The York University Lions women's basketball team returned for the winter term with a loss to the Laurentian Voyageurs by a score of 84-65 on Friday (Jan. 9) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
 
Jackie Koudys (Smithville, Ont.) scored the first basket for the Lions through a free throw. The veteran guard continued to lead the offensive line for the Lions, scoring a three-pointer at the brink of the shot-clock.
 
The Voyageurs took the lead through their inside shots while the Lions suffer a mini drought with their long shot attempts. Erin Sarapnickas (Wallaceburg, Ont.) broke the drought at 9-7.
 
The visiting team increased the pressure, scoring consecutive baskets to take the lead at 20-9. Courtney Osborne (Markham, Ont.) drove through the middle of opposing defenders to keep the Lions in the game, and they chipped away to trail by a score of 20-16 at the end of one.
 
Shots from downtown rocketed the Lions into the lead. Nina Guzina (Etobicoke, Ont.), Haley Bowie (Ancaster, Ont.) and Koudys contributed baskets as the Lions took the lead for the first time at 30-29. The game remained tight until the end of the half, where the Lions trailed by just one at 38-37.
 
In the second half, the Lions opened with a flurry of three-point shots and built a six-point lead near the end of the frame, at 54-48. However, the Voyageurs went on an impressive run of 29 straight points, capitalizing on many mistakes by the Lions, to turn a 54-48 deficit into a 77-54 lead.
 
The visiting team continued its scintillating performance in the final quarter, disallowing the Lions to score for over half of the quarter. Rookie guard Erika Diloreto (London, Ont.) broke the visitors' scoring streak after three consecutive attempts under the ring, but the Lions still trailed by double digits.
 
The introduction of Hayley Finn (London, Ont.) injected new energy to the Lions. However, it was not enough for the Lions to catch up to the Voyageurs, who went on to win by 19.
 
Koudys finished with a team-high 18 points, while Osborne had 17 points and added six rebounds. For the Voyageurs, Devenae Bryce had a huge game with 28 points as well as three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
 
The Lions will be looking to improve their 1-7 record as they host the Nipissing Lakers at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Saturday (Jan. 10) at 6pm.