TORONTO - The Ryerson women's basketball team is back and will be starting the new decade with some very competitive matchups this week. 

The Rams had a strong first half of the season, tallying an 8-2 record and have won four straight OUA games. However, more strong play will be needed in 2020 in order for the Rams to achieve playoff success. The OUA has more teams and is more competitive than ever, with five teams currently sitting with a better record than the Rams. 

One team that is surprisingly not in that top tier of OUA teams so far this season is the McMaster Marauders. The Marauders, who are defending U SPORTS National Champions, have had a rather slow start to the season, dropping four matches already. 

Coming off of two straight OUA losses, McMaster's much needed holiday break might serve as a resurgence in the prestigious basketball program. The Rams will be looking for their fifth straight OUA win and fourth straight against the Marauders this Wednesday in Hamilton. 

Expect McMaster's veteran core of Christina Buttenham, Sara Gates, and Olivia Wilson to give the Rams some problems. 

The Rams will then return home this Saturday to take on the red-hot Western Mustangs during Ryerson's annual OBA Day. Contrary to the Marauders, the Mustangs were a relatively weaker team last season, finishing with a 5-19 record including a loss to the Rams in their only matchup. This season has been a quick turn-around for Western, as they now sit in the top of the OUA at 11-1 with 11 straight wins. 

Ryerson will look to exploit Western's fatigue, as they will be facing the Varsity Blues just 18 hours prior. 

Similar to McMaster's players to watch, the Mustangs' four strongest offensive players are all seniors, so an experienced OUA team is something to expect from Western on Saturday. 

Ryerson will look to utilize their two best offensive weapons, junior guards Marin Scotten (Ottawa, Ont.) and Jama Bin-Edward (Waterloo, Ont.) who score a combined 26 points per game.

Catch Wednesday's game against the Marauders at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday's game against the Mustangs on Coca-Cola Court at 12:00 p.m. Both will also be available on OUA.tv.