WATERLOO, ON – The Waterloo Warriors stayed undefeated and moved to 3-0 after a hard-fought 70-64 overtime win over the Windsor Lancers in the Warriors’ home opener.
Waterloo pushed out to an early 15-7 lead against the Lancers in the first quarter thanks to their halfcourt defence and pace on offence. Kaitlyn Overeem scored the first nine of Waterloo’s 18 points, and the execution against Windsor’s halfcourt defence gave them a lead throughout the quarter.
On the side of the Lancers, they tried to get the ball inside the paint to find opportunities at the rim, but Waterloo’s ability to keep them on the outside and control the boards limited the impact Windsor’s paint presence had.
Waterloo’s lead was 22-15 going into the second quarter. Windsor attacked the paint in the second quarter by getting into the halfcourt quickly and not letting Waterloo get their presence inside. On the other end, Waterloo pushed in transition and found their shots quick, as Vanessa Hughes was the primary facilitator and beneficiary of that. Fast break after fast break, the Lancers and Warriors traded shots, but the early lead Waterloo built, maintained, and it was 33-27 Waterloo going into the half.
The third quarter saw the pace slow as both teams executed and found the best available look. The lead stayed around seven points throughout the first four minutes of the quarter, and then a series of stops and good looks for the Lancers cut the Warriors’ lead away and put the Lancers down 39-38 with 5:25 remaining in the quarter. Waterloo responded with a three to put the lead back out to four points, and for the rest of the third quarter, it never got past that point, ending 45-44 Waterloo going into the fourth quarter.
Windsor immediately took the lead in the fourth quarter, 46-45 and a layup from Kaitlyn Overeem put the Warriors up 47-46. For the next two minutes, the lead stayed at 48-46 before a bucket from both sides made it 51-48 Waterloo. The physicality of Windsor had been their success, and the ability to take contact while going to the rim tired the Warriors out and kept the Lancers always within one shot.
With the score 55-53 Windsor with 53 seconds remaining, the Warriors went to their veterans, Overeem and Beth Howlett, who worked together to get Howlett a runner and tie the game at 55. Julia Chiarot immediately answered with a layup, and Vanessa Hughes attacked the rim, drawing a foul where she hit both and sent the game into overtime tied at 57.
When overtime started, Waterloo took over. They used the consistent pace they’ve had all game to maintain their offence, and they once again denied the paint presence of Windsor, pushing out to a lead and holding on for a 70-64 win.
Waterloo looks to a battle of the undefeated teams when they play the Brock Badgers on Friday, November 18 while the Lancers host Nipissing.