Badgers thumped by Warriors

The Brock Badgers women’s basketball team saw its undefeated Ontario University Athletics regular season and four-game winning streak come to a grinding halt Friday night with a 78-47 loss to the visiting Waterloo Warriors.

The Warriors improved to 4-0 on the season by quickly erasing a 17-14 Brock lead after the first quarter. The visitors outscored Brock 64-30 over the final three quarters, including 47-20 in the second and third quarters, to record the convincing victory.

Brock got out-rebounded 46-27, lost the turnover battle 28-19 and were outshot 43.3 per cent to 30.4 per cent in the game.

“We’re working on it,” Brock head coach Mike Rao said after the game. “They shot the ball well but we just had too many turnovers.”

The lopsided score gave him the opportunity to look at some of the seldom-used players on his bench which can become important information later in the season.

“I don’t like doing it but it is important,” he said.

Rao gave an appropriate response when asked the tired old sports reporter question about how his team would regroup from the loss.

“We have to keep moving forward and keep going. We have to keep playing hard. What else are we going to do? We are not going to throw in the towel.”

Before the season, Rao said his team was in rebuild mode and on Friday night that description fit. Waterloo has six fourth-year players and one fifth-year athlete on its roster while Brock has only two fourth-year players and one third-year roster member. The third-year player and one of the fourth-year Badgers are not part of Rao’s regular rotation.

Top performers for the Badgers were: Madalyn Weinert with 12 points and five rebounds; Noor Bazzi with 10 points; Allie Addy with eight points; and, Akinnusi Oluwatito with six points.

Top scorers for the Warriors were Vanessa Hughes (15), Kaitlyn Overeem (13), Summer Pahl (11) and Maddy Adams (11). Former Niagara Juel player Beth Howlett netted five points for Waterloo.

The Badgers are at McMaster Saturday at 6 p.m.