Rams head to Ottawa for biggest test of the season

TORONTO - The No. 5 Rams women's basketball team is headed to the nation's capital this weekend to take on the No. 9 Ottawa Gee-Gees in their biggest test of their OUA campaign.

With the 7-2 Gee-Gees sitting just underneath the Rams at the second spot in the OUA East standings, the two games at Ottawa's Montpetit Hall will have legitimate postseason implications and will be a key indicator for each team to know how they measure up against top competition heading into the playoffs.

The Rams are coming into this weekend fresh off four wins in 10 days against Toronto schools York Lions and Toronto Varsity Blues, with the Rams convincingly taking each game and looking as focused as ever.

Running through the 6ix right now ???? pic.twitter.com/RqL4wr12jP
— Rams Women's Basketball (@RamsWBB) February 20, 2022

The last two weeks for the Gee-Gees have seen three strenuous matchups against nationally ranked Queen's Gaels and Carleton Ravens, with the Gee-Gees dropping a game against each team on the road and defeating the Gaels at home, where they remain 4-0.

The Gee-Gees will be looking to take their revenge on the Rams, after the blue and gold defeated them in Ottawa at the OUA semifinals in 2020, which was the last time the teams faced off.

Ottawa have shown to have a very potent offence that runs through forward Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu, the second leading scorer in the OUA at over 17 points per game. To add to their strong front court, Gee-Gees forward Anne Carr scores 62.9% from the field, making her the most efficient scorer in the province.

All around, Ottawa seems to be strong on many fronts, with them being a top five team in steals and blocks in the league, and have some shooting with guard Savannah Provo being the second most efficient three point shooter in the OUA.

"They've got some size and some different weapons," said Rams head coach Carly Clarke after a win against Toronto last week. "I think we'll have to take care of the boards and defend the post."

Ottawa's scouting report will be loaded as well however, with Rams Rachel Farwell, Marin Scotten and Mikaela Dodig all averaging over 10 points per game to contribute to the second best offence in the league, as well as the top defence in the league allowing just 50.6 points per game.

Can't forget about that strong defence! ?? ??#weRrams pic.twitter.com/J8uqCmhHKz
— Rams Women's Basketball (@RamsWBB) February 17, 2022

One element that seems to overwhelm teams against the Rams, and leads to continuous scoring throughout the game and a high number of steals, is their exceptional bench depth in the backcourt with Kaillie Hall, Eve Uwayesu, Kiya Giles and Tiya Misir all providing legitimate contributions of defence and posing a threat on offence.

Kaillie Hall, the Rams' primary scorer off the bench, is averaging 8.8 points in 18 minutes per game.

Check out that drive! ??????#weRrams pic.twitter.com/8NnZ2SM15o
— Rams Women's Basketball (@RamsWBB) February 12, 2022

With both the Rams and Ottawa ranking as the top teams in perimeter defence and having each shown to be disruptive on that end—lower scoring, high-intensity games might be in the cards for this powerhouse matchup.

This weekend's games will take place this Friday at 5 p.m. and on Saturday at 2 p.m. All games will be streamed live on OUA.tv and updates will be found @ryersonrams and @ramswbb on Twitter and Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Marin Scotten: G; 5' 11"; 4

#7 Rachel Farwell: F; 6' 0"; 3

#14 Kaillie Hall: G; 5' 9"; 2

#21 Mikaela Dodig: G; 5' 5"; 5

#23 Tiya Misir: G; 5' 2"; 3

#9 Eve Uwayesu: G; 5' 6"; 4

Players Mentioned

#4 Marin Scotten
: 5' 11"; 4
: G

#7 Rachel Farwell
: 6' 0"; 3
: F

#14 Kaillie Hall
: 5' 9"; 2
: G

#21 Mikaela Dodig
: 5' 5"; 5
: G

#23 Tiya Misir
: 5' 2"; 3
: G

#9 Eve Uwayesu
: 5' 6"; 4
: G