LLOYDMINSTER, Alta. – The National Championships open up with the Lions taking on the Eagles.
The Lambton Women's Basketball Program, the 2024 OCAA Gold Medalists, will take on the TKU Eagles, the 2024 ACAC Silver Medalists, in the opening game of the 2024 CCAA Women's Basketball Championships in Lloydminster, Alberta on Wednesday, March 13th at Lakeland College.
During the regular season, the Lions posted a record of 14-2 overall, and they won the program's first-ever OCAA Championship in Women's Basketball back on Sunday, March 3rd. This is the first time that the Lambton Women's Basketball Program has competed in the National Tournament, and they enter as the top-ranked team on their side of the bracket.
On the other side, the Eagles put together a regular season record of 13-7 in the ACAC's North Division, finishing second behind the Lakeland Rusters, who are the hosts of this year's Women's Basketball National Championships.
Tipoff on Wednesday is set for 1:00 p.m. MST / 3:00 p.m. EST. The game can be streamed online through Vidflex here.
How They Got Here
The Lions have yet to lose in the 2024 calendar year, and they are riding an 11-game winning streak into the National Championships. In the OCAA Semifinals, the Lions picked up a 65-50 win over the Niagara Knights to set up a battle between the regular division winners in the OCAA in the Gold Medal Game. In the finals, the Lions never trailed against the then-unbeaten Algonquin Wolves, rolling to the 78-56 win to secure the team's first-ever OCAA Gold Medal and punch their ticket to Lloydminster.
Nationally, the Lions were ranked eighth in the final instalment of the CCAA National Rankings, which were released prior to the conference championships. The Lions were placed in the A1 spot at the National Championships to sit atop their half of the bracket. They were one of just two teams ranked inside the top 10 to win their repsective conference championship (Lakeland; 1st).
The Eagles come into Wednesday's contest on the heels of a loss to Lakeland in the ACAC Championship Game, 61-50. They went 6-4 over their final 10 games of the regular season.
How They Stack Up
Here’s a look at how the teams stack up against one another in terms of statistics from the regular season:
| Lambton Lions | TKU Eagles | |
|---|---|---|
| 73.3 | PTS/GM (OFF) | 72.5 |
| 48.9 | PTS/GM (DEF) | 60.6 |
| 37.6 | FG % | 39.3 |
| 28.0 | 3PT % | 26.7 |
| 73.5 | FT % | 66.0 |
| 50.3 | REB/GM | 39.7 |
| 18.1 | AST/GM | 14.6 |
| 16.0 | STL/GM | 13.8 |
Players To Watch
Lambton Lions: Brett Fischer (12.3 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 2.1 apg; 37.6% FG, 71.7% FT)
Fischer, a fifth-year forward from Wallaceburg, was a force to be reckoned with in the paint all season long for opposing teams in the OCAA. Fischer, a Second-Team West Division All-Star, ranked second in the league with an average of 10.9 rebounds per game. Her 84 offensive rebounds ranked first in the OCAA, while her 174 total rebounds ranked second.
The Lions come into the 2024 CCAA Women's Basketball National Championships as the top rebounding team in the country during the regular season (50.3 rpg), and they had a +10.9 rebounding margin. Fischer, who had 9+ rebounds in 14/16 regular season games (11 games with 10+) was a big reason for the team's success in the paint. Look for Fischer to have an impact against an Eagles team that averages under 40 rebounds per game as a team.
TKU Eagles: Aneilia Ayotte (15.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 0.8 apg; 51.1% FG, 65.9% FT)
Ayotte, a third-year forward from St. Albert, will draw the match-up with Fischer in the paint, and the head-to-head matchup between the two forwards will be worth the price of admission alone. Ayotte, who stands at six-foot-one, was named an ACAC North Division First Team All-Star after averaging a team-high 15.9 points to go along with 6.6 rebounds per contest.
During the regular season, Ayotte was the only player for the Eagles to start all 20 regular season games, averaging 26.1 minutes per outing. Offensively, she had 10+ points in 18 of 20 games during the regular season, with all of her points coming on two-point field goals (51.1% FG) or at the free throw line.
Last Meeting
This marks the first-ever meeting between the Lions and Eagles.
For more information, or for any media inquiries within Lambton College Athletics, please contact:
Tyler Bennett
Lambton College Sports Information & Marketing Coordinator
tyler.bennett@lambtoncollege.ca