For the second time in McMaster history, the U Sports MVP award will return to Hamilton
The awards continue coming for McMaster University’s women’s basketball team. Sarah Gates, who was named the provincial most valuable player award winner just one week ago, has now been named the U Sports Most Valuable Player as the best women’s player in the country.
Gates had an absolute breakout year where she finished with a stat line of 27.1 points per game on a 47.9 field goal percentage while averaging seven point six rebounds. She would also set the McMaster women’s basketball all time scoring record, and the single game scoring record over the course of the season.
Along with this honour, Gates was named to the first team All-Canadian. She was the driving force for the team on route to their 17 win and six loss record.
Despite the outstanding play from Gates, the team was only able to make it to the semi-final round of the provincial playoffs, where they were eliminated by the eventually championed Carlton Ravens. Gates put up 22 points in what would become the final game of her McMaster career, as she will be graduating at the end of the year alongside teammates Mia Spadafora, Arianne Soriano, Pietra Kamstra and Clare Sharkey.
After having led Canada in scoring, Sarah Gates has officially brought the MVP award back to McMaster
Marauders superstar Sarah Gates has just been named the Ontario University Athletics league women’s basketball MVP for the 2022-2023 season. Gates led the nation in scoring, finishing with a staggering 27.3 points per game, nearly five full points over the next leading scorer, while maintaining an efficient 48.4 field goal percentage.
Gates led the nation in scoring, finishing with a staggering 27.3 points per game, nearly five full points over the next leading scorer.
Gates becomes the first MVP winner for McMaster since Danielle Boiago in the 2016-2017 season. Boiago, now an assistant coach for the team, led the Marauders all-time in scoring until her record was broken earlier this season by Gates. Gates also set the single game scoring record this season with 47 in a game.
Arianne Soriano, a point guard for the team, also came away with some hardware after having won the Joy Bellinger Award for outstanding career contributions to OUA basketball.
The announcement comes a mere two hours prior to game time for the Marauders, who will be taking on the Carlton Ravens at 6:00 PM on Mar. 1 in Ottawa. Should Gates and the team win their game tonight, they will secure their spot in the provincial championship this weekend.
Coming off a big season with five key graduating members, the sense of urgency has kicked in for a team hungry to wreak havoc
The Marauders women’s basketball officially ended their season with 16 wins and five losses, but are coming off a streak of 15 wins in their last 17 games, and have only gotten better as time has passed. Their final two games of the season proved the capabilities of the team, showcasing their talents.
The Marauders downed the Waterloo Warriors on Feb. 17 in a 20-point victory and the Toronto Varsity Blues on Feb. 18 in the way of a 21-point victory. Sarah Gates and Jenna Button played a key role in these victories, Button putting up 25 points, and Gates putting up 36 (23 at half) against UofT. Gates, McMaster’s single game points record holder and all time points record holder, also put up 41 against the Warriors.
“Both of those games were such solid team wins. Everyone got on the floor [and] contributed in some way. When our team is working so well together, it’s easy individually to succeed, and we saw that. . . This is the perfect bounce back from our TMU loss from a couple weekends ago. We use it as a motivator going into the playoffs, and a reminder that we can’t take our foot off the gas,” said Gates.
"This is the perfect bounce back from our TMU loss from a couple weekends ago. We use it as a motivator going into the playoffs, and a reminder that we can’t take our foot off the gas."
Sarah Gates, Women's Basketball Team & Canadian Leading Scorer
Gates has been the team centerpiece all season long, having led all of Canada in points per game, even having surpassed the next leading scorer by nearly 5 PPG, but she wasn’t the only member of the team to find the national leaderboards, as Mia Spadafora led the nation in three point percentage.
“I’m so proud of Mia, that’s something that she’s been striving for. We’ve all known that she’s an amazing shooter. I think that seeing this statistic helps her really believe it, and going into the playoffs, that’s huge. . . It’s really awesome seeing both of us up there,” explained Gates.
The team has been firing on all cylinders lately, but that comes after a somewhat spotty start to the season where they only won once in their first four matchups. However, those games may have proven to be some of the most valuable to the team, especially having come to early on.
