GUELPH, Ont. – On Sunday afternoon (Jan. 29) the Guelph Gryphons women's basketball team took the court at the Gryphon Athletic Centre for the Gryphon "Shoot for Change" game in support of the OUA's Anti-Racism Week. The Gryphons played host to the Nipissing University Lakers who's Black Association for Student Expression created the 'Shoot for Change' Initiative. The Gryphons and Lakers played a tightly contested match in front of the Gryphon faithful in attendance, with the Gryphons able to edge out Nipissing 77-65 after a strong 4^th quarter.
 
The first quarter saw the U of G women return to their standout defensive play that has become a trend throughout the 2022-23 campaign. The Gryphons held the Lakers to just 7 points on 12.5% shooting, which included three blocks, while also forcing four turnovers. 2^nd-year guard Julia Colavecchia led the Gryphons in the first quarter with eight points. Colavecchia would finish the game with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block. In the second quarter, the Gryphons would find themselves outscored by the visiting Lakers 16-13 after struggling from beyond the arc (0-6). MacKeely Shantz's 5 points on 2-of-2 shootig would keep the Nipissing damage to a minimum. Shantz would have another dominant game, scoring a game-high 23 points while shooting 75% in addition to her 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Despite being outscored in the second frame the Gryphon would head into the half with a 32-23 lead.
 
The third quarter would see the best quarter from both teams, with Nipissing shooting 59% on their way to 24 points and the Gryphons shooting 53% while scoring 23. The Gryphons would still find ways to disrupt the Laker offense, taking the ball away five times in the quarter. By the end of the game the Gryphons scored 19 points off Nipissing turnovers. The final quarter saw the Gryphons come out determined to put this one away and pick up their 12^th win of 2022-23. Only turning the ball over four times while holding the Lakers to 6-of-15 from the field would solidify a 77-65 win for the Gryphs.
 
In addition to Colavecchia and Shantz, the U of G women's basketball squad received impressive performances from another pair of starters in Alexis Wright and Lucy Tesseyman. Wright, a 5-foot-9 guard from Welland, Ontario, put up 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including two three pointers. Tesseyman meanwhile, would score 12 on 60% shooting while bringing in 5 rebounds and a block.
 
The Gryphons (12-4) will return to the court at the Gryphon Athletic Centre next Friday (Feb. 3) when they play host to the nation's No. 1-ranked team, the Queen's Gaels. Tip-off is set for 6pm with tickets available at gryphons.ca/tickets. Fans unable to attend can watch the match live, online at www.oua.tv.