Box Score Recent history has seen the McMaster women's basketball team struggle to get wins at the Mitchell Athletic Centre in Guelph, but on Wednesday night the Marauders used a big fourth quarter from Danielle Boiago to beat the Gryphons 72-64.
In a match-up of OUA Central Division rivals, McMaster and Guelph spent the first quarter feeling each other out and scoring was hard to come by. Mac led 8-4 early but by the end of the quarter the teams were knotted up 9-9.
Guelph got its offense going in the second quarter and behind OUA All-Star Kate MacTavish, the Gryphons built up a 25-19 lead. In the later stages of the period, MacTavish went to the bench with her second personal foul, and McMaster took advantage by closing the quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 29-25 advantage into the intermission.
Marauder Danielle Boiago, who always seems to play well at Guelph, was having a strong game with 12 points through 20 minutes.
The third quarter saw the Gryphons start fast and they grabbed a 37-34 lead through the opening minutes. The teams jockeyed back and forth for the rest of the period and at the end of the quarter, Guelph held a slim 46-45 lead.
In the fourth, McMaster saw Boiago and Siobhan Manning knock down treys on the team's first two possessions to re-take the lead. Guelph went ice cold to start the final stanza and Boiago started to make shots from all over the court. The Marauders opened the quarter on a 14-1 run to put the Gryphons in a hole they couldn't climb out of.
The biggest lead for the Maroon was 65-49 as Boiago got solid support from Rachael Holmes and Clare Kenney, who returned to the line-up after missing 3 games.
Guelph tried to make a late run and some missed free throws by McMaster allowed the Gryphons to get the lead to single digits, but time ran out on the comeback and the Marauders closed out the win.
Boiago was spectacular in the fourth period with 14 points and finished with 30 for the game, while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Holmes added 16 and Kenney had 12 to pace the Mac scoring. MacTavish had 30 for the Gryphons. Despite giving up some inches, McMaster had a 39-36 edge in rebounding.
The Marauders will next be in action in Toronto on Saturday, January 31 for a key game with the Varsity Blues.
