CAPERS defeated by StFX on the road

ANTIGONISH, NS - Hard work, stifling defense, and solid shooting pushed the STFX X-Women basketball team to a 79-66 win over the visiting Cape Breton CAPERS on Coach K Court Saturday night. 

The X-Women, who now stand at 7-7 on the season, avenged a loss from earlier in the week with the victory over CBU, while the CAPERS, who remain tied for third place in the AUS with UPEI, fall to 8-6. 

A tight press and a big three pointer from Krissy Cooper helped the X-Women to an 11-4 run in the first four minutes of the match. The CAPERS had some shooting woes early on, but a late outburst and a three-ball from Hailey MacLeod cut the lead to four by the end of the quarter, 18-14.

The X-Women extended their lead to eight points midway through the second quarter. Four straight points from Ekaterina Karchevskaya helped extend the advantage to 13 with minute to go, while Kiyara Letlow had a pair of buckets from the floor for the CAPERS in the half, which ended 42-31 for the home team. 

The X-Women started the third with a 10-2 run in the first six minutes, but a triple from Alicia Bowering helped kick off a 10-4 run for the CAPERS, who were down by 13 going into the final 10 minutes. 

The teams traded buckets in the first two minutes, including three triples in a row, as the teams continued to battle. The CAPERS pulled within 10 with 90 seconds to go in the high scoring quarter, but STFX refused to give ground and held on for the win. 

Cooper, who picked up Gabriel Pizza Player of the game honors, had 18 points, 12 boards, and four assists on the night, while Karchevskaya also had 18 points, and Jaya D'Souza netted 12.

Letlow finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds for the CAPERS, dropping 9 from the line. Tanila Marshall chipped in with 11 points, while MacLeod had 10 points and seven rebounds. 

The X-Women have one match up next weekend, a road game against the UPEI Panthers in Charlottetown on Saturday, February 1, at 6 p.m. 

The CAPERS return to action on Friday, January 31, when they head to Wolfville to square off with the Acadia Axewomen at 6 p.m. 

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Recap courtesy Matt Draper, STFX Athletics