Hickey's big defensive performance not enough as Griffins' offence goes cold in second half

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – While they got the start they wanted – up by nine after one quarter – the Griffins women's basketball team ultimately couldn't score enough when it counted in a 60-47 loss to the Lethbridge Pronghorns on Friday night.

"Scoring kind of dried up a little bit," said head coach Katherine Adams, whose team scored just 22 second-half points. "We settled for a lot of outside shots without much success. We didn't see them drop. It just took us too long to adjust and find different way to generate some scores. 

"On the flip side, you shoot a three, they get the rebound and get some transition opportunities. And just a few lack of discipline things at the end that kind of broke it open for them a little bit down the stretch there."

With the result, the Griffins fall to 0-11 as they continue to search for the right formula to net their first win of the season. Lethbridge improves to 3-10.

Glaringly, the Griffins shot just 5-for-32 from beyond the arc in the game and only got to the free-throw line nine times in the contest, compared to 14 for the 'Horns.

"I think fatigue was probably a bit of it," said Adams. "We just settled for some outside shots that weren't maybe what would give us the best scoring opportunity. 

"So, certainly (we need to be) just a little bit more disciplined and understand the importance of getting the ball inside to force the defence to have to shift and work a bit harder to defend and protect the rim."

Unity Obasuyi led the Griffins with 19 points, while Samantha Hickey had a double double with 10 points and 17 rebounds, part of a monster defensive performance that also included six blocks. Both her rebounds and blocks totals are tied for the fourth-most by a Griffin in a Canada West game.

"It was an incredible performance from her protecting the rim and taking care of the glass," said Adams. "The stats sheet has her for eight points, but she actually had 10. They gave one of her buckets to Sofia (Makinen). She actually had a double double. A really great performance, showcasing what she brings to the table and contributing in a lot of different ways, which is great to see. 

"It's unfortunate we couldn't have put a little bit better offensive performance behind it."

The teams will meet again on Saturday (5 p.m., Canada West TV).