Hamilton, ON- There’s an old saying for basketball players that sometimes, once one shot falls in, others begin to fall as well. 

That might have been the case for McMaster Marauders women’s basketball forward Amy Stinson. She finished with 15 points and six rebounds against the TMU Bold on Nov. 18. The Marauders took down the defending U SPORTS and OUA champion Bold 64-54. 

Stinson and guard Jenna Button (10 points) provided complimentary scoring to fifth-year guard Sarah Gates (28 points, 11 rebounds). The Marauders held the lead throughout the game before closing it out. 

Stinson’s performance come after a standout rookie season, where she was named to the OUA West All-Rookie team. Her performance come after a few rough games shooting the ball and not scoring at the rate she was last season. 

She shot one-for-six against Queen’s, including missing all four three-point attempts. As she came off the bench against TMU, her shots weren’t falling again. Then, Stinson scored a layup off a cut to the basket. Then, her shots started to fall. 

“When you see the ball go through the hoop, it’s amazing how it gets the adrenaline going, the confidence up and it seems to flow from there,” Marauders head coach Theresa Burns noted.  

The Hamilton native kept shooting and kept making those shots at a high rate. She finished the game shooting five-for-11 from the field and three-for-eight from deep. Those baskets and plays were timely as it helped stymie the Bold’s consistent comeback attempts. 

Burns said Stinson was outstanding. “Got back to doing what she’s capable of doing – shooting, rebounding, getting to the rim,” she noted. “Really, a good breakout game for her that she’s needed.”

One of the things Burns and Stinson have talked about is attacking the rim more. Against TMU, she did that. This is where her three-point shooting ability helps. Due to that, Burns said defenders will have to close out to her at the three-point line. 

“If she can create that close out for herself and be willing to attack it, she’s going to be tough to stop,” Burns said. 

For Stinson, while the old saying of shots falling may have been true against the Bold, it’s also about her mentality to keep shooting. 

“I’m going to keep shooting the open threes and the open shots and finding those lanes,” Stinson said. “Whether or not they’re dropping or not but it’s nice when the ball starts dropping like it did tonight.” 

Confidence and belief are crucial amid the missed shots. 

“You have to keep believing that the shots will go in,” she added. “I know I’m capable of hitting those shots but that also comes from all the other aspects of my game.” 

Her rebounding led to her making those shots, according to her. She hauled down six defensive rebounds – part of a team total of 45. 

“We want to send a message to other teams in this league about what kind of team we are,” Stinson said. “We’re going to show that we’re a boarding team, that we’re an aggressive team who will do that.” 

A full summer of training helps her shooting and performance as well. 

Currently in her third year at McMaster, Stinson and her fellow players in her recruiting class finally got a full offseason of training. She spent a lot of time working out with teammates Delaney Bourget, Cassie Joli-Coeur and Deanna Mataseje. 

“We learned so much,” Stinson noted. “We just became so much more creative I feel and just so much more confident in ourselves and each other. Which makes it very very exciting.” 

That excitement could be felt on the court during the game. It could be felt after the game as they celebrated the victory. It could be felt in the team room before the game as well.  

Stinson and point guard Arianne Soriano hype up their teammates with pre-game dance music – which helps them prepare for the intensity of games. It helped against the Bold. “Our energy is immaculate,” Stinson said with a smile.

Featured Image: Kevin Lassel/McMaster Athletics