With offense hard to come by in the first quarter, Centennial Colts Women's Basketball head coach Justin Bobb urged his team to attack the opposing team's big players relentlessly.

The strategy worked to perfection!

In a tense game between Centennial and the Alqonquin Thunder, it was the Colts who came out on top, 64-61, in front of a sellout crowd at the Athletic and Wellness Centre. The game went down to the wire, as Alqonquin had a chance to send the game to overtime, but missed a wide open three-pointer in the final seconds, as Centennial escaped victorious. The Colts (2-2) forced the Thunder (0-2) to shoot 25.9 per cent from the field and outrebounded them, 60-53.

A couple of freshmen forwards played key roles in the win. Yasmeen Smith had a double-double and also led the team with 15 points and 12 rebounds, along with four steals, while Effe Mae Abban had seven of her 12 points in the second half, despite fouling out late.

For the Colts (2-2), it was their home opener after three consecutive games on the road to start the season. The team outscored Alqonquin, 14-10, in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback, despite 28 turnovers and shooting 32.5 per cent from the field.

Bobb credited the Colts women with their focus and execution on both sides of the floor despite the team's struggles on offense early on.

"Our focus was a lot better," Bobb said. "Our effort was the same, but the focus and execution, I thought, was a lot better in the second half."

The Colts did not take their first lead until three minutes into the third quarter, when they led 38-37. However, their relentless drives to the rim, especially when switched onto the Thunder bigs, allowed the women to climb back into the game, with Abban being the catalyst on those drives in the second half.

Coach Bobb praised her tenacity and competitiveness after the game. "Nobody could stop her," he said. Abban saw that the Thunder forwards were stationery and not as athletic and took full advantage, along with the rest of the team. "They weren't running as much as we were and weren't active as we were," Abban said. "We continued to go at them until they were tired." The freshman forward, from Scarborough, also praised the home crowd for their energy. "The momentum of the crowd changed the entire game," she said. "That's the type of crowd we need for every single home game."

The Colts head back on the road for two straight games, starting on Saturday Nov. 12, when they face the George Brown Huskies, with a tip-off at 4 p.m.