Brent Mutis
CapU sports info
The rims were unfriendly and maybe some rust was showing for both teams but the Capilano Blues women's basketball team ultimately didn't need either as an excuse as they worked their way to two wins over the Langara College Falcons Jan. 12 and 13, upping their win streak to seven.
Scoring the ball was a chore for both teams in Friday's opener to the second half of the season. CapU shot just 26.7 per cent from the field, including 0-for-21 from three, but managed to squeeze out a 59-51 result over a Falcons side that shot only 21.5 per cent and made just 14 field goals on the night.
All of the missed shots made for plenty of rebound opportunities and the Blues forwards took care of most of the caroms, outrebounding Langara 65-38 for the game. Barcha Hnizdilova grabbed a team- and season-high 20 boards to go along with 10 points and three steals. Teigan Manson provided a boost off the bench for the Blues, especially in fourth-quarter crunch time where she was perfect on four attempts from the free throw line and also drained a pair of buckets. She ended up with 11 points and seven rebounds on the night.
Sereena Hothi and Maddy Coffin also had double-digit rebounding nights with 10 and 11 respectively.
Both teams shot the ball better in Saturday's rematch but it was a decisive third quarter for CapU that helped them secure a 73-67 victory. The Blues held the Falcons to just nine points coming out of half time while getting a pair of threes from Manson and another from Hothi to take an eight-point lead to the fourth quarter.
Capilano survived a three-point assault from Langara's Avaani Pagely in the second half as the Falcons rookie guard was 5-for-5 from downtown and scored 20 of her 25 on the night over the final 20 minutes. Kirsten Abo hit two of her three triples in the final frame with Camie Ward contributing another, helping the Blues do just enough to hang on.
The Blues, currently ranked No. 9 in Canada, host the No. 3-ranked Vancouver Island University Mariners Jan. 19 and 20. Game times are 6 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.