“We’ve been on such a good rise. Even in those first games, I know they were losses, but we were learning, growing each game. I think it’s something that our team has been doing so well with regardless of the score at the end of the game. . . That shift in our mindset will give us a great advantage going into the playoffs. We’re ready, we’ve growth throughout this season,” said Gates.
The success for the team comes as a big deal in what was an extremely quick rebuild turnaround for the team. After what was expected to be a down year in 2021-2022, the team still managed to finish with 10 wins and seven losses, surpassing what most expected of them. Despite having provided some resistance in the playoffs, they were eliminated in their second round matchup. The team has been working to improve on that ever since, and their regular season record suggests the realism in that goal.
“Last year [people] thought it was a rebuilding year, we were doing really well but didn’t quite get that outcome towards the end of playoffs. That sucked in the moment, but it was such a fuel to the fire going into a huge offseason. . . It was the discipline and motivation that we had in the offseason that kept us rolling this year. It’s unfinished business,” explained Gates.
"That sucked in the moment, but it was such a fuel to the fire going into a huge offseason. . . It was the discipline and motivation that we had in the offseason that kept us rolling this year. It’s unfinished business."
Sarah Gates
The team will kick off their playoff run on Feb. 25 in Burridge Gym, at home against the Guelph Gryphons. Their last matchup against the 17 win and six loss Gryphons resulted in a final score of 82-73, in favor of the Gryphons on Nov. 30, so it should be a very competitive matchup.
Having won 13 of their last 14 OUA games, the team has successfully made their way into the national top 10 rankings
By: Ramiz Khan, Contributor
The McMaster University women's basketball team is making a strong case for the title of the Ontario University Athletics Central division with a commanding 14 and four record on the year. They've now won 13 out of their last 14 games regular season games, taking down several top teams along the way, including the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold, the Brock University Badgers and the Western University Mustangs.
The secret to the team success lies in the dynamic play of forward Sarah Gates, who leads the entire country with a whopping average of 26.1 points per game. The team defense has also been a force to be reckoned with, allowing just 62.1 opponent points per game.
As the regular season nears its end with only a few games remaining, the team is gearing up for a deep playoff run. They hope to match the glory of their 2019 national championship season in what will be the final year for several players who were on that 2019 roster.
With a fairly comfortable lead in the division and a roster filled with talented players, the team looks poised for another deep run come playoff season. After starting the season with three losses and only one win, they managed to completely flip the script, putting themselves in a position for success.
“I think just working together and sticking through it as a unit. We play our best basketball and we're all having fun and making the most of our connections on the team, and it really shows, and that's what we've been doing, so it's been pretty awesome,” said Cassie Joli-Couer, a forward for the team.
“I think just working together and sticking through it as a unit. We play our best basketball and we're all having fun and making the most of our connections on the team, and it really shows, and that's what we've been doing, so it's been pretty awesome.”
Cassie Joli-Couer, Women's Basketball Team
Having now won nine games in a row, tying the Carleton University Ravens for the longest active streak in the OUA, the team has been rolling. Though there were several potential turning points for the team to prove themselves as a threat, one of the biggest came against the Brock Badgers on Jan. 18.
The Badgers, a traditionally strong team who currently hold a record of 10 wins and eight losses, ended the Marauders season last year. In their first rematch on Nov. 19, the Marauders won by a final tally of 66 to 53, but their second matchup was the game to watch as McMaster blew them out by a final score of 71 to 49.
“That was a great team win. We definitely had a little bit of a grudge, I would say, from last year that we were going in for the win no matter what. I think it was just another win to add to the books, and we're going to keep working hard and move forward. . . We're just going to keep working hard,” explained Joli-Couer.
The team holds a great mix of talent to really keep the flow of play moving over the course of the season. One can look to the league stats leaders to find players like Sarah Gates leading the league in PPG, to Deanna Mataseje and Jenna Button leading in assist to turnover ratio or Mia Spadafora leading the OUA in three point percentage, shooting nearly five percent more efficiently then the next closest player. However, the team dynamic stems much further than that.
“When we work together and we're creating opportunities for one another, we're scoring more often, and it's like translating into wins and better stat lines. There's always room for improvement,” said Joli-Couer.
