Brits in College: Week 3 Recap

Our co-players of the week both come from schools over the border in Canada where both Gemma Bullard and Kristie Sheils played no small part in helping their teams take home 2 wins apiece.

Player(s) of the Week

Gemma Bullard and her Queen’s Gaels fought hard to bring home 2 wins this week against stiff competition.

First up, were Mcmaster who were right up there with the Gaels in terms of energy and aggression. Gemma finished the game with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. Next up were Nr. 10 ranked Brock, and Gemma carried the team on her back to help take the 69 – 65 overtime win.

Gemma finished with 25 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assist and 2 steals in 34 starter minutes. To cap a fine week, Gemma  earns Hoopsfix co-Player of the Week and was also named OUA Female athlete of the week

The Calgary Dinos are on a roll, proud owners of a 6 game win streak after 2 wins this week, and former Manchester Mystic Kristie Sheils (pictured, above right) was instrumental in both wins.

First up were Thompson Rivers who were rolled over 75 – 58. Kristie started, played 31 minutes and had a game high 20 points. Next up were UBC Okanagan Heat who were beaten 72 – 52.  Sheils again top scored for her team with 13 points and added 3 assists and a game high 4 steals.  Sheils earns the Hoopsfix Co-Player of the Week award.

NCAA Division 1

Houston Baptist Huskies’ Erin McGarrachan is on a purple patch right now. Not content with winning  the Hoopsfix Player of the Week award last week, she led her team again in both points and rebounds in this week’s 50 – 74 loss to Jackson state. She finished with game highs of 15 points and 8 rebounds in 26 starter minutes.

Former Southend Swifts & Sevenoaks Suns player Maisie Elston came off the bench for the Huskies and added 2 rebounds in 10 minutes.

There was plenty to celebrate in Harvard’s 91 – 76  win over Colgate, chief of which was coach Delaney-Smiths 500^th career win as a coach. Former Haringey Angel and Olympian Temi Fagbenle, put in another all-round performance with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

In their home opener against Loyola Marymount, Long Beach State 49ers and Ella Clark rode a balanced offense to take the 76 – 66 win.  Former Barking Abbey protégé and daughter of Barking Abbey Basketball Academy Director Mark Clark, Ella Clark had 9 points and 3 assists in 28 minutes.

If next Friday in the USA is Black Friday, surely this week was Black week for Becca Allisons Old Dominion Monarchs as they lost all three games they played, at the first ever Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame tournament for women.

The Monarchs first game of the tournament was against Ohio State in front of a packed house of over 5000 fans, which they lost by 60 – 75.  Becca put up 4 points in 10 minutes off the bench.

A slow start in the second game would condemn the Monarchs to a 58-77 loss against Bowling green. Former City of Edinburgh Kool Kats Allison played 18 minutes off the bench and had 2 points.

Wanting to make amends and avenge their two previous defeats, the Lady Monarchs opened the game with a 19 – 7 run against Marist. Marist fought back and with one second left in regulation, took the game into overtime and ended up winning 87 – 82.  Becca had her best game of the tournament putting up 15 points, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 rebounds in 27 minutes.

Nr. 5 ranked Notre Dame were in town to play Renee Busch’s Penn. Penn started off 8 -6 up but that was as good as it got for former Sevenoaks Suns Renee’s team. Notre Dame proved too strong and took home the 76 – 54 win. Renee played 8 minutes off the bench, had 1 rebound and an assist.

Mollie Campbell’s University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions were on the road this week to Nebraska, where they took on and lost to the 11^th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers 55 – 78. Mollie, in her starting role, played 18 minutes, had 4 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.

Nebraksa proved an unhappy hunting ground as they took on and lost 48 – 76 to the University of Nebraska- Omaha 2 days later. Mollie added 2 points and 3 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench

It was a New York road trip for former Haringey Angel Chantel Charles and her Maine Black Bears team as they headed to Long Island University and then onward to Syracuse.

The Black Bears beat LIU  (66- 50) on the back of terrific shooting 54% and few (7) turnovers in the whole game.  Chantel came off the bench to add 6 points and 4 rebounds in 19 bench minutes.

Syracuse a couple of days later was a different beast altogether and the Black bears were soundly beaten 42 – 97. Chantel added 3 points and 3 assists in 21 minutes off the bench. Rewind the action and watch the whole game here.

Melita Emanuel-Carr and her University of Illinois at Chicago Flames team are gathering momentum and made it two wins out of two in the week. First up were the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars who were rolled over 88 – 65.  Former GB u20 Melita came off the bench, scored 3 points and had an assist in 6 minutes of court time.

Next up were Miami in Ohio Redhawks who were beaten 76 – 66. Melita had 9 minutes in this game off the bench and knocked down her only shot attempt (3 pointer)

Shequila Joseph’s Ole Miss Rebels managed to snap their 3 game losing streak and bring home two wins in the week.  Southeastern Louisiana were up first and a big second half stretched a 5 point half time lead to a 96 – 69 final score. Shequila played 13 minutes in her starting role and had 2 points and 2 rebounds.

The Ole Miss Rebels took their streak to two wins with a 77 – 61 victory over Tennessee State two days later. Shequila played 5 minutes in her starting role abd pulled down two rebounds.

