The Nipissing Lakers women's basketball team can't be accused of being short on heart or effort.

Despite what the scoreboard may say any given game, the Lakers put in a full effort from start to finish and it's eventually going to pay off.

Unfortunately, a late surge by the Ottawa Gee Gees was too much for the Lakers, as they fell by a final of 62-44 Saturday night on home court.

Nipissing held their own for much of the game, but a few clutch baskets and defensive stops by the Gee Gees proved to be the difference.

Nipissing held a two point lead, 18-16, after the first quarter and even though they were outscored 16-9 in the second and trailed 32-27, they were very much in the game.

In the second half, Ottawa didn't dominate, but did enough to extend their lead, limiting the Lakers to just 17 points in the half.

The Gee Gees led 45-33 after three and in the fourth, sealed the win with a 17-11 advantage, as they claimed the win.

The loss to Ottawa, following a tough defeat to Carleton, make it back-to-back games where the Lakers performed well, battled hard and came away with a lot of positives, the result is the only thing missing.

Offensively, Claire Abbott led the way with 10 points, Jamie Soffer and Mackenzie Bahn each had nine in the game.

The Lakers finish up the first semester of play on the road next weekend, playing Waterloo and Laurier Friday and Saturday night.