X-Women advance to AUS semi-finals with victory over Sea-Hawks

(Antigonish, NS)-The fifth seeded StFX X-Women rewarded the hometown Antigonish faithful with a 65-59 win over the fourth seeded Memorial Sea-Hawks in Subway AUS Women’s Basketball quarterfinal action Friday evening. The X-Women advance to Saturday’s semi-finals where they will face the top seeded Acadia Axewomen at 6:00 pm.

The X-Women received a complete team effort from their lineup as Vanessa Pickard, Kiley Delong, Jocelyn Moore and Anne Kiberd all had solid games for the blue and white. Delong was named AUS Subway Player of the Game for StFX, collecting 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, delivering a gritty performance in the win.

Veteran fourth year Sea-Hawks forward and AUS first team all-star Ally Forsey was named Subway Player of the Game in the losing effort for Memorial, collecting a game high 22 points, along with five rebounds.

StFX came out of the gate flying, racing out to an 11-0 lead in the opening minutes off the backs of a raucous home crowd at the Oland Centre. Jocelyn Moore scored 10 points in the first quarter for the X-Women as StFX came out on top after 10 minutes of play with a 15-10 lead over the visiting Sea-Hawks.

Memorial didn’t let the first quarter faze them however, as they stormed back into the game going on a 21-10 run in the second quarter to grab a 31-25 lead at half time. 

The Sea-Hawks held onto the lead throughout the majority of the third quarter, but the X-Women kept pace as they didn’t let the visitors extend their lead higher than five points. Anne Kiberd nailed a key three pointer late in the third quarter to get the X-Women back into the game and give them a close 43-41 advantage after three quarters of play. 

The fourth quarter was where both teams showed some offensive flash as it was a high scoring 22-18 final ten minutes. Vanessa Pickard and Kiley Delong each had seven points in the quarter for the blue and white who held onto their lead for the entire quarter. The Sea-Hawks pulled to within two points but were unable to catch the hometown X-Women as they sealed the 65-59 victory, ending the Sea-Hawks season in the process.

AUS Rookie of the Year Vanessa Pickard scored 17 points for StFX and also had four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and four steals. Jocelyn Moore scored 14 points and had seven boards, along with three steals, while Kiberd and Kolbi Roper each scored nine points apiece for the X-Women. Roper had seven rebounds in the game.
Providing secondary scoring to Memorial’s Forsey was Grace Fishbein who collected 11 points and six rebounds. Emily Jameson added eight points and Samantha Kavanagh scored seven. 

Looking at the numbers, the X-Women shot 32.9% from field goal range, 33.3% from the three point line and 63.6% from the free throw line. The Sea-Hawks were 33.9% from field goal range, 44.4% from the three point line and 71.4% in free throws.

Moving forward, the X-Women will face the AUS top seeded and CIS No. 7 Acadia Axewomen Saturday night at 6:00 pm in the first semi-final game. The Sea-Hawks were officially eliminated with the loss. Saturday’s semi-final can be viewed live online at www.ssncanada.ca.

Tigers upset Huskies 80-53 in second quarterfinal

The sixth seeded Dalhousie Tigers upset the third seeded Saint Mary’s Huskies 80-53 in Subway AUS Women’s Basketball Championship quarterfinal action Friday night in Antigonish, NS. The Tigers played consistently over four quarters and were led by AUS second team all-star Keisha Brown’s impressive 31 point performance.
The first quarter was low scoring as both teams were trying to find their legs in the early going. The Tigers narrowly outscored the Huskies 13-12 after ten minutes of play.

The second quarter is where the Tigers really took over the game as they were cashing in on virtually every opportunity they had as they cruised to a 39-27 lead at half time. 

The Huskies were unable to pick away at the Tigers lead as Keisha Brown continued her hot play in the third frame, netting eight points en route to a 16-13 third quarter advantage for the Tigers. Dalhousie upped their lead to 55-40 after three quarters of play against their Halifax rival. 

If the game wasn’t already in the books, the Tigers put a stamp on the evening in the fourth quarter as they continued to capitalize on their chances and outscore a deflated Huskies squad 25-13, closing out the impressive 80-53 victory in a game where many pundits had the Huskies as the favorite.

Dalhousie Subway Player of the Game Keisha Brown netted a game-high 31 points and also had seven rebounds and four steals. Also factoring in to the Tigers offense was Rachael Harrison who contributed 14 points and seven rebounds, and Courtney Thompson who scored 10. Cailin Crosby added eight points and six rebounds for the Tigers.

CIS leading scorer and Huskies Subway Player of the Game Justine Colley scored a team high 20 points for Saint Mary’s and had six rebounds, while Susanne Canvin had a double-double night with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Looking at the numbers the Tigers shot 43.5% from field goal range, 40.0% from the three point line and 76.9% from the free throw line. The Huskies were 34.4% from field goal range, 33.3% from the three point line and 41.2% from the free throw line.

With the win, the Tigers move on to face the tournament second seeded and CIS ranked No. 10 Cape Breton Capers Saturday evening in the second semi-final matchup at 8:00pm at the StFX Oland Centre in Antigonish, NS. The host and fifth seeded StFX X-Women tip off against the top seeded Acadia Axewomen in the other semi-final at 6:00 pm.