The women’s basketball team is riding a perfect start to the season after wins over the Lakehead Thunderwolves and the Guelph Gryphons at the ARC this weekend.

On Friday, rookie and Kingston native Jenny Wright made an impressive Gaels debut. She posted a 60 per cent shooting average with seven points, seven rebounds and three assists in the Gaels’ 57-44 win over the Thunderwolves.

“She’s going to be a great player in this league,” head coach Dave Wilson said.

Both teams suffered from opening-game jitters, combining for 19 turnovers in the first half. But guard Liz Boag scored eight straight points on three consecutive possessions as the Gaels outscored the Thunderwolves 24-11 in the third quarter.

The Gaels only scored five fourth quarter points, but were cushioned by a 22-point lead after the third quarter.

On Saturday, the Gaels beat the Gryphons 83-77 in overtime to improve to 2-0.

With the game tied 66-66 late in the fourth quarter, Boag missed a game-winning shot and the game went to overtime. But guard Brittany Moore scored 13 of the Gaels’ 17 points in the extra frame to seal the win. Moore only scored one point in the first half, but came alive in the second half and finished with a game-high 26 points.

The Gaels struggled to deal with Gryphons centre Jasmine Douglas, who posted 21 points and 13 rebounds.

“They can shoot the basketball and they can penetrate,” Wilson said. “That combination makes them tough to cover.”

Wilson said his team wore down the Thunderwolves and the Gryphons with a high-tempo offence and a tenacious defence. He also said his backups performed well when his starters got into foul trouble.

The Gaels travel to Waterloo to play the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks tonight and the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday.