First place Axewomen top Huskies 87-68

The Acadia Axewomen now have the best record in AUS Women's Basketball after a sound 87-68 victory over the Saint Mary's Huskies Wednesday evening at the Homburg Centre in Halifax.

The first half was back and forth with plenty of scoring out of the gate. Turnovers were even after one quarter, but the Huskies were unable to convert any points of these turnovers, where Acadia picked up eight.

Acadia pushed a bit harder and forced more turnovers and tough shots as the game went on. Acadia's Jayda Veinot (Port Williams, NS) had eight points in the first quarter and continued her stellar play throughout, ending up with 18 by game's end.

The half was full of quick, slick play at both ends, but Acadia shot over 50 percent from the field, overshadowing a strong 40% shooting percentage on the Saint Mary's side. A 3-point buzzer beater at the half put Acadia ahead 14 points at the break.

After the half, Acadia came out hot while SMU struggled to find the basket.

Hayley McDonald (Port Williams, NS) exploded offensively with 11 points in the quarter. Listed at a generous 5'6", McDonald used her small stature to zip through defenders and score through strong positioning and playmaking. She scored as many points as the entire SMU team in the 3^rd, pushing the score to a nearly thirty point spread by the start of the 4^th. She would end up leading scorer of both teams with 20 overall.

The Huskies pushed back in the last quarter, the only quarter in which they would out score the Axewomen. Lucian Beaumont (Fredericton, NB) and Alaina McMillan (Brantford, ON) led the Huskies in the final drive, finishing with 18 and 17 total points, respectively. It wouldn't be enough.

The Axewomen now have a league-best 13-3 record and will host UPEI in Wolfville on Saturday. Saint Mary's falls to 7-9 and will host Cape Breton, also on Saturday.

By Ethan Lycan-Lang for SMU

Photo Nick Pearce