The Toledo Rockets and their freshman Janice Monakana took to the floor on the road against the University Missouri-Kansas City. Final score was 96 – 81 in favour of the Rockets. Janice came off the bench and had 5 points and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes.

The Baptism of Division 1 fire continues for Femi Hamilton’s Umass-Lowell as they went down 59 – 77 to St Francis. Former London Towers and Sevenoaks Suns Femi got 2 minutes off the bench.

The Southern Utah Thunderbirds made it two wins out of two at home this week.  They seem to have the measure of in-state rival Utah Valley and so it proved again this week, where they won by 74 – 63. Former Sevenoaks Suns Ashleigh Munns came off the bench for the Thunderbirds and put up 3 points in 9 minutes. In the 68 – 65 win over Westminster 2 days later, Ashleigh had 3 minutes off the bench.

Harriett Ottewill-Soulsby’s Lafayette leopards took on and lost to  5 and 0  Villanova wildcats. Harriett played 4 minutes and had 2 points.

Timeyin Oritsesan and her Florida International Panthers made the journey over to Massachusetts to play the Boston college Eagles. Timeyin got 5 minutes off the bench in her team’s 69 – 89 loss to the Eagles.

Cristal Turner’s Utah State Aggies played and beat Utah 77 – 61 and that is one of the fiercest rivalry in sporting history. Cristal played 25 minutes off the bench and added 3 points and 5 rebounds. To make the week complete, the Aggies beat Idaho state 78 – 66. Cristal played 17 minutes for 6 points and 4 rebounds.

Former Solent Sun Flo Ward and her North Florida Ospreys made the trek over to Vermont to take part in the TD Bank Classic tournament.  First up were Vermont but cold shooting (19%)  from the Ospreys condemned them to a 44 – 68 loss. Flo played 13 minutes off the bench, hit her lone shot attempt (3 pointer) and blocked a shot as well.

In the consolation game against Sienna, Flo played 1 minute off the bench. The Ospreys lost the game by 60 – 61 points.

NCAA Division 2

Franklin Pierce Ravens needed a big effort in overtime to take down St Michael’s 75 – 69 and former Nottingham Wildcat Jess Hurd was instrumental in this win. Despite having only just returned back to playing following her ACL tear, she logged a double-double in the game with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

The Ravens would stretch their winning streak to three when they took on and beat Merrimack 74 – 61.  Jess played 12 minutes off the bench and pulled down 5 rebounds.

Former Manchester Mystics & GB U20 Rosie Hynes and her Florida Tech Panthers beat the University of Puerto-Rico-Bayamon 71 – 53. Rosie played 32 minutes from her starting spot and added 8 points. The Panthers also took on University of Puerto-Rico-Mayaguez a few days later, beating them 79 – 48. Rosie added 8 points and 6 assists in only 22 minutes of play.

Whitney Allen and her Edinboro Fighting Scots kicked off their season with an 81 – 64 win over Urbana. Whitney had 2 rebounds, 1 steal and an assist in 10 minutes off the bench. In their second conference game of the week, the Fighting Scots were able to take down Pitt-Johnstown 91 – 80.  Whitney had 8 minutes off the bench, 2 points and 1 shot block.

Dee Hayward’s Armstrong Pirates overcame the odds to beat Nr. 17 ranked Limestone, 82 -77.  Dee came off the bench and added 2 points, 2 rebounds and a steal in 11 minutes of play.

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs and their former GB U20 guard Jo Salmon dominated the encounter with Wisconsin-Superior, winning 89 – 43.  Jo came off the bench and added a steal and an assist in only 5 minutes of play.

Canada

See Player(s) of the week above.

NCAA Division 3

Former Stockport and Manchester Mystic Kerri-Leanne Taylor’s Virginia Wesleyan Marlins kept the pressure on in the second half to bring home the 80 – 72 win over Salisbury. Kerri added 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal to cap a fine all round performance in 31 starter minutes.

The Marlins jumped out to a quick 9 – 0 lead and never looked back in the weeks 2^nd fixture against Emory & Henry, winning 67 – 47. Kerri added 5 points, 5 rebounds, a steal and an assist in 16 starter minutes.

JUCO

Vanessa Akra’s Darton State College took on and beat Atlanta Metro in a tight contest, 71 – 68. Former Brixton Topcat & GB U20 Vanessa came off the bench and added 2 points, a rebound and a steal in 15 minutes.

What a difference a week makes; Alicia Gallagher’s Lamar Community College Lopes beat Dodge City CC a week ago but were unable to get the sweep when they met this week going down 94 – 108 in a high scoring game.

The Lopes were able to make good a few days later when they took on and beat Northwest tech Mavericks 107 – 72.

NAIA

Keala Greig’s Belhaven Blazers have had mixed fortunes this week, losing 2 and winning one. First up were Wiley College who won handily by 75 – 43. A disappointed head coach Rusty Cram had this to say “We weren’t in it from the very beginning, and we got beat in every phase of the game”.

Kaela had 4 minutes off the bench and helped out with an assist.

In their second game, a 49 -54 loss, Kaela registered a DNP. Some redemption was at hand however as the Blazers beat Emmanuel College 72 – 60 with barely any court time for Kaela.

Image Credit: David Moll