The York University Lions women's basketball team got the 2018 portion of its schedule off to a strong start on Friday night with a dominant 65-40 victory over the Laurentian Voyageurs at Ben Avery Gymnasium in Sudbury, Ont.
 
The game started out as a close affair as both teams tried to shake out the rust following a month-long break in December. Laurentian held the early lead at 14-13 after the first 10 minutes of play, but the Lions cruised in the second quarter and were even more effective in the third to blow the game wide open.
 
The Lions had their best offensive quarter in the second, putting up 19 points while also standing tall defensively to allow the Voyageurs only eight, and they led 32-22 at the half. The visitors were even more impressive after the break, holding Laurentian to just a pair of free throws and pouring in another 17 points for a commanding 49-24 lead.
 
The Voyageurs found their shooting stroke again in the fourth and kept pace with the Lions with 16 points apiece, but it was too late to make a dent in the final score. The win improved York's record to 5-6 on the season, while the Voyageurs dropped to 2-8.
 
Fifth-year forward Lindsay Shotbolt recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds, both team highs. Chante Clarke also had 13 points, while Lauren Golding recorded 10 rebounds.
 
Laurentian's leading scorer was Kayla Deschatelets with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.
 
The Lions will remain in Northern Ontario for their next game, heading to North Bay, Ont., to face the Nipissing Lakers on Saturday night at 6pm.