Lions Ground Ooks Friday Night

NAIT came into Ambrose Friday night looking to turn around their 0-5 start to the season, but the Lions were out for blood following their double OT heartbreaker last weekend.

            The game started evenly matched, with Ellie and Lucy Wilde pacing the Ooks against the production on Kamsiyochi Ogbudibe and Tegan McArthur for the Lions. Ambrose struggled from the field in the first but outrebounded the Ooks 12-4 in the opening frame to go along with 7 steals to finish the quarter with a 17-16 edge.

            It was NAIT's turn to go ice cold to start the second, shooting just 15.8% in the frame, allowing Ambrose to gain a more substantial lead. The Lions on the other hand went a scorching 4-5 from downtown in the quarter, setting the tone for their 50% shooting from deep over the course of the game. A pair of threes in the final two minutes of the half from Makenna Graham sent the Lions into halftime up 37-29.

            Both teams put the clamps down on defense to start the third. Each team held each other to under 30% shooting over the course of the quarter. Each team featured some highlight blocks in the frame to keep it interesting including one from Abi Payne for NAIT and one of Ogbudibe's game high 4. Ambrose continued to dominate the boards in the third, and second chance points allowed them to edge out the Ooks 11-9 in scoring for the quarter giving them a 48-38 lead going into the final frame.

            The Lions caught fire once again in the fourth while continuing to hold down the fort in their own end. Player of the game for Ambrose Tegan MacArthur did it all this quarter putting up a couple buckets, some assists, a steal and a block to close out the game while her counterpart Ogbudibe put up her third double-double of the season. Ooks' #10 Elizabeth Salcedo game off the bench to earn player of the game honors for the Ooks' side, thanks in large part to her second quarter scoring and late game defense.

            The Ambrose Lions will be back in action in less than twenty-four hours as they take on Northwestern Polytechnic late Saturday afternoon, another team looking to get their first win of the season. NAIT will be looking to turn their fortunes against Lethbridge who currently sits first in the ACAC South.