WEEKEND RECAP: Gee-Gees down Lions twice to open season at home

The Gee-Gees women's basketball team got their regular season started on a positive note sweeping the weekend series with York on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, Ottawa interim head coach Rose-Anne Joly earned her first career win as the Gee-Gees cruised to a 76-52 win at Montpetit Hall.

The Garnet and Grey ripped off 13 unanswered points and never looked back, securing a lopsided win. Ottawa shot 46.7 per cent from the field to York's 22.9 per cent on the night.

Fourth-year forward Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu led the way for the Gee-Gees, racking up 20 points, six rebounds, and four steals. Third-year guard Alana Renon also impressed with 12 points.

Seeing her first game action of the season after missing the preseason due to injury, fourth-year transfer Oksana Gouchie-Provencher had nine points and seven rebounds in her Gee-Gees debut. 

"I'm very happy about the win," said Joly after Friday's game. "We still have so much to work on, but we're going to get there."

On Saturday, the Lions responded with an inspired performance as the teams ground to a 48-44 final result in the Gee-Gees' favour. 

The key stat of the game was both team's inability to find a shooting rhythm. Both teams did not hit a single three-pointer, shooting a combined 0-25 from beyond the arc.

Midway through the third quarter, the Gee-Gees had seemingly pulled away, building a 21-point lead, however the Lions rallied to outscore Ottawa 15-4 in the final frame.

In the end, their comeback attempt fell short and the Gee-Gees were able to secure the narrow win to close the weekend.

Lefebvre-Okankwu once again led the Gee-Gees with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Gouchie-Provencher added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Up next, the Gee-Gees take to the road for a double-header against Ontario Tech next weekend in Oshawa. With a bye week in between, they will close the weekend at Toronto on Nov. 26 and 27.