It was a tale of two halves for the York University Lions women's basketball team in their Round 1 OUA playoff matchup against the Guelph Gryphons on Wednesday night.

The Lions – the No. 11 seed facing the No. 6-seeded Gryphons – owned the lead for the majority of the first half. Their largest lead was 10, which they held on two occasions in the second quarter. Thanks to a dominant second, the Lions led by nine at the break.

The second half, however, was a completely different story for the visitors. They struggled to maintain their offensive efficiency from the first half, shooting just 26.3% from the field in the second half. On the flip side, the Gryphons shot at a 42.5% clip, and thanks to that, outscored the Lions 46-28 over the final two quarters to take an 83-74 victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• They say basketball is a game of runs, and the first quarter proved that theory accurate. The Lions went on a 10-0 run, thanks in part to back-to-back threes from Bilan Khadar and Ruqaya Green. That run put York up 12-6. The Gryphons then responded immediately with a 9-0 run of their own over the final 3:50 of the first and led 15-12 after one.
• The second quarter was all Lions. They put up 34 points in the frame, going 14-24 from the field and 3-8 from long range. Khadar and Lauren Golding led the team with nine points apiece, followed closely by seven from Cyanna King. The Lions outscored Guelph 34-22 in the quarter, and took a 46-37 lead into halftime.
• The Gryphons turned it on coming out of the locker room. They made a point of attacking the Lions inside, scoring all but nine of their points on layups or free throws. They also smothered the Lions defensively, forcing six turnovers. Guelph doubled up the Lions 24-12 in the third and turned a nine-point deficit into a three-point lead after 30 minutes.
• In the fourth, it was more of the same. The Lions couldn't find any consistent offensive rhythm, while the Gryphons were seemingly scoring at will. Despite a last-ditch run from York to try and claw back in, the Gryphons were able to lock it down, preserving an 83-74 victory.
• The Gryphons now move onto the quarter-final round on Saturday when they will travel to Hamilton to face the McMaster Marauders

LOOKING AHEAD: 

For York, this loss wraps up the 2022-23 season. With that, Golding, King, Avery Bathe-Minard, Madison Bardoel and Jada Codrington have played their final games as Lions. King led the team in scoring in this game with 21 points, while Golding had 15, Bathe-Minard finished with 10 off the bench. Codrington had three points, all from the line, while Bardoel was scoreless in four minutes of action.