ARPAN KAUR // yorkulions.ca

A 15-point deficit was not enough to hold down the York University Lions women's basketball, as they shocked the No. 6 nationally ranked Carleton Ravens with a 26-11 fourth quarter and a 71-69 win over one of the division's undefeated teams.
 
The win extends the Lions win streak to three, and hands the first-place Ravens their first loss of the 2021-22 campaign. It was York's first win against Carleton's world-renowned women's basketball program since Jan. 5, 2008. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Lions opened the first quarter with excellent defensive plays, keeping the game within reach. Lions first-year guard Kiara Leveridge banked six of her team's 11 points in the quarter, and the score was 12-11 Carleton through one quarter. 
• The Lions and Ravens continued to trade buckets in the second, but the Ravens managed to pull away after a six-point run, with Madison Reid leading the team with two three-pointers, combining for a total of eight points in the second. That performance hoisted her team to a 34-25 advantage at halftime.
• But the red and white started the final quarter with a hot hand, unleashing a 12-0 run on Carleton and erasing a 15-point deficit.  Kirsten McGrath and the first-year guard Ashanti Christian buried enormous crowd-erupting threes from beyond the arc. 
• The Ravens tried to fight back into the game with timely possessions, however York held them off in the game's dying moments.  

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
 
"This was our best game of taking care of the basketball. We had eight turnovers, and the confidence to be disciplined enough to take care of the ball to find the next opportunity, even though they pressed us for half of the game, we didn't fold under that." — Head coach Christa Eniojukan
 
NOTABLE NUMBERS

• The Lions were led by Lauren Golding who put up a double-double with an astounding 21 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals. Leveridge amassed 16 points, six rebounds, and an assist. Emma McCamus led the bench with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a block and a steal. 
• The Lions had a solid game at the free-throw line making 81.8 per cent of them.

LOOKING AHEAD
 
Lions return to play on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, as they remain home to play their second, back-to-back showdown against the Carleton Ravens, in search of their fourth straight win. The tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 pm.