RECAP: #3 Ottawa downs #4 Ryerson, Toronto in road weekend

JAN. 24 VS. #4 RYERSON 

It was a warm welcome at the Mattamy Athletic Centre for fifth-year forward Katherine Follis, who suited up against her former team for the first time since joining the Gee-Gees.

Not long afterward, it was Follis' performance that put a halt to a surging Ryerson team's winning streak with a 74-72 win on Friday night.

The teams battled evenly throughout the first and second quarter, with Ryerson first establishing a lead as high as six in the first frame. The Gee-Gees responded and posted the largest lead of the night at 11 points.

Heading into the half, Ryerson's hot shooting held the Gee-Gees' lead to three at 38-35. In the second half, Ottawa was able to pull away before another Rams run had the game tied at 70-70 with 1:51 remaining. 

Four consecutive points from Brooklynn McAlear-Fanus and a block by Angela Ribarich sealed the win for the Gee-Gees and pushed their win streak to 10 games. 

Katherine Follis led Ottawa with 18 points and seven rebounds. Angela Ribarich had 15 points and seven rebounds, while Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu added 14 and seven rebounds. McAlear-Fanus rounded out Gee-Gees in double-figures with 12 points and 7 rebounds. 

JAN. 25 VS. TORONTO

On the second half of the weekend, the Gee-Gees travelled down the street to take on the Toronto Varsity Blues.

On the back of an emotional win the night prior, the Gee-Gees closed the weekend with a 79-60 win.

Leading by a single point following the first quarter, Ottawa turned up the offensive pace to outscore Toronto 26-10 in the second frame The lead established before halftime paced the Gee-Gees for the remainder of the game. 

Brooklynn McAlear-Fanus led the team with 17 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. Katherine Follis added 13 points and five rebounds, while Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu had 10 points and eight rebounds. 

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

"It's great for us to have these opportunities down the stretch, we got a back loaded with a tough schedule. I think that was a good example of the kind of competition we're going to have for the rest of the year. We were trying to get a lot out of first and second years in that game and sometimes it's tough. Away from home, I'm happy we came away with a win, but it was maybe a little closer than we would've wanted it." – Gee-Gees head coach Andy Sparks after the Ryerson win.

"I think coming into the last six or seven games of the season we had some really tough road trips. We were able to grind out two wins was important, but we know we have big games leading up to playoffs. What we have to do is keep our heads down and grind it out as a team, if we have a lot of leadership, so if we're able to bring some of the younger players up too, I think the outcome of the season can be very favourable for us." –  Katherine Follis following the weekend.

"It was a really fun experience, playing at Ryerson for five years, I think my team here knew how much it meant to me. They were really able to help me step up and hit some open shots, obviously scoring points is important, but a lot of people helped me out with some key plays." – Follis on her return to Ryerson. 

UP NEXT: 

The Gee-Gees will take to the road once again to match up with the #10 Windsor Lancers and the #8 Western Mustangs. Both games will tip off at 6 p.m. and will be streaming live on OUA.tv

The annual Capital Hoops Classic between the Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens is set for Feb. 7 at the Arena at TD Place. Student tickets are on sale now in Room 102 at Montpetit Hall. Adult tickets can be purchased online at TD Place's website.