Wednesday, January 23

The Canaan Lady Eagles got back on the winning track Wednesday night, grinding out a victory over the Bears of Bishops College of Canada. The starting time of this game was delayed over an hour due to complications with the Bishops team crossing the border, causing both teams to come out of the gates a bit sluggish. As the pace of the game picked up, the score went back-and-forth. After several lead changes throughout, the Lady Eagles were able to pull ahead in the final minutes to ensure a 40-31 victory.

The Lady Eagles struggled to hit shots in the first quarter, often settling for medium to long range jumpers instead of penetrating the Bears' defense. The first Canaan basket was finally put in by Nicole Flagg on an offensive rebound and put back midway through the quarter. Danielle Harris, after a slow shooting start, would find her range in the final minutes of the quarter, connecting on three consecutive jumpers to give the Lady Eagles the 10-6 lead after eight minutes.

Turnovers plagued both sides in the second quarter. The Canaan defense began to show vulnerability inside, as Bishops center Angel Atomate began finding open looks in the paint. Atomate was effective not only on the offensive end, but on defense as well, swatting several shot attempts on the interior. Behind the strong play of Atomate, the Bears clawed back to even the score at halftime, 14-14.

The Lady Eagles got in together of the offensive side in the second half. Solid defense forced the Bears into turnovers that led to transition points for Harris and Paige Marchand. After a pair of hoops from Annick Marquis and Harris, the Canaan lead was up to 6 midway through the third quarter. Bishops again battled back by utilizing Atomate's size in the post. The Bears had a golden opportunity to swing momentum in the quarter, but failed to capitalize. After a foul on Atomate, Canaan coach Eric Hurlbert received a technical foul for arguing the call. This gave the Bears four free throws, two for the personal foul and two for the technical, as well as possession of the ball. The Bears missed three of the four free throws, and trailed by 3 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Bears showed signs of fatigue, as the Lady Eagles outscored their opponent 16-10 in the final quarter. A three-pointer from Marchand doubled the Canaan lead to 6 with just over six minutes left in regulation. After the teams exchanged baskets, Harris would come up with a nice steal and the hoop in transition to give the Lady Eagles a 33-25 lead. The Bears were unable to make up any ground, as both sides swapped hoops for the remainder of the game.

Harris led the Lady Eagles with 16 points, and Marchand finished with 9.

Atomate was the game's high-scorer, netting 22 points for Bishops in the loss.

The win puts the Lady Eagles back above .500 at 8-7.