph up 62-58, the Gryphons were able to re-gain momentum out of a timeout, forcing a Windsor turnover thanks to a five-second call on an inbounds play.
That was followed up by a big three-pointer from Gryphons fourth-year guard
Natalie Vigna. After another defensive stop by the Gryphons, and a subsequent Bechard lay in at the other end, Guelph's lead was suddenly back up to 67-58. Bechard would seal the deal with a lay in plus the foul with just over a minute to go, helping the Gryphons secure the 10-point win.
If this ends up being the final home game in
Burke Bechard's Gryphon career, it was a fitting way to go out for the multi-time OUA All-Star guard. The 26-point performance from Bechard is the latest in a string of outstanding performances for the Dover Centre, Ontario native. Bechard ended her regular season with 29-point and 27-point performances versus Western, and continued that form with her impressive performance on Wednesday night versus Windsor. The Gryphons also received a big double-double from
MacKeely Shantz. The Platsville, Ontario native, currently in her third year of studies at the University of Guelph but second year of eligibility, poured in 14 points to go along with 11 rebounds.
The Gryphons are now three wins away from the program's first OUA title since 2004-05. The Gryphons will now prepare for their second trip to Western's Alumni Hall in the past seven days, with their OUA quarterfinal matchup versus the Mustangs set to tip at 1pm on Saturday afternoon. The Gryphons closed out their regular season schedule with a home-and-home series versus Western, with the Gryphons winning on March 9 in Guelph, and Western winning in overtime on March 12 in London. The winner of Saturday's Guelph-Western OUA quarterfinal matchup will advance to face the winner of the Brock-McMaster game.
