GUELPH, Ont. - The University of Guelph Gryphons women's basketball team returned to the court at the Gryphon Athletic Centre on Saturday afternoon for the second match of the new year. The Gryphons came into Saturday's game coming off their first loss of the 2022-23 season, a 88-56 loss at the hands of the defending OUA Champion TMU Bold. The Gryphons returned to their early season form on Saturday, taking down the U of T Varsity Blues 74-66 to earn their 9th win of the season. 

The first quarter showed that although the Varsity Blues came to Guelph with a 3-8 record, they would not be an easy win for the Gryphons with the score after 10 minutes tied at 17 apiece. Neither team was able to build a significant lead as the Varsity Blues struggled to find the basket, shooting 30%, and the Gryphons turning the ball over 11 times. The second period saw a different story unfold as Guelph would shoot 50% from the field and dominate on defence, limited the visiting team to just 3 field goals and 16.7% shooting. A few trips to the charity strip for Toronto would limit the Gryphon damage but they would still find themselves down 9 headed into the locker room. 4th-year guard Natalie Vigna would lead the Gryphons in the second quarter, scoring 5 of her game-high 20 points. The Ancaster, Ontario native once again showed off her stellar shooting going 8-for-15 to help improve her OUA's 8th best shooting percentage. 

The third quarter, similar to the second, was a showcase of one of the nation's best defences as the Gryphon would take the ball away 9 times while outscoring the Varsity Blues 19-13 to extend their lead to 54-39 with 10 minutes to play. Despite getting outscored 27-20 in the final frame the Guelph lead would be too much to overcome as the Gryphons would earn their 9th win of the season with a 74-66 win. In addition to Vigna, the Gryphons received another strong performances for their 2021-22 OUA all-star MacKeely Shantz. Shantz finished the game with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals as the Gryphons second highest scorer. The win once again demonstrated the depth of the Gryphons, with the team receiving impressive performances from Julia Colavecchia (9 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals), Lucy Tesseyman (8 points, 6 rebounds), Renee Armstrong (7 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists), and Marielle Kleuskens (4 points, 3 blocks). 

The Gryphons (9-1) will look to continue their winning ways when they head to Ottawa next weekend for back-to-back games against the Carleton Ravens (Jan. 14) and the Ottawa Gee-Gees (Jan. 15). The games are set for 6pm and 2pm tip offs, respectively, and can be seen online at www.oua.tv.