The University of Windsor Lancers women's basketball team earned a hard-fought 73–65 overtime victory over the York Lions on Saturday (Feb. 7) night at the Tait McKenzie Centre in Toronto, Ont., overcoming an early deficit and pulling away in the extra frame to secure the road win. After trailing by double digits in the first quarter, Windsor showed resilience on both ends of the floor, forcing overtime before outscoring York 13–5 to close out the contest. 

GAME FLOW
York set the tone early, jumping out to an 18–8 lead after the opening quarter as Windsor struggled to find an offensive rhythm. The Lancers began to settle in during the second frame, outscoring the Lions 15–13 to cut the halftime deficit to eight, with York holding a 31–23 advantage at the break. Windsor continued to chip away in the third quarter, edging York 18–15 to make it a five-point game heading into the fourth. The Lancers completed the comeback in the final frame, outscoring York 19–14 to force overtime tied at 60. In the extra period, Windsor controlled the pace, limiting York to just five points while executing offensively to secure the 73–65 win. 

Rebounding and defensive pressure proved to be key factors in the contest. Windsor finished with a 42–48 rebounding deficit but forced 29 York turnovers, generating key transition opportunities throughout the second half and overtime. Both teams shot similarly from the field, with Windsor at 34.7% and York at 35.2%, while perimeter shooting was limited on both sides. Windsor went 4-of-14 from three-point range, while York finished 5-of-21. The Lancers also capitalized at the free-throw line, going 19-of-28 compared to York's 10-of-18. 

STATS
Kali Grootenboer led all scorers for Windsor with a dominant performance, posting a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds to record a double-double. Julia Chiarot added a season-high 22 points, eight rebounds, and a standout defensive effort with seven steals while playing all 40 minutes. Maliyah Ogorek provided a spark off the bench with a new career-high of 14 points on efficient shooting, while Jade Hunte chipped in six points, six rebounds, and three assists. 

York was led by Kiara Leveridge, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Alexis Grewal added 11 points off the bench, while Katy Leudy contributed 10 points along with four steals for the Lions. 

UP NEXT
With the win, Windsor improves to 16–5 on the season. The Lancers will look to carry the momentum forward into next weekend at home in their final regular season game with a matchup against the Algoma Thunderbirds on Saturday, February 14. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Tickets for the game are available at golancers.ca/tickets and the game can be streamed via oua.tv.