Brock women net berth in U SPORTS championship
Tatti honoured as OUA player of the year, while Rao is selected as the top coach
Brock came back to upset Western, 69-65, in women’s basketball Wednesday night in London, Ont., clinching a berth in the U SPORTS national championships.
Jessica Morris, with 19 points, Sam Keltos and Melissa Tatti with 17 each, and Sofia Croce, with 12, reached double digits in scoring for the sixth-seeded Badgers who trailed the No. 5 Mustangs 40-28 at halftime. Croce was the team’s top rebounder, with 12, earning her first double-double. Kristin Gallant had nine and Keltos seven.
With the come-from-behind victory, Brock avenged a 67-58 home-court loss to Western during the regular season.
“They played with poise down the stretch. Some clutch shooting and rebounding by all of our players,” head coach Mike Rao said after the Baders bounced a higher seed from the playoffs for the second time in as many games.
Last Saturday on their home court, the Badgers outscored the No. 6 Windsor Lancers 29-7 in the fourth quarter after trailing 30-22 at halftime and 51-32 after three quarters of play.
While nationals take place March 5-8 in Ottawa, the Badgers will be back on the court before then.
They visit the No. 2 seed Ryerson Rams in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Critelli Cup final.
Brock defeated Ryerson 68-58 on Oct. 26 in St. Catharines and dropped an 81-66 decision in the rematch Feb. 1 in Toronto.
In league play, the Badgers went 17-5, finishing second in the Central Division, two points behind the 18-4 Rams.
Tatti was honoured as OUA player of the year and Rao as top coach before tipoff at Wednesday night’s semifinal versus Western.
“Something has clicked the last few games where we just want it more than the other team. We don’t care who’s scoring, and we’re playing tough defence,” said Tatti, a fifth-year graduating senior. “I never doubted that we could win games because of our talent, but the heart this team has is something of a championship team.”
Brock is making its fifth trip to nationals and its first since 2012. They also competed in the Canadian championships in 1983, ’87 and 2002. Their best finish was the bronze medal they won under coach Pat Woodburn in ’83, when the nationals were played in Winnipeg. To date, that has been Brock’s only national medal in women’s basketball.