X-Women close out first half of season with road win over Axewomen

WOLFVILLE, N.S. — The STFX X-Women defeated the Acadia Axewomen 68-56 in AUS women's basketball action on Saturday at Stu Aberdeen Court.

Shannon Neita (Toronto, ON) stood out for STFX with 15 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. Laia Torrent Blanco (Cornella de Llobregat, Spain) tied for the team lead with five assists, helping orchestrate the offence.

Ali Oluyole (Wolfville, NS) scored 13 points, including 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, while Lauren Neeve (Oro-Medonte, ON) led StFX with 17 points, shooting efficiently and hitting two three-pointers. Krissy Cooper (Hamilton, ON also recorded five assists.

Samantha Russell (Dartmouth, NS) led Acadia with a game-high 24 points, shooting 7-of-19 from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. Russell also grabbed eight rebounds.

Bianca Helmig (Speyer, Germany) contributed 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, along with four rebounds and three assists. Bianca Minelli (Brescia, Italy) added five points, four assists, two rebounds, and two blocks, while Jewel Woolfitt (Brookfield, NS) chipped in seven rebounds, two assists, and a block.

Acadia trailed 18-17 after the first quarter, hitting three of seven three-point attempts while committing six turnovers. StFX scored no three-pointers in the quarter but outrebounded Acadia 11-10.

In the second quarter, StFX outscored Acadia 20-14, extending their lead to 38-31 at halftime. Acadia shot 5-of-13 from the field and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc, while StFX made eight of 20 field-goal attempts, including four three-pointers.

Acadia rallied in the third quarter, outscoring StFX 17-7 to take a slim lead. The Axewomen excelled at the free-throw line, converting 9-of-10 attempts, and added eight points in the paint. StFX struggled offensively, shooting just 2-of-14 from the field.

However, StFX dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring Acadia 23-8. The Axewomen managed only two field goals on nine attempts and committed 13 turnovers as StFX ended their losing streak and in turn ended Acadia's win streak.

Both teams have now completed regular season play until January, with StFX returning to action on January 8 at Dalhousie, while Acadia will host Memorial or January 10.

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Recap courtesy Acadia Athletics