Strong fourth quarter propels Huskies to 69-58 win over Axewomen
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Acadia (0-2, 0-2) | 11 | 15 | 20 | 12 | 58 |
|
Saint Mary's (2-0, 2-0) | 15 | 12 | 22 | 20 | 69 |
HALIFAX, NS - The Saint Mary's Huskies closed the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run to defeat the Acadia Axewomen 69-58 in the Atlantic University Sport Women's Basketball season opener on Wednesday night at the Homburg Centre in Halifax.
Prior to Wednesday's night's tip-off, the Huskies raised their 2023-24 AUS Women's Basketball Championship banner.
The game started as a defensive battle, with Huskies forward Lucina Beaumont (Fredericton, NB) hitting a three-pointer for the first field goal of the game, giving the hosts a 6-2 lead in the opening quarter. Acadia was able to tie it up 9-9, but another Beaumont jump shot gave the Huskies a 15-11 lead after 10 minutes of play.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 30, 2024
Defence ➡️ Ball Movement ➡️ Open 3!
Trademark Huskies basketball leads to a Lucy Beaumont three to open the 2024-25 regular season!
Watch live: https://t.co/soKW0FC4t1 pic.twitter.com/QRu12etfWH
Saint Mary's continued to open up their lead in the second quarter, with a pair of free-throws from guard Aki Kobayashi (Osaka, Japan) extending the lead to 20-13. But Acadia all-star forward Samantha Russell (Dartmouth, NS) kept them in it, scoring nine points in the second quarter alone, and the Huskies took a 27-26 lead into halftime.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 30, 2024
Chloe Wilson gets the hoop and the harm! Huskies lead 27-26 at the half.
Watch live: https://t.co/soKW0FC4t1 pic.twitter.com/7HxlMvM2Gh
Russell led the Axewomen with 12 points in the first half, while forwards Chloe Wilson (Dartmouth, NS) and Lucina Beaumont led the Huskies with nine and eight points respectively.
The Axewomen came out strong to begin the second half, with a three-pointer from wing Lisa Bolander (Uppsala, Sweden) giving them a 40-35 lead. Huskies guard Aliyah Fraser (New Glasgow, NS) scored six points late in the quarter, and Saint Mary's took a slim 49-46 lead into the fourth.
Axewomen forward Sarah Delorey (Elmsdale, NS) hit a lay-up early in the fourth to put the visitors up 50-49, but first year forward Evie Hargraves (Saint John, NB) went on a personal 5-0 run to restore the Huskies lead. Another Delorey jumper cut the Huskies lead to 61-58 with just over three minutes remaining.
But Saint Mary's veteran lineup showed their championship pedigree by closing out the game on a 8-0 run, with a three-pointer from Aliyah Fraser securing the 69-58 victory.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 30, 2024
Aliyah Fraser hits a huge three and gets a stop to secure the Huskies 69-58 season opening victory! pic.twitter.com/IVFINLURFM
Guard Aki Kobayashi was named Player of the Game for the Huskies, stuffing the stat-sheet with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and three blocks. Forward Chloe Wilson led the Huskies with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Lucina Beaumont chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Axewomen were led by Samantha Russell, who came off the bench to lead all scorers with 19 points and added nine rebounds and four assists. Lisa Bolander added 11 points, and Sarah Delorey chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Huskies and Axewomen will meet again on Saturday night in Wolfville, N.S., with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m.
