Huskies enter the holiday break having lost six straight, drop to 1-8 record

Playing host to the Seneca Sting in the final game of 2016, home court turned into a hornets’ nest for the Huskies women’s basketball team.

A luckless first quarter seemed to set the tone for George Brown, which fell 76-41 on Wednesday. Over the first 10 minutes of play, Seneca shot 10-for-20 from the field, as opposed to George Brown’s 2-for-16 conversion rate. Despite quality opportunities, the Huskies shooters couldn’t will the ball through the hoop, and the result was a hapless 25-7 score heading into the second quarter.

While the home side’s luck improved, their struggles never fully dissipated. To Seneca’s credit, the visitors played patient, positionally sound basketball throughout the game. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that George Brown outscored Seneca 13-10, and by then it was too little, too late.

“We really have been focusing on defence the last couple of weeks,” said Sting guard Sarah Givens, whose seven assists led all players. “We knew that they were mostly an offensive team, so we needed to get our offence from our defence, fast break as much as we can, and just wear them out.”

In terms of drive on the court, George Brown didn’t have an answer for Givens’ voraciousness. As Seneca’s playmaking engine, the fourth-year veteran helped to power 22 and 14-point nights from teammates Alcian Satchel and Nicolette Elliott-Gill, respectively. After alternating losses and wins over the last eight games, their efforts earned Seneca its first winning streak of the season, improving to a 5-4 record in the process.

“It’s something that we purposefully talked about in practice, about trying to find a way to get a back-to-back win,” said Sting head coach Craig Walker, who believed his young squad can be awfully good when committed to defence first. “We haven’t been able to do it all season, so it was nice to come out and get it done tonight.”

The Huskies’ 41-point effort marked a season-low with regard to offensive output, two points shy of George Brown’s previous Nov. 26 low-water mark against the Georgian Grizzlies. Amongst the team, Tianna Sullivan was the only Husky able to break through Seneca’s defensive game plan. The third-year guard managed 18 points and 13 total rebounds, accounting for many of George Brown’s livelier moments.

“I just think that we weren’t really trying as hard,” Sullivan said. “We just need to bring more energy in the first quarter, which we didn’t and then that’s when Seneca started having their run.”

For the Huskies, 2017 is an opportunity to push the reset button. Head coach Warren Williams intends on making changes from top to bottom, beginning with the way he prepares the team and running all the way through to the end of the bench. The reason is simple: the status quo isn’t good enough.

“We’re just not engaged enough to play in a college basketball game right now,” said Williams. “We have to show much more urgency, passion, desire and heart to play in a game. Right now, we’re coming into the game and we’re just not ready to play.”

George Brown’s season will resume on Jan. 13, a 6:00 p.m. home tilt against the Durham Lords.