Saturday will be a big night for the Nipissing Lakers women's basketball team for a few different reasons.

Let's begin with the fact that, in just their second year, they are in the hunt for a playoff spot and a win against their northern rivals the Laurentian Voyageurs would go a long way in getting them there.

Added to that, the Lakers are hosting their second annual Shoot for the Cure game, in support of cancer research throughout Canada.

It is part of an entire CIS venture that will see every women's basketball team host one game in a fundraising effort.

And finally, Saturday's game begins a stretch of five straight home games in the month of January for the Lakers – by far their longest stretch of the season.

While it was a while ago, the Lakers enter the game having won their last game before the Christmas break, defeating Algoma 64-59 at home and enter the second semester with a 2-5 record, tied for third in their division with the Voyageurs.

Beginning with the Vees this weekend, the Lakers will also entertain Laurier, Waterloo, Toronto and Ryerson during January.

Combined, those teams have a record of 13-21, including the winless Waterloo Warriors.

And just one of those teams – the Ryerson Rams – are above .500, sitting with a 5-1 record.

Regardless of the team's record, the Lakers, who have made impressive strides this year, can't take any of the teams lightly, as they search for a playoff berth.

Nipissing has been able to find success through a balanced attack, led by veteran guard Claire Abbott, who is averaging 13.7 points per game.

While she has the offensive leader of the team, she has received more help this year than last, as the team has seen a big improvement in depth scoring.

Along with Abbott, seven other players are averaging at least four points a game and while that may not seem like a lot, points add up quickly when everyone is making baskets.

Adding up just the players' points per game, Nipissing scores an average of about 50 points each game so far this season through seven games.

Defensively, they have been very much improved as well, forcing their opponents to take tougher shots and being stronger in the rebound department, allowing their offence to get more touches and more opportunities.

And odd are, more touches and chances will turn into more points for the Lakers.

Although Nipissing remains one of the lower scoring schools in the OUA, they rank near the middle (ninth) in defensive scoring, which has given them a legitimate chance in every game.

Tip-off to begin the second half of the season is 6 p.m. Saturday night at the RJS Athletic Centre.

To donate to the Lakers Shoot for the Cure fundraising campaign, click HERE.
 
Shoot for the Cure
The CIS Women's Basketball Coaches Association proudly announced Friday its fundraising initiative to raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - and other related charities - is up and running for the ninth straight year.

The Shoot for the Cure campaign has proven an overwhelming success since it was launched in the fall of 2007 with over $886,000 in donations. This season, for the fifth year in a row, all 47 CIS women's basketball schools are set to participate in the program.

At the 2015 CIS championship in Quebec City last March, the WBCA presented a cheque for $102,312.05 to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. An additional $23,049.71 was amassed by universities that elected to donate their fundraised money to local or provincial organizations, bringing the overall Shoot for the Cure total for the 2014-15 season to $125,361.76.

This year's edition of Shoot for the Cure could prove the most special to date, thanks to the fast approaching $1,000,000 benchmark and the launch of a new coast-to-coast project, the Pink Ball Journey.

"This is a very special year," said Jeff Speedy, Shoot for the Cure project manager, WBCA president and head coach at the University of New Brunswick. "We should easily pass the $1-million mark for total money raised since the inception of this event nine years ago. In addition, we are launching the journey of a pink basketball from the University of Victoria to Memorial University of Newfoundland. This journey starts at UVic on Saturday, will hit every CIS women's basketball campus during the season, and will conclude with Memorial passing the ball off to UNB at the national championship in March."

Over the course of its cross-country journey, the pink Wilson basketball will be signed by every CIS head coach.

"The journey symbolizes the struggle people are going through to fight this deadly disease and how we are all in this fight to cure cancer together," Speedy said. "There will be some great photo ops with the ball every step of the way and everyone can follow the journey on Twitter, as we will be using the hashtags CoastToCoast and ShootForTheCure all season long."

Once again this year, CIS schools will raise money through regular season games, tournaments and other special events. The first Shoot for the Cure games of 2015-16 are scheduled for Oct. 8 as part of the University of Calgary's women and men's Calgary Cup tournaments.

The 2016 CIS championship is set for March 17 to 20 at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton.

The fundraising initiative was the brainchild of Rod Gilpin, the long-time bench boss of Bishop's women's program now in his eighth season as head coach of the Gaiters' men.
 
SHOOT FOR THE CURE YEAR-BY-YEAR DONATIONS:
2014-2015: $125,361.76 ($102,312.05 to CBCF)
2013-2014: $138,360.58 ($112,898.03 to CBCF)
2012-2013: $110,553.96 ($90,450.62 to CBCF)
2011-2012: $121,248.70 ($98,706.92 to CBCF)
2010-2011: $143,596.25 ($104,763.53 to CBCF)
2009-2010: $104,715.80 ($94,650.96 to CBCF)
2008-2009: $92,512.96 ($81,512.96 to CBCF)
2007-2008: $50,320.87 ($50,320.87 to CBFC)
TOTAL: $886,670.88 ($735,615.94 to CBCF)