Box Score WINNIPEG – Playing in their second to last weekend of the season, the Lethbridge Pronghorns continue to look for their second win of season after falling 76-51 in the front half of a two game series with the Winnipeg Wesmen.
Megan Noonan couldn't miss and the Winnipeg Wesmen benefitted from her hot hand to down Pronghorns and keep their playoff chances alive in the Pioneer Divisions of the Canada West conference of the CIS.
How good was the fourth-year guard in the game? Noonan sparked her team with a three-point buzzer beater from just inside of centre to end the first quarter. Winnipeg was already in full control of the game, but the excitement the shot generated from the bench as Noonan's teammates surrounded her and jolted their energy level for the rest of the game.
Noonan ended up with 25 points. It could've been a lot more but Wesmen coach Tanya McKay rested the 21 year old most of the second half after she put up 22 points in the first 20 minutes. Three Pronghorns led the team with nine points — Katie Keith, Mariah Miller and Elizabeth Buie — while Keith also had 14 boards.
Both teams started the game a little slow, not too surprising for the Pronghorns who are just playing out the season, but for the Wesmen, who are battling for a playoff spot the lack of energy was a bit disconcerting.
Pronghorns coach Dave Adams rotated his lineup most of the first half, giving playing time to a dozen players, while McKay was able to give second-year Wesmen Lucija Golubic and Katie Hastings-Van some valuable minutes in a game her team is favoured to win.
Points were at a premium early in the first and second quarters with both, but after McKay's talk with Noonan, the Wesmen broke open the game which had seesawed back and forth, outscoring the 'Horns 22-8 in the back half of the opening quarter to take a 32-20 lead. The quarter ended with Noonan's three-point buzzer beater from just inside the Wesmen's side of centre.
Other Wesmen point getters were: Taylor Thorkelsson, six points, three boards; Faith Hezekiah, four points, seven boards and Kerri Kuzbyt, five points, three boards. Golubic contributed five points for Winnipeg in the first half.
The Pronghorns were lead in the first half by Mariah Miller with nine points and six rebounds.
Winnipeg dominated from the free throw line in the first half shooting 94 per cent (17-of-18) while the Pronghorns were 64.3 per cent (9-of-14). Winnipeg finished the game at 77.8 per cent on free throws, while Lethbridge improved their average in the second half to finish at 73.7.
After Wesmen freshmen guard Lena Wenke (four points, two boards in the first half) went down with an ankle injury early in the third quarter — she walked off the court after several minutes and appeared to be fine — McKay saw no reason to risk injury to any of her other starters and sent her back-ups out for the rest of the quarter. As a result the Pronghorns were able to outscore the Wesmen 15-7 in the last five minutes of the quarter after the visitors were scoreless in the first five minutes.
McKay sent her starters, minus Wenke, out to start the final quarter but after she was comfortable a surprise comeback from the Pronghorns wasn't going to happen once again sent out her younger players to get them some valuable minutes.
Golubic finished the game with 13 points, three boards for the Wesmen, while Brittania Brown just missed the double-double with 10 points, eight rebounds and Kaelei Knutson had four boards.
The Wesmen and Pronghorns are back in action inside the Duckworth Centre for the second game of the weekend, Saturday at 6 p.m.