With just one more win, McMaster can clinch a division title. They’ll take on the University of Toronto University Varsity Blues on Feb. 10 and Feb. 18, the TMU Bold on Feb. 11 and the Waterloo University Warriors on Feb. 17. The Bold sit second in the central division, while the Warriors lead the west. The Varsity Blues haven’t had the same kind of success, with a record of four wins and 15 losses so far.
The playoffs are set to begin on Feb. 22.
Gates sets a new single-game scoring record to help the Marauders to their first home win of the season
The women’s basketball team played their first home game of the year on Nov. 11, defeating the York Lions 89-81. Backed by a record-setting 47 point night from senior guard Sarah Gates, the maroon and grey team snuffed out a late Lions rally and picked up their first win of the season.
Heading into the game, the Marauders were searching to fill their win column after two losses on their Ottawa road trip at the beginning of the year. The team’s narrow 66-68 defeat against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Nov. 5 was followed up a day later with a blowout to the Carleton Ravens. On a 30.3 per cent field goal efficiency, including only nine out of 39 made attempts from beyond the arc, the McMaster University team fell to the Ravens 57-73.
Against York, the team was quick to pick up their offense, spearheaded by an eight point rally from Gates to cut ahead 23-13 at the end of the first. Lauren Golding and Cyanna King were dominant for the Lions, scoring 22 of their combined 24 second quarter points on nine for 12 shooting. Even with their efforts, the Marauders defense remained sharp, forcing six turnovers that led to eight converted points in the quarter.
With 20 points on eight for 11 shots, Gates helped put McMaster up 46-37 entering the half. Arianne Soriano added 12 points and two three pointers to aid the Marauders’ scoring charge.
Coming out of the break, the Lions struggled heavily from the field, missing 16 of their 21 shot attempts. The cold stretch allowed McMaster to take firm control of the contest, jumping out in front 69-48 after a difficult 11-point quarter from York.
In the final quarter, Gates absolutely commanded the court. She would net four three pointers while scoring McMaster’s last 18 points to finish the game.
“Our team feels like we’ve been together for years sometimes . . . When things click and we’re all having fun, it just feels like fun basketball. In those moments for everyone it just feels automatic,” said Gates.
“Our team feels like we’ve been together for years sometimes . . . When things click and we’re all having fun, it just feels like fun basketball. In those moments for everyone it just feels automatic."
Sarah Gates, SENIOR GUARD
Despite York’s 33 point comeback attempt in the fourth, the Marauders emerged victorious 89-81. Although they were outrebounded 30-44, McMaster’s 15 steals and consistent ball pressure were enough to limit the Lion’s end of game surge.
In a historic night, Gates finished the game with 47 points overall, topping her former career-high of 38 points set last year against Guelph on Nov. 13. The performance set a new single-game scoring record for McMaster, beating out Lindsay Degroot’s previous high of 38 points from 2008.
Averaging a league-best 30.8 points per game on a 54.1 per cent field goal percentage, the three-time Ontario University Athletics all-star has been sensational for the Marauders early on in the campaign. With this season marking Gates’ final year on the team, an extra championship title would be the perfect addition to her McMaster legacy.
“I want to win another national championship . . . I believe that our team has the potential to do it. We just gotta keep growing, keep learning from our mistakes throughout the season so we can peak at the right time,” said Gates.
“I want to win another national championship . . . I believe that our team has the potential to do it. We just gotta keep growing, keep learning from our mistakes throughout the season so we can peak at the right time.”
Sarah Gates, SENIOR GUARD
Pitching in with an all-around performance, Soriano finished with a line of 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Her game-high four steals helped to lock up the Lion’s ball handlers, who committed 23 turnovers on the night.
On the opposition’s side, Golding finished the game with a line of 31 points and 10 rebounds. Also securing a double-double, King chipped in with 24 points while pulling down 16 rebounds for the Lions.
With their win against York, the Marauders showcased their abilities as one of the league’s best offensive teams. Making the second most threes per game while maintaining the third best field goal percentage, McMaster’s efficiency and outside shooting presence has played a key role in their early season scoring successes.
Going forward, the team can continue to work on the defensive end of the ball. Ranking third last in personal fouls and points allowed per game, improvement in these areas will make the Marauders a true force in the league and complement their elite offensive talent led by Gates’ devastating scoring abilities.
