Axewomen snap Huskies unbeaten streak with 86-56 win
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Acadia (13-5, 13-5) | 24 | 22 | 25 | 15 | 86 |
|
Saint Mary's (17-1, 17-1) | 16 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 56 |
HALIFAX, NS – Acadia guard Bianca Helmig posted a 23-point, 11-assist double-double, leading the Axewomen to a 86-56 win over the U SPORTS #2 ranked Saint Mary's Huskies in Atlantic University Sport women's basketball action on Wednesday night at the Homburg Centre.
It was the Axewomen's night from the opening tip as they opened up a quick 5-0 lead off a three-pointer from wing Lisa Bolander (Uppsala, Sweden). Huskies forward Chloe Wilson (Dartmouth, NS) responded with a three of her own, before back-to-back lay-ups from Clara Gascoigne (Dartmouth, NS) and Lucy Beaumont (Fredericton, NB) gave the Huskies a 12-9 lead.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 13, 2025
Evie Hargraves hits for three off a great pass from Aki Kobayashi! pic.twitter.com/ILx59fjs33
But Acadia finished the quarter strong, with three-pointers from wings Samantha Russell (Dartmouth, NS) and Bianca Minelli (Brescia, Italy) giving the visitors a 24-16 lead after 10 minutes of play.
Early in the second quarter, the Huskies cut the lead to 24-20 after back-to-back lay-ups from Gascoigne and Aki Kobayashi (Osaka, Japan), but Lisa Bollander hit another three, followed by back-to-back buckets by post Sarah Delorey (Elmsdale, NS). Another Samantha Russell three gave the Axewomen their largest lead of the first half at 38-26.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 13, 2025
Katelyn Power with the steal and score! pic.twitter.com/DIXxm9ab6S
Gascoigne continued to try to keep the Huskies in the game, scoring eight of her 14 first-half points in the second quarter, but was matched by Russell's eight points, as the Axewomen took a 46-34 lead into half-time.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 13, 2025
Clara Gascoigne with the smooth finish! pic.twitter.com/TRt71ix7vO
The Axewomen continued to grow their lead in the third quarter, with another Bianca Minelli three-pointer pushing the lead to 53-37. Huskies guard Aki Kobayashi was a bright spot in the third quarter, scoring 11 of the team's 13 points, but the Axewomen outscored the Huskies 25-13 in the quarter, including 13 points from guard Bianca Helmig (Speyer, Germany), as Acadia took a 71-47 lead into the fourth.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 13, 2025
Aki Kobayashi with the sweet move for the and-one! pic.twitter.com/qRnKOoMZ8e
The Acadia lead continued to balloon in the fourth quarter, as the Huskies emptied out their bench late. Saint Mary's forward Emily Dikdan (Sudbury, ON) hit a late jumper, but the Axewomen held on for a commanding 86-56 win, handing the Huskies their first loss of the regular season.
Acadia guard Bianca Helmig was named Player of the Game, scoring 23 points on 10/12 shooting from the field, and adding 11 assists and four steals. Samantha Russell led the Axewomen with 24 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal, while Lisa Bolander chipped in 19 points and five rebounds.
The Huskies were led in defeat by Clara Gascoigne's 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. Aki Kobayashi chipped in 15 points and three assists.
The Axewomen win improved their record to 13-5 on the season, while the Huskies dropped to 17-1. The two teams will meet again on Saturday, Feb. 13, this time in Wolfville, with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m.
Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Mona Ghiz / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
