Axewomen top Sea-Hawks to open weekend in St. John's

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Acadia secured a 70-65 win over Memorial at the Field House in St. John's, N.L., on Friday. 

Bianca Minelli led the Axewomen with 18 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the field, including two three-pointers. She added five rebounds and one assist. Bianca Helmig chipped in 16 points, going 5-for-12 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, while also tallying four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Samantha Russell contributed 14 points and led the team with nine rebounds, while also recording three steals and three assists. Lisa Bolander rounded out Acadia's top scorers with 16 points, shooting 5-for-12 from the field and 4-for-7 from the free-throw line, while collecting six rebounds.

For the Sea-Hawks, Alyssa Jenkins led with 18 points, shooting 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and hitting one three-pointer. Brooke LeDevehat added 16 points, all coming from five three-pointers. Brooklyn Martens led Memorial in rebounding with 10 boards and added three points and a block. Eavan McLaughlin contributed 13 points, going 6-for-8 from the free-throw line, while Carly Norris added seven points, four defensive rebounds and one steal.

Memorial led 17-13 after the first quarter, buoyed by free-throw shooting, converting 7-of-8 attempts compared to Acadia's 5-of-8. Both teams made five field goals in the frame, with Memorial's bench scoring 12 points.

Acadia bounced back in the second quarter, outscoring Memorial 27-15. The Axewomen shot 11-for-18 from the field, including 4-for-7 from three-point range. They capitalized on Memorial's turnovers and strong bench contributions, building an 11-point lead at one stage.

Memorial responded with a dominant third quarter, outscoring Acadia 22-9. The Sea-Hawks shot 58.3 per cent from the field, draining four three-pointers, while Acadia struggled offensively, going 3-for-16. Memorial also added nine points from their bench, maintaining control throughout the frame.

In the fourth quarter, Acadia rallied with a 21-11 run to secure the win. Minelli scored eight of her 18 points in the quarter, including a pivotal three-pointer. Acadia shot 9-for-15 from the field in the final 10 minutes, while holding Memorial to 2-for-18 shooting.

The Axewomen will face the Sea-Hawks again on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m. at the Field House in St. John's.