Yamazaki lifts Axewomen past UNB with season-high performance

WOLFVILLE – The Acadia Axewomen topped the No. 10 ranked UNB Reds 83-76 on Wednesday night, led by Rio Yamazaki (Tokyo, Japan) off the bench.

Yamazaki finished with a team-high 27 points, eclipsing her previous season-high total of 15 points set on November 17 against Memorial. She also pulled in three rebounds and had three assists on the night.

It was a slow start for the home team, but they closed the gap to only four points after a quarter. They took the second quarter 21-13 and third 22-16 to open a 10-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

For UNB the closest they could get to a comeback was closing the gap to four points in the fourth quarter as Acadia snapped their two-game losing skid.  

UNB's Erin Ingalls (St. George, NB) had a game-high 29 points and 14 rebounds for the only Reds double-double on the night. She was also efficient, shooting 12-for-13 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from the free throw line.

Acadia's Elizabeth Iseyemi (Dartmouth, NS) had 17 points and 13 boards for her 15^th double-double of the season. She also continues to lead the AUS in scoring with 22.1 points per game, trailed closely by UNB's Jayda Veinot (Port Williams, NS). Veinot, a former Axewoman, finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.

The two teams wrap up their AUS regular season on Saturday in Fredericton, a key game for seeding at next weekend's AUS women's basketball championship in Halifax. Currently Acadia is two points back of UNB for second place in the standings, meaning the winner of Saturday's game will have a bye to the semifinal round at the championship.

Tip-off at the Richard J. Currie Center is scheduled for 1 p.m.